Le Havre to Paris through Celebrity excursion

[SharonK]

The first stop on our British Isles cruise is Le Havre. We want to go to Paris for the day excursion with Celebrity. I have read many negative reason not to do this. I would like to hear from people who have actually done the "Paris On Your Own" excursion. How long did it take on the bus? Where did it drop you? What did you do in the short time in Paris?

[dln929]

Not on Celebrity but on Royal--one of our ports was Le Havre. I didn't do the bus excursion because I've been to Paris dozens of times already. However, most of our dinner tablemates did. They all said it was a really, really, really long day but even still, they were all so happy that they were given the chance to see Paris.

 

I think you get about 5 or 6 hours in Paris (look at your excursion details and it will tell you). If you've done your research beforehand, that's enough time to give you a pretty good taste of Paris. The Metro is certainly easy to use and you could see the Left Bank, the Right Bank, and Montmartre. You'll be tired but hey, you can sleep it off on the bus back to Le Havre. One thing everyone told us is that there are lots of scam artist type people lingering around the bus stop where you're dropped off--and that's typical of many world cities. Don't fall for the tricks; walk by and you'll be fine.

 

It depends on you if you want to go for the crazy long day. If I had never seen Paris before, I'd go for it. Why not? There's only one magnificent Paris in this world. ;)

Edited January 23, 2013 by dln929

[Chunky2219]

We did the wine cruise in October. We didn't go to Paris, but for reasons that should not be a problem to you. The primary alternative is to stay where you are.

 

Let me put it this way ...... Le Havre is just about the worst port I've been to. The locals reckon it is a post war architectural wonder, at least that's what the guide on the little noddy train kept saying, almost as if he didn't believe it himself. In reality it's an ugly celebration of anything you can do in concrete, so long as it's square. Even the car park (topped by what we eventually worked out is a concrete ships's funnel) is hidden underground, as if a multistorey would spoil the lines of this square wilderness.

 

We were back on the ship by 1pm on the first day. It didn't help that any useful shops closed for a two hour lunch. We didn't even get off the ship the second day.

 

There are several options around LeHavre in local villages, visits, vinyards. You can get to Paris independantly by train and stay overnight if X is still doing the two days in port.

 

But do yourself a favour........ get out of Le Havre!

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[Arubamoose]

We have been to Paris a number of times spending more than a few weeks at a time there (thanks to a daughter who did study abroad at the Sorbonne).

 

I couldn't even imagine just spending 5 or 6 hours in Paris - especially after such a LONG bus ride to get there. Would not even begin to do it any sort of justice.

 

BUT - if you think that this will be your ONLY chance to get there - GO FOR IT.

 

We were on the same RCCL cruise as dln929 and our table mates told horror stories about their excursion....someone got sick on their bus and spent 2 hours waiting for medical help before they even got to Paris. That could happen in any situation but what a shame.

 

We rented a car in LeHavre from Hertz and spent a lovely day touring/getting lost around the country side. Went to Fecamp and took in the cliffs at Etretat.

[ariawoman]

The first stop on our British Isles cruise is Le Havre. We want to go to Paris for the day excursion with Celebrity. I have read many negative reason not to do this. I would like to hear from people who have actually done the "Paris On Your Own" excursion. How long did it take on the bus? Where did it drop you? What did you do in the short time in Paris?

 

We did this in October. We spent more time on the bus than we were even given in Paris (I believe it was 5.5 hours total on the bus and 4-4.5 hours in Paris.)

 

I'd never been to Paris, so do I regret going? No. But it is a ton of driving for very little sight seeing. All we got to do, literally was walk to the Eiffel Tower - take our guided tour of it that we arranged through an online vendor, and then walk back to the bus. By the time we did all that, there was little else time to do anything. Did not even stop to eat a meal, got off the bus and started going and didn't stop until we were back on the bus.

 

Personally, I would like to go back and stay there for a few days to really explore the city. It was beautiful and I can imagine how lovely it must be to stroll along the Seine in nice weather (it was cold and raining the day we were there in October).

