The facilities dedicated to passengers are situated in tidal dock directly at the port entrance. The gangway is pretty steep and long. The physically impaired will be assisted.

From the ship's dock to the city of Le Havre it's about a 25-minute somewhat boring walk. About 4 km. Most cruise lines offer shuttles to the center of town and the railway station (10 Euros), but only announce this the night before, so not to disturb their excursion sales.

Taxis have a fixed rate of 8 euro up to 4 persons and 10 euro up to 6 persons one way to the center of town.

Bike rental is 10 euro/day

Cruise ships calling at Roger Meunier Pier will be overlooking the city center rebuilt by Perret, listed by the UNESCO as a world heritage site.

Out of many services the new Cruise Welcome center has to offer Tourist & practical information ( free brochure "Le Havre tourism & shopping" ), Touring services, Internet cafe (1.5 euro/half hour), car rental starting at 85 Euro, phone booths, a few shops. On port days there are taxis lined up.

Paris is about 2-3 hours away. A cruise ship organized excursion is recommended.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise calendar for this port.

Watch a destination video.

The bustling French port of Le Havre offers a selection of sights including Granville Abbey, St Adresse Fort and the Seine Estuary. However 1 or 2 hours in general will be plenty to visit Le Havre itself.

Its position also makes it the perfect gateway to some of Normandy's most picturesque towns and villages, including the pretty harbor of Honfleur and inspirational Etretat - characterized by stylish mansions, sheer white cliffs and soaring waves that crash below.

At the cruise terminal taxis line up to offer excursions at a fixed rate. For the physically impaired often a good choice compared to cruise organized excursions. Plus taxis are much more flexible to honor any special requests. Brochures can be found in the terminal.

In Le Havre itself you find a little tourist train, departing from place Charles de Gaulle. 5.50 euro for an hour tour through the city.

Bus lines 20, 39and 50 of the Bus Verts go from Le Havre to Honfleur in about 40 minutes. On Sundays and holidays bus services are limited.

Buses leave from the train station, a short taxi ride away.

As bus service is somewhat limited, especially in the afternoon check www.busverts.fr

Honfleur: just on the other side of the river Seine.

Rouen with its half-timbered houses, churches and cafés the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, which is well worth a visit. Also nearby is the Old Marketplace were Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in 1431.

Paris (about 200 km from Le Havre): most cruise lines will offer a guided tour, which is a good idea if this your first time to Paris. and/or will offer 'transportation only' to the center of the city, a great way to explore Paris your way. Doing it that way: the subway (metro) is an excellent way to get around as are the buses. the hop-on-hop-off tourist buses and even the 'free' bikes or rented bikes (specially in summer and in weekends when there is less traffic in the city). Or the shuttle boat Batobus or maybe even a private cruise on the Seine?

Taking the train to Paris: The train station of Le Havre is about 30 minutes walk away from the cruise terminal or a 10 minute taxi ride. It is easily doable, but do not take the last train back, as there will not always be taxis available at the train station in Le Havre. The train ride takes about 2 hours. Euro 31 one way pp. Sometimes specials are available.

Normandy is an heaven for the culinary tourist: apples: the cider and the calvados; milk and cream: the camembert, livarot and pont-l'évêque cheeses. Many dishes are made with cider or calvados: rabbit cooked in cider, pork with calvados and apples, etc.

The brand new shopping center des Docks Vauban has plenty sidewalk cafes.
Inside the shopping center is free WiFi and comfortable seats to use your laptop/tablet. It is just a few blocks from the train station.

Euro

Currency Converter

The new cruise terminal has Internet stations and pay phones.

Local emergency number:

Police:              17
Fire brigade:      18
Ambulance:       15 

Most shops, businesses, information services, museums and banks in France stay open all day. The exceptions are the smaller shops and enterprises, which may close for lunch sometime between 12.30pm and 2pm. Basic hours of business are from 8 or 9am to 6.30 or 7.30pm Monday to Saturday for the big shops and Tuesday to Saturday for smaller shops (some of the smaller shops may open on Monday afternoon). You can always find boulangeries and food shops that do stay open, however, on days when others close – on Sunday normally until noon.

National holiday dates:

January 1 New Year's Day
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Ascension Day (forty days after Easter)
Pentecost or Whitsun (seventh Sunday after Easter, plus the Monday)
May 1 May Day/Labour Day
May 8 Victory in Europe Day
July 14 Bastille Day
August 15 Assumption of the Virgin Mary
November 1 All Saints' Day
November 11 1918 Armistice Day
December 25 Christmas Day

Help us to keep this page up to date: Mail us your suggestions