Le Havre Taxis

[McGarrett5oh]

We would like to taxi from the Le Havre cruise port into town (Le Havre). 
 

Are taxis readily available at the port and do they require cash or is a safe credit card terminal available with the driver?

 

Thank you

[Hlitner]

16 hours ago, McGarrett5oh said:

We would like to taxi from the Le Havre cruise port into town (Le Havre). 
 

Are taxis readily available at the port and do they require cash or is a safe credit card terminal available with the driver?

 

Thank you

There are taxis at the port, although supply/demand could cause some times where you would need to wait.  Some French taxis do take major credit cards, but others will want cash (Euros).  IMHO, when you travel in Western Europe it is always a good idea to carry a reasonable amount of Euros.  You need to be prepared for times when a taxi or restaurant will say "our credit card machine is not working" which seems to happen from time to time.  It is easy to get cash from ATMs throughout Europe.

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

You may find it more difficult to get a taxi to only"the town", a drive of probably less than 10 or so minutes depending on your chosen drop off point. as most drivers will be hoping for longer driving tours or transfers to places further away such as Honfleur.

 

If you plan on staying in le Havre, this very recent thread could be of interest to you.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2945266-le-havre-france-port-notes/#comment-65581326

 

 

On 6/17/2023 at 8:54 PM, McGarrett5oh said:

We would like to taxi from the Le Havre cruise port into town (Le Havre). 
 

Are taxis readily available at the port and do they require cash or is a safe credit card terminal available with the driver?

 

Thank you

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by edinburgher

[PeggyCTB]

If you take a taxi from the port to Honfleur, how easy is it to get one in Honfleur to return to the port in Le Havre/

[Hlitner]

15 hours ago, PeggyCTB said:

If you take a taxi from the port to Honfleur, how easy is it to get one in Honfleur to return to the port in Le Havre/

When asked this question my response is the French expression, Comme ci comme sa.  We have been to Honfleur (usually with our own rental car) when there were empty taxis just sitting around the small harbor (the soul of Honfleur).  But there are other times when you might not be so lucky.  Keep in mind that French taxi drivers are well aware of cruise ships (most taxi drivers can spot a cruiser from some distance) and know you need to get back to Le Havre.  Their fares can increase if they think you are desperate.  If you are going to use a taxi, try to make an arrangement with your taxi driver to later pick you up and also ask if they have a card (with phone numbers).  We have often seen larger van/taxis at Le Harve who will charge 25 Euros (per person) and make arrangements to pick-up at a certain time,   When you get to the taxi queue (in front of the small port terminal, be politely assertive in asking the drivers about round trip to Honfleur, 

, 

In France, "radio taxis" are pretty common so having phone numbers of local taxis and taxi companies is a good back-up.

 

Those who have followed my posts (over a lot of years) know that we are big fans of rental cars in many ports.  Why?  It is often less expensive than taxis and avoids the anxiety of worrying about "how do I get back to the ship?"  With a car, we will usually combine a visit to Honfleur with a brief stop at nearby Deauville and Trouville-sur-mer,  A little further afar is the town of Bouvron-en-auge, which is worth a stop if one has their own car (too far if paying a taxi).

 

Hank

[McGarrett5oh]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Those who have followed my posts (over a lot of years) know that we are big fans of rental cars in many ports.  Why?  It is often less expensive than taxis and avoids the anxiety of worrying about "how do I get back to the ship?" 

Thanks @Hlitner.  We've read your posts and currently have a reservation at Hertz and Alamo.  We believe Hertz is our best option as it allows for a late dropoff.  Have you rented from either in Le Havre before?  TIA

[Hlitner]

24 minutes ago, McGarrett5oh said:

Thanks @Hlitner.  We've read your posts and currently have a reservation at Hertz and Alamo.  We believe Hertz is our best option as it allows for a late dropoff.  Have you rented from either in Le Havre before?  TIA

We have rented from Hertz, but it was a few years ago.  I cannot recall if we hiked from the port (our norm) or managed to get a taxi to take us the rental car office (taxis do not want to do these short hauls).   I think the best thing that has ever happened for fans of rental/leased cars has been GPS :).  These days, we simply need our phone, but we actually once had a Garman Nuvi loaded with European maps.  Prior to that, we used to carry over 5 pounds of maps and map books.  Somehow our marriage survived the days when I would ask DW "which way" or "where are we" and she would respond with something like "if I don't know where we are how can I find us on the map?"

