ship sponsored Paris tour from Le Havre

[janetjulie]

We would love to hear from anyone who did a ship sponsored tour to Paris last year. We will be in port from 6 AM to 7 PM on HAL Rotterdam on Friday May 29.

 

One option includes a cruise on the Seine with lunch the other is mainly a bus tour. Which did you do and would you recommend it? Did you get any time to walk around on your own?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Janet

[rebeccalouise]

It takes over an hour by train and then an expensive taxi ride into the city. I would highly recommend doing some type of ship sponsored tour. There is no way to truly appreciate Paris in the time you have allotted. If they offer trips into Paris and back by bus- you may want to do that one instead of the train. The train wasn't very nice.

[Antioch Cruiser]

We did the tour 2 years ago in October. It took over 3 hours to drive to Paris and 3 hrs back if you don't hit rush traffic. We didn't get much time to walk around. I think they added some extra buses and everything was crowed. We felt like sardines on the river boat. But it was very nice. If you want go to youtube.com and you can find a few Seine river cruises. I check them out every once in a while to bring back memories. Our boat was docked right below the tower and it was amazing. The only time we had was a few minutes to walk around after the lunch and it was only 10 minutes. Our bus ride through the city was nice but driving back was terrible. The heater was stuck on high on the bus. Some people were stripping down to their tee shirts. I would do it all over again. How many times are you going to be in Paris? That is why we travel, to see things.

[bjcourt]

It takes over an hour by train and then an expensive taxi ride into the city. I would highly recommend doing some type of ship sponsored tour. There is no way to truly appreciate Paris in the time you have allotted. If they offer trips into Paris and back by bus- you may want to do that one instead of the train. The train wasn't very nice.

 

My wife and I will be docking in La Havre, France on Sunday, May 10 on the Emerald Princess, and want to catch a train to Paris for the day. We'll be there from 7 to 7, and have found out where the train station is, but are having trouble with the other particulars! What the timetable is(depart and return) ...how much it costs for a round trip ticket, etc! Thanks for any help! Bill and Mary

[Genessa]

We would love to hear from anyone who did a ship sponsored tour to Paris last year. We will be in port from 6 AM to 7 PM on HAL Rotterdam on Friday May 29.

 

One option includes a cruise on the Seine with lunch the other is mainly a bus tour. Which did you do and would you recommend it? Did you get any time to walk around on your own?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Janet

 

we did the Seine cruise ship sponsored tour, but with Princess. It was fantastic.

It didn't take us 3 hours each way, but we didn't hit traffic.

The driver took us all over Paris - but we couldn't get off the bus anywhere. The lunch cruise was very tasty and included wine. We had a few minutes at a square overlooking the Eiffel Tower after lunch and about an hour, maybe an hour and a half at Lafayette Department Store for shopping. We found the store fascinating and expensive.

 

It was just enough to whet our appetite and have us longing to go back!

[browneyes7]

I would love to hear from anyone who has taken the train into Paris on their own. Also, doesn't the train go into the main part of Paris? Any help is appreciated.:)

[kidpsyc]

On the Princess and NCL Paris / Seine cruise excursions, was there much walking required? My husband has difficulty with mobility and takes a long time for distances but can do stairs. Assuming that he would not be able to take his scooter along, I'm wondering if he can handle this type of tour. The free time is not a problem--he can always find something. Was there a long walk from the bus to the dock?

[Genessa]

On the Princess and NCL Paris / Seine cruise excursions, was there much walking required? My husband has difficulty with mobility and takes a long time for distances but can do stairs. Assuming that he would not be able to take his scooter along, I'm wondering if he can handle this type of tour. The free time is not a problem--he can always find something. Was there a long walk from the bus to the dock?

 

With Princess, the only walking was a bit from the ship to the bus and then from the bus to the barge. You could probably arrange with the excursion desk to have a front seat reserved on the bus and time wouldn't be a problem getting on the bus.

 

The distance from the bus to the barge dock was less than a city block.

[kidpsyc]

thanks, Genessa, that's helpful to know.

[southern jersey girl]

Hi Janet: I took one of the Paris tours last April, took Jewel of Sea TA crossing. I did take the one w/lunch on the Seine, we were a little crowded, but plenty of wine and had pork medallion. Our tour guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. The only walking we could do was at the Eifel Tower, then it was only about 20 minutes. The lines are very long at the Tower so there was not enough time to go up in Tower. Hope this helps you, have a great time, I can't wait to do another TA crossing.

 

Charlotte in South Jersey

[Rickey 88]

I would love to hear from anyone who has taken the train into Paris on their own. Also, doesn't the train go into the main part of Paris? Any help is appreciated.:)

 

Trains from Le Havre go to Paris and end at the Gare Saint-Lazare. As to the "main part" of Paris, there are six railway stations that serve Paris and basically surround the city - it depends whether you're coming from the north, south or whatever as to which station is used.

 

However, once you're in Paris, you'll be on your own and it's up to you to get back to the station for departure to meet your ship. If you've never been there or don't speak French, you'd be advised to consider an organized tour from the ship.

[CanWeGoYet?]

My wife and I will be docking in La Havre, France on Sunday, May 10 on the Emerald Princess, and want to catch a train to Paris for the day. We'll be there from 7 to 7, and have found out where the train station is, but are having trouble with the other particulars! What the timetable is(depart and return) ...how much it costs for a round trip ticket, etc! Thanks for any help! Bill and Mary

 

I looked into different options for our port day in Le Havre, considered a train to paris only briefly. From what I gathered on the trip advisor board, the train trip takes over 2 hours each way, and does not run frequently. If the time tables mentioned are accurate - I don't think you will return to le havre in time to avoid missing your ship. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187190-i2808-k971143-Bus_from_Le_Havre_to_Paris-Le_Havre_Haute_Normandie_Normandy.html

[browneyes7]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.:)

[browneyes7]

Trains from Le Havre go to Paris and end at the Gare Saint-Lazare. As to the "main part" of Paris, there are six railway stations that serve Paris and basically surround the city - it depends whether you're coming from the north, south or whatever as to which station is used.

 

However, once you're in Paris, you'll be on your own and it's up to you to get back to the station for departure to meet your ship. If you've never been there or don't speak French, you'd be advised to consider an organized tour from the ship.

 

Rickey, we'll be taking the train from La Havre to Paris (hopefully). Do you know if that train goes to Gare Saint-Lazare? My husband has been to Paris, but it was years ago. He doesn't speak French, and neither do I. My husband does speak German, but I doubt if that will help us in France. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!:)