Le Havre, France
 

We are stopping for a day from a cruise--anything special in Le Havre....shopping, sights?

Here are a few ideas: Le Havre - UNESCO World Heritage site | Any Port in a Storm

I saw all that concrete 45 years ago as a kid, now it looks even worse ;-) The bombing and fighting was terrible but what the planners did....

Well, it is now considered to be an architectural marvel.

Well London's south bank centre carries the same "term" and it looks the same, ugly and really interesting for students of architecture :-) all I know is those winds blow down those long covered walkways like the devil. See also the architectural marvel that is Essex University.

I'd get a taxi and go to Honfleur 25 km, 34 min away. I find Honfleur to be one of the most beautiful little towns in Europe. Apparently a taxi is the only option if you arrive on Sunday, but if you have a bit of time and arrive any other day you can get to the Gare Routiere in Le Havre from your ship and then take a bus to Honfleur but you will want to check the schedule carefully, it isn't very frequent. I hope you can get there on a Saturday--their market day which makes the town even cuter and more fun. Frankly I advise people who are docked in Le Havre for a day on a cruise which then buses them to Paris, to skip the deadly Paris bus trip and go to Honfleur instead. Can do justice to Honfleur in a day (though I have stayed for for 3 or 4 several times and never get bored) but certainly not to Paris, especially when you wind up sacrificing 4 or more hours to the bus ride to get there--and then stay on a bus to drive around it. Sad.

I would hightail it to Honfleur also.

Agree with the Honfleur idea. However, if you're "stuck" in Le Havre the city, to me, was interesting architecturally and the art museum is a jewel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum...Malraux_-_MuMa

Does cruise offer any extra excursions - Le Havre for a whole day? Honfleur and back yeah.

Honfleur is nice, but it probably wouldn't make my top ten list of coastal towns to visit. I have been there both in the nice season and also in January 2017 when it was frozen solid.

Honfleur | Any Port in a Storm

kerouac, thanks for the link to your wonderful post on Honfleur. I'm starting a new post to ask you to name your top ten list of coastal towns to visit. Promise I'll follow your advice. You've not misled us.

Thanks for your info---may just do a short walk around

Honfleur.....but only because it's the best option in the area.

I did the LeHavre - Portsmouth P&O return crossing 49 times when I worked in Paris. On our final sailing from Le Havre my wife stood on the After end, and saluted France in the best way she could.....avec deux doights!

I must be thick because I don't know what that means (deux doigts).

We did a port stop there, well actually twice - both times we rented a car - my favorite excursion was to see the Bayeaux tapestry combined with the D-Day beaches. We also drove to Giverney from there as well as Honfleur. If you don't want to rent a car, you may want to "splurge" and do a ship excursion or try to find a private tour thru you roll call. We tried to find a way to do Honfleur by public transportation but in the end, it seemed too difficult.

'Two fingers'.....though I suppose un doigt would have given my wife the same sad pleasure.

You might have gathered she didn't exactly fall in love with our 4 years In Paris. But she rarely got angry.....revenge was always sweeter!

I still have never heard that expression.

Thanks much for the info!!

deux doigts is what Brits do when Americans "give the finger"
two countries separated by a common language

Not sure where you're cruising. Le Havre was the second to the last stop for us on a British Isle cruise (round trip Southhampton). We actually disembarked in Le Havre, rather than go back to Southhampton. We rented a car and went to Honfleur for a few days from which we took daytrips to Rouen and Bayeux. Then we drove to Paris, stopping at Andelys along the way. We have been to France many times (although not as many times as we would like!). There are many stops along the way that you might like to make if you have not been that way before.