SquishTheWhale Posted May 31 #1 Share Posted May 31 (edited) Unfortunately our Oct cruise has swapped out La Rochelle for the dreaded Le Havre. I've been wracking my brains and the internet trying to think of something to do in port but coming up with nothing. We will have a 4yr old with us, so things like tours of Normandy don't appeal. Definitely not Paris, it would be easier to get there from home! Usually in port we explore on foot or take the train somewhere, provided there's parks, play areas, nice shops etc to see. My son also enjoys the beach, zoos, aquariums etc. There's no point choosing to do something he won't enjoy, as most parents know if the kids aren't happy then you won't be either. Does anyone have any ideas at all of what to do in Le Havre or close by with kids please? I'm about to just give in and stay on board as we have done previously when stopping here, but it would be good to try and do something! Edited May 31 by SquishTheWhale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted May 31 #2 Share Posted May 31 4 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said: Usually in port we explore on foot or take the train somewhere, provided there's parks, play areas, nice shops etc to see. My son also enjoys the beach, zoos, aquariums etc. You say you already tried the internet but appear to have had no results which I think is odd, so maybe you didn't search with relevant words? Have you tried googling something like "le Havre for kids" or "Honfleur for kids"? there will surely be something either indoors or outdoors in one or both towns. I included Honfleur as it is very easy to get there from le Havre, approx 30 mins in a taxi, and so pretty the adults will love it too. And just so you know, le Havre has a few quite attractive beaches should the weather gods smile on you, and they are actually in the town itself.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquishTheWhale Posted May 31 Author #3 Share Posted May 31 (edited) 2 hours ago, edinburgher said: You say you already tried the internet but appear to have had no results which I think is odd, so maybe you didn't search with relevant words? Have you tried googling something like "le Havre for kids" or "Honfleur for kids"? there will surely be something either indoors or outdoors in one or both towns. I included Honfleur as it is very easy to get there from le Havre, approx 30 mins in a taxi, and so pretty the adults will love it too. And just so you know, le Havre has a few quite attractive beaches should the weather gods smile on you, and they are actually in the town itself.. Yes, I have tried Le Havre for kids and come up with nothing appealing! Hence why I'm asking if anyone knows of anything. Beaches could be an option but the cruise is end of Oct so weather may not be good enough. Edited May 31 by SquishTheWhale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare D&N Posted May 31 #4 Share Posted May 31 4 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said: Yes, I have tried Le Havre for kids and come up with nothing appealing! Hence why I'm asking if anyone knows of anything. Beaches could be an option but the cruise is end of Oct so weather may not be good enough. Perhaps not the ideal port activity, but there is a shopping centre fairly near the cruise terminal; The "Docks". https://docksvauban.com/ They appear to have a Lego store, restaurants etc. Their Lidl may have some passable cheap French wine and cheap spirits. It's about 2.6km walk from the terminal on port roads, so you'd be best with a taxi each way. They even have a Primark. I thought we had the only one in France at Cagnes-sur-Mer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted May 31 #5 Share Posted May 31 5 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said: I have tried Le Havre for kids and come up with nothing appealing! Even the Natural History museum didn't appeal? Usually little kids love the animal exhibits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matamanoa Posted June 13 #6 Share Posted June 13 In Honfleur there is a carousel that children can ride. Perhaps if you google Honfleur-things to see and do-you might find a museum or two that would be of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted June 14 #7 Share Posted June 14 On 5/31/2024 at 9:38 AM, SquishTheWhale said: I'm about to just give in and stay on board as we have done previously when stopping here We have Le Havre on our 2025 cruise and I think that's the conclusion we've also come to. It's a very port intensive cruise and this will be the last day, so chilling out will be no bad thing. The Normandy beaches don't appeal. My interest is in the Great War and I'd hoped to find things of interest (my local territorial battalion landed there in September 1914 and several members are buried in the town cemetery ). But it seems WW2 bombing pretty much obliterated the town. I'm going to do some more research and see if any of the places mentioned in the battalion's war diary still stand but I'm not hopeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquishTheWhale Posted June 15 Author #8 Share Posted June 15 Sorry I forgot to reply to people on here! Unfortunately the natural history museum is indefinitely closed. I've found a couple of playparks by the port so think we'll play it by ear depending on the weather. I did look at the Bee bus to Honfleur but as pretty as it is there isn't much for kids, especially if it's raining Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mskaufman Posted June 16 #9 Share Posted June 16 On 6/13/2024 at 8:23 AM, matamanoa said: In Honfleur there is a carousel that children can ride. Perhaps if you google Honfleur-things to see and do-you might find a museum or two that would be of interest. I was thinking that Honfleur should be a nice day and place to walk around. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquishTheWhale Posted June 18 Author #10 Share Posted June 18 It does look pretty- however the cruise is last week in October so maybe limited if its raining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare marazul Posted June 18 #11 Share Posted June 18 3 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said: It does look pretty- however the cruise is last week in October so maybe limited if its raining. Fortunately, you don't have to decide now. Get your info on how to get to Honfleur and what to do there. Just go if it is a decent day. Stay as long as your son is entertained. He could also get bored on a long day on the ship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquishTheWhale Posted June 18 Author #12 Share Posted June 18 13 minutes ago, marazul said: Fortunately, you don't have to decide now. Get your info on how to get to Honfleur and what to do there. Just go if it is a decent day. Stay as long as your son is entertained. He could also get bored on a long day on the ship. Yes I think that's the plan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon-t Posted July 3 #13 Share Posted July 3 Honfleur is certainly worth a trip. Have you thought about hiring a car? Last time we were in Le Havre we hired a car for the day and drove to Etretat, with its famous cliffs. The seaside town of Deauville is also less than an hours drive and could be combined with Honfleur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx007 Posted July 7 #14 Share Posted July 7 (edited) For sure I wouldn't stay on board - for a 4 year old in my experience everything is interesting, even if it's just a normal playground or the big beach searching for sea shells...I see on google maps there is even a little japanese garden nearby the port area where one might see (and feed) ducks ?!? Edited July 7 by onyx007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John Bull Posted July 9 #15 Share Posted July 9 On 6/14/2024 at 9:46 PM, Harters said: My interest is in the Great War and I'd hoped to find things of interest (my local territorial battalion landed there in September 1914 and several members are buried in the town cemetery ) Knowing your interest in the Great War, it occurs to me to mention the Royal Victoria Military Hospital, on the shore of Southampton Water at Netley Abbey. It was HUGE. https://www.qaranc.co.uk/netleyhospital.php It was built following the Crimean War and much-used for the injured of the Great War. In WW2 it was seconded to the USA. The ground floor corridor was so wide and so long that the orderlies used jeeps to get from one end to the other. Most was demolished a few decades ago - would have made amazing apartments. But the central chapel remains intact, as the centrepiece of what is now the Royal Victoria Country Park - clearly visible on the port side just two miles from the docks. JB 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted July 10 #16 Share Posted July 10 Thanks for the reminder, JB. The site also has a large military cemetery, with nearly 800 burials from the Great War - men who were being treated at the hospital but didnt make it. If memory serves, there's a couple of men commemorated on one of my local war memorials who are buried there. Maybe next time I'm in the area, I'll go and pay my respects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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