Cruise stop for Paris/Normandy

Arriving on Royal Princess and stop is Paris/Normandy. Is there an easy and less expensive way to get from the port in La Havre to see the Normandy Beaches and Museum/Cemetery, etc.

Rental car...

Public transit is going to eat up too much of your limited time.

Agree with CruiserBruce. In Le Havre we prefer to rent a car which can be done at the port at the Rentacar.fr franchise or for lesser money outside of the port (about a 20 min walk) at Europcar or Sixt.

Hank

Thanks so much--

Roll call private tour with Overlord Tours.

Roll call private tour with Overlord Tours.

This is an excellent idea, if it works for your cruise. Overlord Tours is excellent.

Roll call private tour with Overlord Tours.

I agree. We had a fantastic day with them out of Le Havre.

OP: They are small and book up quickly, so act promptly if this is of interest to you. They are also pricey, so the advice to organize or join a group via your Roll Call is spot on.

Also, watch (or re-watch) "The Longest Day" before you go. A little cheesy by today's standards, but great history and you'll appreciate your visit to the D-Day sites even more.

Have a great trip!

OP: They are small and book up quickly, so act promptly if this is of interest to you. They are also pricey, so the advice to organize or join a group via your Roll Call is spot on.

If you find that the roll call group using Overlord Tours is already booked, don't worry. If you go to Trip Advisor, you'll see that there are seven other individuals or companies that rate even higher than Overlord. If someone else on your roll call has spaces in a group with availability using another of these highly rated Normandy guides, jump on that opportunity. If there are no ready-made tour groups available, consider organizing a group.

The only heads up is that not all the tour guides on Trip Advisor will work with cruise groups since Le Harve is really some distance from the beach and inland sites.

If you watch The Longest Day and you study up before you take your trip, then you could DIY with a rental car. However, my husband and I found that the tour guides add value to the visit with their expert information.

If you rent a car it is easy driving and time permitting, you may have time to visit Honfleur too.

A guide isn't a necessity as the museums have guided tours included in the admission prices.

Agree that if you are willing to drive a car, there really is no need for a tour guide. It is easy driving in this area and the museums indeed provide sufficient information.

Agree that if you are willing to drive a car, there really is no need for a tour guide. It is easy driving in this area and the museums indeed provide sufficient information.

I realize that some people do this, but it requires driving in a car for five hours, getting transportation to and from the rental company, the expenses of the rental, expensive gas, and the pains of parking. That seems like quite an effort on a vacation day. Some people might enjoy all of that or prefer it to a guided tour, but I don't think most would.

The driving from Le Havre to the D Day beaches is very easy once out of the city and along pretty country roads with not much traffic, so I wouldn't call it a hardship. The car will come full of petrol and there are plenty of petrol stations all along the way to fill up, but most likely wouldn't be necessary.

There is no problem at all with parking as all the sites have ample car parks. Having a car gives you he freedom to see and do what you want to do.

We have driven all around Normandy in our own, British car, so are driving with the steering wheel on the other side. Never had any problems at all.

I realize that some people do this, but it requires driving in a car for five hours, getting transportation to and from the rental company, the expenses of the rental, expensive gas, and the pains of parking. That seems like quite an effort on a vacation day. Some people might enjoy all of that or prefer it to a guided tour, but I don't think most would.

Yes and no :). We love to have a rental car and I will explain why. First there is the cost issue. A rental car (for an entire day) will usually cost us less then 100 Euros (including gas/diesel) which is 50 Euros per person (unless we agree to take another couple. So that is basically a full day excursion for less then $100 per person. DW and I enjoy each other's company and prefer not to always be with other people whether it be a tour group or a private guide.

In Le Havre we do not need "transportation to and from the rental company" since we simply walk (a little exercise does the body good). As to guided tours, unless it is a tour for 2 (which is very pricy) we find that most tours spend too much time doing things of which we have little interest, and too little time doing things we like. When we have our own car it gives us total freedom, a chance to interact with locals (rather then fellow cruisers on the tour), allows us to spend as much time as we please enjoying lunch (we love to eat in Europe), etc.

As to driving in Normandy, it is actually quite easy. As has been posted, once you are on the highway (only a few minutes from the port) the traffic is pretty light. And we love to use the two lane country roads as we get to see and enjoy many things not on tours. And if one is interested in the D-Day beach areas, we have never found parking any problem.

Hank

I realize that some people do this, but it requires driving in a car for five hours, getting transportation to and from the rental company, the expenses of the rental, expensive gas, and the pains of parking. That seems like quite an effort on a vacation day. Some people might enjoy all of that or prefer it to a guided tour, but I don't think most would.

Driving in this area is very easy and there is ample parking provided everywhere you would want to visit. I doubt you would have any need to stop for gas during a one day visit. Much more reasonably priced than hiring a private tour guide for the day.

Yes and no :). We love to have a rental car and I will explain why. First there is the cost issue. A rental car (for an entire day) will usually cost us less then 100 Euros (including gas/diesel) which is 50 Euros per person (unless we agree to take another couple. So that is basically a full day excursion for less then $100 per person. DW and I enjoy each other's company and prefer not to always be with other people whether it be a tour group or a private guide.

