Touring the areas near Le Havre

Look at Honfleur in Normandy first. Perhaps Rouen.

I would say with a rental, you have plenty of time to go up the coast to Etretat and Fecamp to see the cliffs, then back to Honfleur for a look around the port. Your going to consume some time picking up and dropping off a rental car. Whether you have time for Rouen with everything else seems to be cutting it close. Rouen has a large medieval center, it depends how much you were hoping to see.

I think Giverny is too far. It's more than half way to Paris. If that's what you most want to see, I'd go there first thing and see how much time you have left for other stops when you finish.

Remember both Le Havre and Rouen are big enough cities to have rush hours. Avoid the traffic if you can but be sure to plan for it.

The train from LeHavre to Rouen takes about an hour, and the center of Rouen is an easy walk from the station. You might need a taxi in LeHavre depending on where you're docked and how tight your timing is. I agree that Giverny is "a bridge too far" for a day trip from LeHavre when you must be back at the dock before sailing time.

Normandy is a big area. Honfleur would be easy to visit from LeHavre. You could probably also drive to some of the D-Day beaches. But if you do this I wouldn't try to add Rouen to the mix in the time available.

We did the same cruise last May, and by the way, it was very, very cold. Even on the ship we were cold, so bring warm clothes. I wrote to the CEO of Princess after our cruise and told him late May is too early for such an itinerary. You can imagine how much he cared.

But all that being said, it is a good cruise with interesting ports. If by the time you get to Le Havre you are not in the mood for an excursion on your own or with the ship, there is a free shuttle bus from the ship to a nice square in the city, with lots of benches and surrounded by cafes. You can watch the world go by or catch a hop on hop off bus there for a nice little tour of Le Havre. I think we paid 10 euro. When you are ready you can take the shuttle back to the ship.

If art is your thing, this museum is a gem. Just the right size to have an excellent collection but not at all overwhelming and crowded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_modern_art_Andr%C3%A9_Malraux_-_MuMa

A few years ago, we stopped at Le Havre for a day on a Princess Cruise and were able to enjoy Giverny in the morning and Rouen in the afternoon.

We have been on several cruises that called at LeHavre. Each time we have rented a car and struck out on our own adventures. Trip #1, we drove out to Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery, Arromanches and Honfleur - a very full day, but well worth it. Trip #2, we drove to Giverney, toured Monet's home and gardens and stopped for a couple hours in Rouen on the way back. Trip #3, we drove on the Cider Route, stopped at a number of picturesque villages on the route, went to Deauville and Honfleur. One caution - our visit on trip #3 was on a Sunday and there was only 1 car rental agency that was open so advance reservations were necessary. We find driving in France to be quite easy; roads are well marked; and we like the spontaneity of doing our own thing!

Thank you everyone for your insight and good advise. It is very much appreciated. Doug

Normandy would be way too much and merits at least a couple days. Giverny and Rouen are relatively close to each other but a bit of a drive from Le Havre. Those two also merit a day each. Also, Giverny and Rouen are easily and inexpensively accessed from Paris via train, if you ever think you might be in Paris.

I would ditto the suggestion of Etretat and Honfleur. The cliffs at Etretat are stunning and there is some WWII connection if you read the signs. We spent all of our time hiking along the cliffs and photographing. We didn't go into the village of Etretat which I've heard is nice. Honfleur is quite lovely, we walked around a bit, visited some shops to purchase picnic supplies, went to their very nice art museum and checked out the church.

Very close to Le Havre is Sainte-Adresse which is on the English Channel and has a nice beach area for rocking. Monet did several paintings from there.