Le Havre excursion advice

[Lilz]

We are in Le Havre from 8am-8pm. Already did Paris and other excursions are sold out. Wanted to know if anyone has taken a train to Rouen and if it's worth it. Or, is there enough to do in Le Havre?

 

[Peregrina651]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

First, before you give up completely on the excursions that you want, write to Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com. Tell them how disappointed you are that the excursions you wanted are sold out, name them and ask if they will be adding more space on them. Viking does not keep a waiting list for excursions; this is the only way of telling them that they have unsatisfied demand.

 

In the meantime, continue to check MVJ daily looking for new openings. People change their minds. Cancellations happen. If you can only get one seat, take it! Then contact Viking (via "tellus"" is always my preference) to tell them you have one seat already and ask if they can get you a second (sometimes they can and sometimes they can't).

 

Shorex can be cancelled up to 36 hours prior to the start of the excursion, except during the 1 week black-out period prior departure. That is when Viking uploads everything to the ship's computer.

 

Now, as for Rouen, we were there on a Viking River cruise and loved it. There is a lot to see -- the cathedral plus all of the Joan of Arc history connected to the city. Can't say anything about getting there and back. On the other hand, if you haven't seen the Normandy Beaches, they are closer to Le Havre than Rouen and you can probably arrange a private tour from Le Havre to the beaches (or find another couple or two on the roll call for your sailing who are looking to share a private tour; roll calls are the only place on Cruise Critic that we may arrange such tour shares).

 

Finally, if you haven't already found, there is another thread talking about excursions from Le Havre. Paris tours . Don't let the title put you off. It is short thread and you may find some additional information there.

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

You might want to consider Honfleur. I posted about it in this thread. 

[Haworth]

Totally agree, Honfleur is fabulous to visit 

[DGHOC]

Normandy is a delight and Rouen its capital city is definitely worth seeing. It's a two thousand year old city packed solid with history. It would be easy to happily occupy every minute of your twelve hour visit.

 

The beautiful Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Rouen is one of France's finest. Monet was a fan and painted it many times. I think it was started in the late 1100s.

 

There is a myriad of architectural styles in the city,  but the medieval sections are to be experienced. Visit the Place de Vieux Marché where Joan of Arc met her end. Go visit the Gros Horloge built into its renaissance arch. Honestly, there is so much to see and do, you won't be bored. Just as with any city, make sure you prep before you go so you have a plan. The medieval streets are higgledy piggledy but google maps on your phone will handle it admirably.

 

But my favourite thing in France is to settle in an outdoor cafe and watch the people go by. You'll be spoilt for choice there and typical Normandy fare is just so delicious.

 

I've never done the journey by train from Le Havre but I know that the French train system works brilliantly well. Again, plan your journey ahead so you'll not be phased if your French is not up to scratch. As an aside the Normans and Bretons really love the Brits and Americans and are hugely welcoming (especially if you attempt to speak some French!)

 

I'd hugely recommend a visit there, go and enjoy!

[Cienfuegos]

Second vote for Honfleur!  On one cruise, my wife and I stayed in Le Havre. Took the included shuttle to the city square.  Visited the wonderful Malraux Museum, walked the sea wall, and walked back to the city center.  Rode the clean tram lines out to suburban neighborhoods.  I always enjoy riding the public transport out to the end of the line, and walking part way back.  You see much more than down town.

 

Had lunch in a jostling, crowded cafe. Great people watching.  Walked back to the Viking shuttle bus which runs every 20 minutes or so.

[CILCIANRQTS]

We loved Honfleur!
Charming little community with lots of restaurants, photo ops, nice people.

We too could not justify the long bus trip to Paris.

[Mich3554]

43 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

We loved Honfleur!
Charming little community with lots of restaurants, photo ops, nice people.

We too could not justify the long bus trip to Paris.

Yep.  We went to Giverny when our cruise stopped in Le Havre.  It just didn’t seem to make sense to try to go to Paris as you spent too little time there for such a long bus ride.  I love Rouen too, would gladly go back here too.  We haven’t done Honfleur, so I’m filing that away for the future.

[DGHOC]

Oh Giverny is totally fabulous. We visited in spring during the tulip season, I truly don't think I've ever seen anything so glorious. I think it has a different splendour with every season!

[Lilz]

Thanks for the replies! So it looks like Viking has a shuttle at Le Havre from port to city center. Does anyone know if they do the same for Amsterdam and Porto?  

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, Lilz said:

Thanks for the replies! So it looks like Viking has a shuttle at Le Havre from port to city center. Does anyone know if they do the same for Amsterdam and Porto?  

 

They set up shuttles wherever it is necessary and feasible.

[travelbug11]

Giverny for a visit to Monet’s home and gardens 

[lackcreativity]

6 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Yep.  We went to Giverny when our cruise stopped in Le Havre.  It just didn’t seem to make sense to try to go to Paris as you spent too little time there for such a long bus ride.  I love Rouen too, would gladly go back here too.  We haven’t done Honfleur, so I’m filing that away for the future.

I agree, with one exception. If you have never been to Paris and you think you will likely never get there in the future, then I would go. I  think Paris for a few hours is better than no Paris at all.

 

That being said, when we took our first trip to Europe, (12 days in Italy), we thought we would never be able to afford to go again. Sometimes life surprises you in a good way, and we have been back ten times since then! However, things don't always work out that way, so whatever you choose to do, enjoy it!

Edited August 25, 2022 by lackcreativity

[Cienfuegos]

9 hours ago, Lilz said:

Thanks for the replies! So it looks like Viking has a shuttle at Le Havre from port to city center. Does anyone know if they do the same for Amsterdam and Porto?  

 

In Amsterdam, the ocean cruise port is downtown, adjacent to the Rhine etc river cruise terminal. You can walk to the 'Dam and Centraal Rail Station in about ten minutes. The light rail station is across the street from the ocean terminal. You can buy all day tickets for the trams at the visitor center adjacent to Centraal Station.  We took the tram out to the spice markets, out in a residential area. Then walked and hopped various trams.  No need for a Viking shuttle.

 

In Oporto, the "included tour" included a bus ride into town, and around town showing the highlights. And a walking tour of the historic port area. Followed by two hours on our own, as I recall. Other tours included a guided visit to several Port lodges for tastings.  The ship docked several miles outside the old town.

[OneSixtyToOne]

10 hours ago, Lilz said:

Thanks for the replies! So it looks like Viking has a shuttle at Le Havre from port to city center. Does anyone know if they do the same for Amsterdam and Porto?  

When we docked in Amsterdam, the tram line ran literally across the street. No need for a bus. 
 

Our stay in Porto was very short (5 hours?) we took the included tour which stopped at two locations and parked by the river where we had about 2 hours to shop, eat, etc.