 

 

 

In Le Havre we do not need "transportation to and from the rental company" since we simply walk (a little exercise does the body good). As to guided tours, unless it is a tour for 2 (which is very pricy) we find that most tours spend too much time doing things of which we have little interest, and too little time doing things we like. When we have our own car it gives us total freedom, a chance to interact with locals (rather then fellow cruisers on the tour), allows us to spend as much time as we please enjoying lunch (we love to eat in Europe), etc.

 

 

 

As to driving in Normandy, it is actually quite easy. As has been posted, once you are on the highway (only a few minutes from the port) the traffic is pretty light. And we love to use the two lane country roads as we get to see and enjoy many things not on tours. And if one is interested in the D-Day beach areas, we have never found parking any problem.

 

 

 

Hank

You are a very seasoned traveler and sometimes forget what may seem easy to you is not so much for others.

I don't think being a seasoned traveller has anything to do with driving. It all depends if you want to have the freedom to see the countryside and see what you want to do rather than being herded around with a load of other people in a coach all day. It also works out cheaper than paying for a tour.

I can understand somebody not particularly wanting to drive around the perephrique in Paris, the centre of Rome or even in London, although I have and do (London daily) done all those things.

I don't think being a seasoned traveller has anything to do with driving. It all depends if you want to have the freedom to see the countryside and see what you want to do rather than being herded around with a load of other people in a coach all day. It also works out cheaper than paying for a tour.

 

I can understand somebody not particularly wanting to drive around the perephrique in Paris, the centre of Rome or even in London, although I have and do (London daily) done all those things.

My point was that Hlitner is familiar with walking to rental agencies from the port of Le Havre and doesn't mind driving 5 hours in a day while on vacation. It's not for everyone, particularly novices. I suppose I wouldn't mind driving a couple of hours in total during a day. However, when on unfamiliar roads, I might pay a bit more attention to the roads themselves as opposed to the countryside.

hubofhockey

You are missing the point. It is easy driving, through quiet roads and pretty countryside. I don't find it at all stressful and as have already said I am British where we drive on the other side of the road, so surely for north Americans it should be very easy.

The other points are the flexibility and it is cheaper.

We are just back from our cruise and we rented a car in Cherbourg for the day to do the beaches and St. Mere Eglaise as we had a full day port stop and wanted to do it at our own pace and have time to walk Omaha Beach and go to the museum in St. Mere Eglaise. It was a great day and the driving is pretty easy. No problems!

You are a very seasoned traveler and sometimes forget what may seem easy to you is not so much for others.

Question to all of you who state the drive from La Harve to Normandy beaches is easy. We are from So California and I thought we had the worst traffic until we drove in Italy, specifically thru Tuscany (Sienna to Florence). Have any of you driven in Italy and how does the drive in France compare.??

PS I really enjoy reading your posts!

Question to all of you who state the drive from La Harve to Normandy beaches is easy. We are from So California and I thought we had the worst traffic until we drove in Italy, specifically thru Tuscany (Sienna to Florence). Have any of you driven in Italy and how does the drive in France compare.??

 

PS I really enjoy reading your posts!

The rural areas are not a problem in Italy, (or France) it is the central city. have driven in rural areas of both countries. It is not difficult at all. We drove in the Siena area in June. Not a problem. But Florence was like our cities- LA, SF, you name it.

My point was that Hlitner is familiar with walking to rental agencies from the port of Le Havre and doesn't mind driving 5 hours in a day while on vacation. It's not for everyone, particularly novices. I suppose I wouldn't mind driving a couple of hours in total during a day. However, when on unfamiliar roads, I might pay a bit more attention to the roads themselves as opposed to the countryside.

My husband and I hired a private guide who also drove us during a two day tour of the D-Day sites. If you only expect to visit the official beach sites (and I'm including Pointe du Hoc), the American cemetery, the town of St. Mere Eglise, and the airborne museum and Omaha museum you'll be driving on well maintained, marked roads. Qqp

I have driven in both France and Italy and there is no comparison. Wherever you go in Italy the driving is of a fairly bad standard. However, in France once you are away from the main towns the driving is very easy.

We go to France very often and always comment on how little traffic there is, even on main roads. Mind you, we do live in central London, but most roads in the UK are busy.

Question to all of you who state the drive from La Harve to Normandy beaches is easy. We are from So California and I thought we had the worst traffic until we drove in Italy, specifically thru Tuscany (Sienna to Florence). Have any of you driven in Italy and how does the drive in France compare.??

 

PS I really enjoy reading your posts!

There is no comparison. The roads are in much worse condition in Tuscany (we drove from Livorno to Volterra in May), with many more impolite drivers. We found Normandy a very easy place to drive with excellent highways and well-maintained secondary roads. The other drivers also are much more polite.

Italy vs France for driving? Hmmm. We have done many thousands of miles all over both countries and we would agree that driving in France is somewhat easier (except in Paris). On the other hand, I absolutely love driving in Italy (DW tells this to her friends and admits I am insane). The Italians are possibly the best drivers I have encountered. They are crazy, make their own rules, can be nasty, but are very safe. In over 10,000 miles of driving throughout Italy we have only seen one serious accident, and that was a car-motorcycle mess. In Italy I have driven on the sidewalks, gone the wrong way on a one-way street (on purpose), have many parking tickets for parking on the sidewalk, etc. All lots of fun and refreshing. And then there are the Italian motorcycle drivers who are very entertaining. They think that a double line in the center of the road simply marks the two motorcycle lanes (the LINES). All part of what makes Italy such a fun place.

Hank