we will be at the Le Havre port July 22 at 7:00 a.m.. We really wish to see Paris but transportation costs an arm and a leg!! We are thinking of taking the train to Paris and back to Le Havre. My only worry is that the ship leaves at 8:00 p.m. and I am not sure if it is relaible enough to be back on time. Nay advice.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
I'm not sure how close the boat docks are to the Le Havre train station but there is a 7:59 Intercities train to Paris-St Lazare station on July 22. The journey takes 2hrs07min. Fare is about 20Euro. There are return trains at 14:50, 16:50 and 17:50. But, this is very risky. You would have about 4-5 hours in Paris which won't get you much. Perhaps a walk down the Champs Elysees and lunch. A taxi can get you back to the Paris St. Lazare train station quite rapidly. Still, it's very risky. If the ship offers this transfer, check out how they do it. I'm sure a private bus is involved somewhere. If they don't, there's a good reason why they don't. They would love to make the money on it if they can.
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
I think you would spend about as much time on trains as you would in Paris and you wouldn't actually 'see' Paris. Also, if you're like me, there would be a cloud of concern over the day, worrying about possibly not getting back in time. That's not how I would want to visit Paris for the first time. Maybe consider a shorter and less costly day trip to Rouen, where you can see the cathedral that has been immortalized in many of Monet's paintings. Save Paris for when you can really do it justice.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
It's a mile and a half walk from the cruise terminal to the train station. The port runs buses. The cruise line might also have something special. The chance of a train being more than a couple of minutes off schedule is slim to none. The train to Rouen will take about an hour. I make it as having a comfortable seven hours in Paris, during which you can do a heck of a lot.