Le Havre - Off the Beaten Path

[LilTink13]

My husband and I are going to be sailing to this port in October. We have done Paris, Versailles, Giverny, Normandy, and Champagne region during trips in the past... we are interested in doing something close by that is more off-the beaten path...

 

Any suggestions? Wineries, villages, anything nearby that would be reliable to do on our own or through a tour. We are in port for a good portion of the day I believe 7am - 6pm...

[numbersix]

There's still lots to see in the area, even if Le Havre itself is rather uninteresting. You might consider:

 

--Rouen--One of my favourite (mid-size) medieval towns in France...great cathedral (famously painted by Monet)...55 miles SW, 55 minutes by train.

 

 

--The Cliffs at Etretat--on the coast, about 20 miles NW of Le Havre--great natural wonder/beauty, nice beaches, seaside towns--would require renting a car (driving in France is easy--good roads, well signposted, good local drivers , for the most part).

 

 

--Honfleur--very picturesque port, a favourite of the impressionists...15 miles...buses go there.

 

 

 

--Deauville/Trouville-twin, quintessential French seaside resorts---great promenades, cafes, restaurants...about 25 miles, would require renting a car.

 

 

Enjoy Le Havre (but just make sure you spend most of the day somewhere else!)

 

Kevin

[cadreamer]

We too are stopping in Le Havre on a cruise in September. I have arranged a tour with

taxis-le-lavre.com going to several of the spots mentioned above and several others. I suggest you check them out. Here is a link to a review on cruisecritic written in by couple who previously used this company.

Gaznjo's World Cruise 2011: Touring in the rain...... Le Havre Style...

We are looking forward to the tour and were able to arrange it for 6 people using our roll call.

[John Bull]

My husband and I are going to be sailing to this port in October. We have done Paris, Versailles, Giverny, Normandy, and Champagne region during trips in the past... we are interested in doing something close by that is more off-the beaten path...

 

Any suggestions? Wineries, villages, anything nearby that would be reliable to do on our own or through a tour. We are in port for a good portion of the day I believe 7am - 6pm...

 

No wineries in this part of France. The local tipple is Calvados (apple brandy) & there are a couple of ltttle farmyard distilleries which do tours. Consider a little tour which includes the cheese town of Pont l'Eveque, Pegasus Bridge, & the coastal twins of Cabourg/Houlgate and Deauville/Trouville, then Honfleur.

Or beyond Caen - south to Falaise & west to Bayeux, both historic towns, & with bocage villages between.

Best done by rented car.

 

JB :)

[Gaznjo]

Hi I am the Jo part of gaznjo...... We had a great day with Phillippe out of le havre ...... It was just unfortunate about the rain.....

 

I prebooked with taxi's le havre .... The have a variety of tours available...

[Gaznjo]

now that I am home here is a link to our blog

 

part 1

Part 2

part 3

[snaebyllej]

You could check out some of the nearby Plus Beaux Villages (see Normandy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Plus_Beaux_Villages_de_France ).

 

There is also a group of four picturesque abbeys (runied and not) along the Seine to the east of Le Havre.

[LilTink13]

WOW! This information is AMAZING. Thank you all so much. This is exactly what we were looking for. This is why I love CruiseCritic so much! Can't imagine going on a cruise without this resource!!!

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

[LilTink13]

now that I am home here is a link to our blog

 

part 1

Part 2

part 3

 

Oh, I am *loving* it. What a great blog! :) Thanks very much.