 

I took the excursion thinking we'd get 5-6 hours there - but after you sit in traffic....you lose that time. :(

[dln929]

We have been to Paris a number of times spending more than a few weeks at a time there (thanks to a daughter who did study abroad at the Sorbonne).

 

I couldn't even imagine just spending 5 or 6 hours in Paris - especially after such a LONG bus ride to get there. Would not even begin to do it any sort of justice.

 

BUT - if you think that this will be your ONLY chance to get there - GO FOR IT.

 

We were on the same RCCL cruise as dln929 and our table mates told horror stories about their excursion....someone got sick on their bus and spent 2 hours waiting for medical help before they even got to Paris. That could happen in any situation but what a shame.

 

We rented a car in LeHavre from Hertz and spent a lovely day touring/getting lost around the country side. Went to Fecamp and took in the cliffs at Etretat.

 

I remember! I took my daughter on the Brilliance with me, and we walked into town in Le Havre (very easy as there's exellent signage) and caught the local bus to the charming fishing village of Honfleur. We had lunch there and wandered around for the day.

 

To the OP, if you don't want the lengthy day in Paris, Normandy is full of other opportunities for a perfect day. BTW, we didn't think Le Havre was as bad as all that. There's still significant evidence of the damage WWII wrought upon the city but it's really more poignant than anything else. We walked down many streets where we saw beautiful old pre-war buildings side-by-side to nasty post-war buildings and/or vacant spaces, but it didn't bother us. We just put our imagination to work to conjure up what used to be there rather than what's presently there. ;)

[TN Vol Fan]

When we stopped in Le Harve several years ago on the Constellation, my husband did not want to go to Paris. He found an ex-pat Brit doing a military history tour of Normandy and surrounds. I took the regular train for a lovely 2 hour ride into Paris; it dropped me right at a Metro stop and all I did was go to the Louvre for the day. You just have to watch the train schedule for returning trips to Le Havre to be on time for your ship leaving. Very easy and the train was great, better than a bus ride.

If you want to do other touristy things, it will make for a very busy day, but with a little advance planning it's doable. Take the train!

[genteelarts]

We did the bus excursion to Paris twice. The first time was our first visit to the city and we didn't know if we would ever be back. The second time we were traveling with a friend who had never been there.

 

We enjoyed seeing the countryside during the trip and the guide on board on our first trip was outstanding. The guide on the second trip was not as good but we still enjoyed the views. The bus tour before and after our drop off took us past many of the important buildings and monuments - enough to help us plan future visits.

 

We did some pre-planning for the time we would be in Paris - approximately six hours. The bus dropped us off at the Eiffel Tower and we had no issues with street vendors; we were told that recent laws had greatly reduced those problems. We had planned a walking tour through the parks and surrounding neighborhoods around the tower and across the Seine, had lunch at a sidewalk cafe, visited some shops and a bakery, had crepes on a bench watching the boats on the river. It was a delightful day that gave us a sense of life in the city. We still had time to return to the bus without rushing and napped on the way back to the ship.

 

Planning ahead is important. Our first trip was on a Monday and most of the museums were closed. Our second trip was on the day when museum admissions are free - the lines were horrendous. We like to take our time visiting museums and decided to save those for a longer stay some time in the future.

 

Others on the bus used the excellent subway system and one fellow traveler had a goal of visiting as many pastry shops as she could - with great success.

 

We encountered one couple who took the train into the city and missed their connection back to LeHavre. They ended up with a very expensive taxi ride and barely made the ship. Check the train schedules closely!

[emilygrace]

We were docked in Le Havre in 2010 (Jewel of the Seas Transatlantic) and neither DH or I wanted to spend 7 hours on a bus to have 4 hours in Paris. My feeling was that if I couldn't have adequate time in Paris I didn't want to go at all.

 

We did an excursion to Honfleur (30-40 minutes away) and were so glad we did. It is a beautiful little town that was spared the bombing (which is why Le Havre is all post war concrete) and there are so many cafes and interesting sights there. After our walking tour of the town we had quite a bit of time to explore on our own.

