Best way to get to and from Paris? (from Le Harve)

[leighi123]

We are looking for the best (and cheapest) way to get from Le Harve to Paris and back again (on time!). 3 people, 2 adults and a 10yr old. I hear there is a train, does anyone have the link for info on that? Or any other suggestions? (renting a car, sucking it up and paying the cruise "Paris on your own" deal... something else?)

 

We basically want to do the Eiffel tower and the Lourve, and if time see some other highlights but those two main things are the priority.

[Hlitner]

All the trains are operated by the French Railroad which you can access by typing in SNCF.com/en . There is usually 1 train per hour and it is probably one of the cheapest ways to get to Paris...other than renting a car (for 3 it might be cheaper) which I do not recommend for Paris. Also keep in mind you will need to get a taxi to and from the Le Havre train station...and it can sometimes be a challenge to convince a taxi to take the short haul.

 

As to renting a car (we have done a lot of driving in France) while we love the option for exploring places like the D-Day parts of Normandy....driving into Paris (not to mention parking) is not for a novice. I have done my share of driving a car in Paris...and truly hate every minute :(. A "Paris on your own" excursion from your ship will certainly be the easiest, but also likely the most expensive option. By bus (or car) it can take up to 3 hours each way (much depends on the traffic as you near Paris).

 

Hank

[marazul]

You have to factor in the time you will have in Paris. The ship's transfer will take about 3 hours and will leave as soon as you disembark. The trains from Le Havre to Paris take just a little over 2 hours and they go to the Gare St Lazare station. For the train, you have to factor in getting to the station and the train schedule. Which option will give you the most time in Paris? If it is the same, then the train is a lot less expensive. If not, you might decide to pay for whichever gives you the most time in Paris.

 

In Paris itself, it is a 10+ minute taxi ride from the station to the Louvre or a half-hour walk, which has nice things to look at along the way. The transfer bus will probably leave you a lot closer, especially if it drops off by the Place de la Concorde.

 

Don't even think of driving. You will have a nervous break-down before you even find a parking place.

[TheOldBear]

Just a cautionary tale - last September QM2 waited about an hour for a Paris tour bus with mechanical problems. They would typically not wait for folks out 'on their own'.

This is important when the next port is New York.

[Hlitner]

Just a cautionary tale - last September QM2 waited about an hour for a Paris tour bus with mechanical problems. They would typically not wait for folks out 'on their own'.

This is important when the next port is New York.

 

 

LOL, it would be hard to have a decent "Plan B" if the next port was NYC or any other North American port. This has never happened to us as we always had at least one more port in Europe. On two of our cruises we chose the cruise because Le Havre was the 2nd to last port....with the last port being in the UK. We simply disembarked the cruise 1 day early (we did get permission from the cruise line) and either took the train to Paris (for at least a week stay) or rented a car to spend a few weeks driving in Europe.

 

Hank

[Lutèce]

And if you're doing any searching/booking on line, it helps to use the correct spelling;p

 

Le HavRE

 

LouvRE