What to do in La Havre if I don't want Paris or Normandy?

[pitmindi]

Hello.  Can you please suggest excursions in La Havre, either ship excursions or private tour excursions for La Havre.  I do not want to go to Paris since the bus ride of 6 hours is too long and Normandy is too expensive.  Any other suggestions?

[CruiserBruce]

Start by looking on the France board...many discussions on La Havre there.

 

I would expect the Mods will move this over there.

[Cotswold Eagle]

There are previous thread on Le Havre on this board too - it is more sensibly grouped with other Western Europe ports, rather than Mediterranean, but Cruise Critic has always had an odd sense of geography! The search function will bring up previous discussions. 
 

OP, Le Havre is IN Normandy, a region of France, so when you say “Normandy is too expensive” can we presume you mean “excursions to the D-Day memorials and sites”?  What are you seeing as too expensive? It would be a shame to be so close, but not able to pay your respects to the young men who paid a much higher price in June 1944 - there may be more affordable options, perhaps in combination with other things if a full day of military history is not your thing. 
 

Otherwise, the pretty port of Honfleur is a possibility - it’s easy to do by yourself. This recent post has a link to useful report on a Cruise Critic member’s blog about getting there by bus, which is likely to be the cheapest option, other than simply walking round Le Havre (which isn’t a terrible option, but it is a town almost completely rebuilt after WWII). 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Cotswold Eagle

[Tak8]

I did a tour on Princess a couple of years ago that went to an apple liqueur place, think it was Calvados. then to Honfluer.  Ate at a cafe and visited a church on free time.  Nice half day excursion.

[Turtles06]

11 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

OP, Le Havre is IN Normandy, a region of France, so when you say “Normandy is too expensive” can we presume you mean “excursions to the D-Day memorials and sites”?  What are you seeing as too expensive? It would be a shame to be so close, but not able to pay your respects to the young men who paid a much higher price in June 1944 - there may be more affordable options, perhaps in combination with other things if a full day of military history is not your thing. 

 

And in addition to paying respects to the courageous, also getting an incredible and emotional up-close look at those historic sites, and an understanding of what took place that is so much more powerful in person than one gets from reading books or watching movies.  (Although those first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" are pretty amazing.)

[sansterre]

We did a HAL tour to Givenchy, Monet's home.  It was enjoyable and included a nice French lunch.

 

[samandlibby]

19 hours ago, pitmindi said:

Hello.  Can you please suggest excursions in La Havre, either ship excursions or private tour excursions for La Havre.  I do not want to go to Paris since the bus ride of 6 hours is too long and Normandy is too expensive.  Any other suggestions?

We were in the same situation. Our top options included Honfleur, Rouen, or Giverny. 

[mskaufman]

Honfleur and Giverny are both nice.  This year we are sucking it up and taking the long bus ride to Mont San Michel.  Pictures are from last year in Honfleur.

 

[edinburgher]

Normandy is too expensive.

 

It isn't at all clear why you think "Normandy is too expensive" and without that info it is difficult for other members to suggest cheaper options. Nor did you give an approx  pp figure which you are thinking would be a more affordable uption for you..

 

As already emntioned above, the lowest cost would be to simply leave the ship and spend time exploring le Havre on foot.  Having said that, it isn't the most interesting town to visit as le Havre is more of a "Gateway port" than a "destination port" in its own right and was mostly rebuilt after WW11. It does have beaches if the weather is good and that option may not cost much..

 

There are a good number of options you could consider, including Monet'ts Garden at Giverney, Honfleur, train to Rouen a little under an hour away, (think Joan of Arc) and also a public bus to Etretat for walks along the Alabaster cliffs which I can recommend but only on a good weather day.

 

.A  step by step guide to an easy and inexpensive Honfleur DIY option.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2929793-le-havre-to-honfleur-an-easy-day-visit/#comment-65173042

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by edinburgher

[pitmindi]

The NCL Ship tour of Normandy is $230.  I was hoping to spend around $100.  I do not see private group tours I can join as a solo person to Normandy.  I do have a credit of $50 but at $180 I still would like something cheaper.  Thanks for your help everyone.  

[TheOldBear]

2 hours ago, pitmindi said:

The NCL Ship tour of Normandy is $230.  I was hoping to spend around $100.  I do not see private group tours I can join as a solo person to Normandy.  I do have a credit of $50 but at $180 I still would like something cheaper.  Thanks for your help everyone.  

That seems a bit steep - in 2019 Cunard's tour was somewhere near $140 - and included a three course lunch with wine.

[Hlitner]

First, you need to understand that Normandy is a relatively large Provence.  It is not just a D-Day beach.  I can understand the OP's reluctance to trek all the way to Paris which will mean spending at least 5 hours (round trip).  DW and I really love Paris, but for us it is a place to spend days or weeks...not a few hours.  I also do not get the "Normandy is too expensive" as just like any place the traveler can work with a budget.  

 

So what to do?  If the OP prefers a smaller village than he/she could use public transportation (bus) or share a large taxi and visit Honfleur and perhaps also Deauville.  If they would rather visit a larger city than I suggest getting a shared taxi (or taking a long walk) to the Le Havre train station and catching the next train to Rouen.  Once in Rouen, assuming you have no mobility issues, you can simply walk throughout the city (from the train station).  Your cost for an entire day trip to Rouen does not need to be over $100 (for two).

 

If the OP only take cruise line excursions...well that is their own hang up and have a great trip.

 

Hank