[Cruzinram]

We did the Celebrity excursion to Paris on the Sept wine cruise. I would try to get into Paris, but I would not take the ships excursion. It was a total of 4 hours roundtrip on the bus. When we arrived in Paris we drove around for about an additional hour with the guide just pointing out landmarks. We then had about two hours on our own starting about 1:30 p.m. By this time we were very hungry and tried to find a place to eat. The streets were very crowded along with every cafe we found. We were so tired and frustrated that we just decided to eat anywhere we could get in. I ended up having a sandwich. Not exactly what I was looking for. I would try to hook up with other cruisiers as some cruisecritic members did with a private tour company. You can split the cost and have a much more enjoyable trip. There are NO restroom breaks while driving in on the bus, which for some, could be uncomfortable.. Bottom line I would try to get into the city, but not on the ships excursion.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

If the ship is in port from 7AM-PM, I'd take a taxi to the train station, which is very close to the ship and pre-book your train tickets in advance. I wouldn't book one earlier than 9AM though because even though the ship docks at 7AM that doesn't always mean you can get off right away.

 

Then I would get a return train by no later than 5PM because you will have to taxi back to the ship and they will want you on board by 8PM usually. So just in case the train was late or something I wouldn't chance leaving later than that.

 

That means you will have approximately 6 hours in Paris. Avoid the Champs Elysee for lunch. it's pure crap food.

 

Just go to a take away type sandwich place because if you only have six hours- I wouldn't waste two at a french restaurant with over-priced food. They do bakeries the best- so get some goodies there.

Edited January 23, 2013 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Texas Flood]

Sharon, I know this is an old post but did you end up going on the Paris On Your Own Tour. Most of the answers to your questions were answered by people who had NOT done this. We were thinking of doing this and going on the river cruise on our own since it is supposed to go past a lot of attractions.

 

I had the same questions you did - where do they drop you off etc. Hope you had a good time. Thank you.

[4774Papa]

I love Paris and have been their 4 times. You need a minimum of a week to do justice to the city.

Still, I can understand that you want to see the wonderful city. Paris is easy to do on your own, BUT to do it DTY with the long bus ride each way and risk missing the ship. No, I wouldn't do that. Take a tour, it will maximize your time in the city. After all the effort you will make to get there.

 

Now, perhaps I can dissuade you from going to Paris, by planning to see the city at a later day and spend more time there.

 

Instead, take an excursion to Normandy. We took a excursion from Celebrity Infinity that included the D-Day Beaches, US Cemetery and the Bayeux Tapestry. The Tapestry is amazing. The tour was great, I highly recommend it.

[hancock]

Husband went to Normandy while I took the ship's excursion to Paris with riverboat lunch cruise. Really enjoyed this. Did a bus tour of Paris with several stops for pictures. Proceeded to riverboat for a lovely cruise on the Seine around the island in the middle of the river. Lunch was lovely with 3 different wines served during luncheon. Bottles were kept at the end of my table. We kept helping ourselves to the wine. Slept all the way back to Leharve. It was a stress free way to enjoy Paris for the day.

[Christine Frances]

Great website to find out different options to get from one place to another:) It is Rome2Rio http://www.rome2rio.com

 

The trip would take 2 hrs or so by train http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Le-Havre/Paris

[Presto2]

We did Paris on your Own with RCI in October and made the mistake of joining a queue to go up the Eiffel Tower by the lifts. This cut into our time so much so our recommendation is to head for the Eiffel Tower and walk up to stage 2 (if you are able) and spend some time up there, then have a look at the Louvre and then the Arch de Triumph.

 

I'm not a lover of Paris to be honest - no comparison to Rome - but we've been there and done it now and can tick it off the list.

 

A long journey to Paris from Le Havre though.

 

:)

[Texas Flood]

Husband went to Normandy while I took the ship's excursion to Paris with riverboat lunch cruise. Really enjoyed this. Did a bus tour of Paris with several stops for pictures. Proceeded to riverboat for a lovely cruise on the Seine around the island in the middle of the river. Lunch was lovely with 3 different wines served during luncheon. Bottles were kept at the end of my table. We kept helping ourselves to the wine. Slept all the way back to Leharve. It was a stress free way to enjoy Paris for the day.