 

Hank

[McGarrett5oh]

On 7/11/2023 at 11:03 AM, Hlitner said:

We have rented from Hertz, but it was a few years ago.  I cannot recall if we hiked from the port (our norm) or managed to get a taxi to take us the rental car office (taxis do not want to do these short hauls)

Hank -

 

We have 16 hours in port.  Subtracting an hour from each end, that leaves us with 14 hours to explore the area around Le Havre.  I am used to long driving days from our RV experiences,  We have EXTENSIVELY mapped out our driving & walking itineraries and are used to working within a "minute by minute" type agenda and know we have alot to accomplish with our plans (we're also used to "speed dating" an area on 1 day port excursions), but I thought I'd ask your opinion on this:

 

We want to visit the American Cemetary at Normandy as well as visit Giverny, Vernon & Rouen.  We know they are in opposite directions and trying to do it all means almost as much time in the car as visiting the sites, but we have 14 hours.  We also know there are toll roads along the way, there could be traffic and/or weather and have built in some extra buffer just in case.  There are now Ubers available in Le Havre which we plan to reserve in advance to get to Hertz and back (so not to rely on taxis).  

 

Is there anything we might be missing in planning this out or your experiences driving the French roads in this area?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

McGarrett

 

 

[Hlitner]

22 hours ago, McGarrett5oh said:

Hank -

 

We have 16 hours in port.  Subtracting an hour from each end, that leaves us with 14 hours to explore the area around Le Havre.  I am used to long driving days from our RV experiences,  We have EXTENSIVELY mapped out our driving & walking itineraries and are used to working within a "minute by minute" type agenda and know we have alot to accomplish with our plans (we're also used to "speed dating" an area on 1 day port excursions), but I thought I'd ask your opinion on this:

 

We want to visit the American Cemetary at Normandy as well as visit Giverny, Vernon & Rouen.  We know they are in opposite directions and trying to do it all means almost as much time in the car as visiting the sites, but we have 14 hours.  We also know there are toll roads along the way, there could be traffic and/or weather and have built in some extra buffer just in case.  There are now Ubers available in Le Havre which we plan to reserve in advance to get to Hertz and back (so not to rely on taxis).  

 

Is there anything we might be missing in planning this out or your experiences driving the French roads in this area?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

McGarrett

 

 

Since you asked (and ONLY because you asked), I think your plans are completely nutz!  I used to call this the "If It's Tuesday it Must be Belgium syndrome."  By the way, if you have never seen that old comedy movie it might be fun. 

 

And you want to drive to all those places in a port day?  I assume you have already looked at the maps and driving times.  But consider that driving directly to Giverny from Le Havre (and we are not even talking about going to the Omaha Beach area) will take about 1 1/2 hours each way.  Giverny is a popular tourist attraction and can be crowded (with some queues).  And keep in mind that when you pick up a rental car in France, it is not uncommon to be stuck in a slow moving queue just to get to the rental counter.  This is not like the Hertz agencies at many airports where you can simply head directly to your car.  

 

As to the American Cemetary, I have never met anyone who JUST went to that site (which is amazing and quite moving).  Nearly everyone would also want to visit nearby Omaha Beach, walk through the remaining bunkers, see Point du Hoc, and walk on the beach .  From that area to Giverny is at least 2 1/2 hours and can be somewhat longer because of traffic and parking at Giverny.  And than you must allow at least 1 1/2 hours just to get back to the Le Havre area, time to drop your car, get back to the ship, and allow an extra 1-2 hours "just in case."  Oh..and we haven't talked about Rouen.  You might have time to drive through a few streets and gaze at the Cathedral from your car, and quickly head back to the highway (hoping not to get stuck in Rouen traffic.

 

And while we are talking about the long driving distances, we have not even talked about how much time you need to appreciate any of these places (all terrific places to visit), go to the bath room, eat a meal, etc.

 

Like I said, you asked!  My suggestion would be to make some choices.  If you are heading to the Normandy beaches, make that region your entire day.  If you want to visit Giverny, then consider combining it with a visit to Rouen.  But doing it all....will not leave you much time to stop and smell the Roses (they might actually have some at Giverny).

 

Hank

[McGarrett5oh]

22 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Since you asked (and ONLY because you asked), I think your plans are completely nutz!  I used to call this the "If It's Tuesday it Must be Belgium syndrome."  By the way, if you have never seen that old comedy movie it might be fun. 

Thanks for your input @Hlitner   Good detail & thoughts to consider.  

[Hlitner]

6 minutes ago, McGarrett5oh said:

Thanks for your input @Hlitner   Good detail & thoughts to consider.  

Just another thought from one DIY traveler to another.  Over the many decades of our travel life, we have learned to "know our options" while keeping our flexibility.  In your case, you can certainly start out with your plans, but also have the flexibility to change as the day progresses.  

 

Hank

 

 

[McGarrett5oh]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Just another thought from one DIY traveler to another.  Over the many decades of our travel life, we have learned to "know our options" while keeping our flexibility.  In your case, you can certainly start out with your plans, but also have the flexibility to change as the day progresses.  

Indeed!  In our motorhome days we always had contingencies and backup plans depending on circumstances.  In Le Havre we won’t know the weather, the ship being delayed etc so thinking large to begin and having the car reserved gives us the flexibility to make game time and in game decisions.  I’ll let u know how it turns out.  Thanks again.