Thank you so much, Hancock, for your reply. This is exactly what I was wondering about. I know we cannot "see" Paris but not having been there - I would love to get a glimpse. We were thinking about the river cruise since it sounds fun and goes by a lot of what we want to see. Not planning on trying to tour inside anywhere - that is for another trip. Lucky you - the lunch and wine sounds great ;)

[Texas Flood]

I love Paris and have been their 4 times. You need a minimum of a week to do justice to the city.

Still, I can understand that you want to see the wonderful city. Paris is easy to do on your own, BUT to do it DTY with the long bus ride each way and risk missing the ship. No, I wouldn't do that. Take a tour, it will maximize your time in the city. After all the effort you will make to get there.

 

Now, perhaps I can dissuade you from going to Paris, by planning to see the city at a later day and spend more time there.

 

Instead, take an excursion to Normandy. We took a excursion from Celebrity Infinity that included the D-Day Beaches, US Cemetery and the Bayeux Tapestry. The Tapestry is amazing. The tour was great, I highly recommend it.

Thank you so much for your reply. I know it won't be enough time but you would be surprised at how fast my husband can walk!!! Have trouble keeping up with him.

 

Just would love to sail down the Seine for an afternoon. Wouldn't plan on seeing a lot. We appreciate you excellent advise.

[Texas Flood]

Great website to find out different options to get from one place to another:) It is Rome2Rio http://www.rome2rio.com

 

The trip would take 2 hrs or so by train http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Le-Havre/Paris

Thank you so much for the info. You guys are so helpful! I appreciate it.

[Texas Flood]

We did Paris on your Own with RCI in October and made the mistake of joining a queue to go up the Eiffel Tower by the lifts. This cut into our time so much so our recommendation is to head for the Eiffel Tower and walk up to stage 2 (if you are able) and spend some time up there, then have a look at the Louvre and then the Arch de Triumph.

 

I'm not a lover of Paris to be honest - no comparison to Rome - but we've been there and done it now and can tick it off the list.

 

A long journey to Paris from Le Havre though.

 

:)

I love Rome too but haven't seen Paris and really want to see a bit of it. We haven't made our minds up yet but all the info you guys are providing is helping. We would probably just do a leisurely trip on the Seine. Supposedly you can hop on and off and take a few pictures. Most of what we would want to see is along the river.

 

Then hopefully we will go back and spend more time in the future - once we get a feel for the place. Thanks again.

[tamara01]

To me it was totally worth it. I loved Paris. It was about 2 1/2 -3 hour bus ride each way. We got dropped off right at the Eiffel Tower and had about 6 hours on our own. We just walked around checking out the sights, took a nice little boat ride and saw more sights, had lunch at a cafe and did a little shopping. It wasn't enough time since I could have stayed a week, but the bus drive for us was totally worth it. I would do it again in a heart beat. I guess it depends how much you want to see Paris. Seeing a little was better then not seeing it at all. It was the main reason we booked that Transatlantic.

Edited April 16, 2014 by tamara01

[Sascol]

We were docked in Le Havre in 2010 (Jewel of the Seas Transatlantic) and neither DH or I wanted to spend 7 hours on a bus to have 4 hours in Paris. My feeling was that if I couldn't have adequate time in Paris I didn't want to go at all.

 

It is absolutely NOT 7 hours on a bus. It is just over two hours each way.

 

We did it a few years ago. We had never been to Paris so going there was a must for us but the bus ride back feels loooooong after a day in the city. I don't know that I would do it again but if you have never seen Paris you may want to.

 

The bus let us off within blocks of the Eiffel Tower. We went to the top of the tower. I would suggest you buy tix in advance on line if you plan to do this. We saved at least an hour if not more because we did not have to wait in the ticket line. After the tower we strolled around the city and had a nice lunch at a cafe. Strolled around some more and then got back on the bus to return to the ship.