Le Havre Cruise Port: UNESCO Architecture Gem & Harbour Walk

Le Havre Cruise Port is often seen as a boring industrial port and many cruisers take a day-trip to Honfleur, Caen, Rouen or the Normandy D-Day landing beaches instead. While Le Havre is definitely not one of France’s most glamorous cities, it’s often forgotten that Le Havre is a UNESCO World Heritage listed city, for its distinctive modernist architectural style. Over 80% of Le Havre was destroyed in WWII and the renowned architect August Perret led an ambitious plan to rebuild approximately 133 hectares. In this guide, I’ll share with you the highlights. You’ll definitely see the stark contrast between this modernist style with the old buildings!

And most importantly, Le Havre is 3 hours from Paris! Some cruise lines still market Le Havre (Paris) but if you’re hoping to travel to Paris, be warned that you’ll likely spend more time on a motor coach than time in Paris on a typical port day – see separate section on “Le Havre Cruise Port to Paris” below.

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Le Havre Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward

If you would like to stay in Le Havre on your port day, rather than to do a day-trip to nearby towns in Normandy, then a DIY excursion in Le Havre is relatively straightforward 😎😎😎😎 and here’s why:

• 20 minute walk to Waterfront: It’s about a 20 minute walk, on flat ground, from your ship to the waterfront area (Quai de Southampton) with good ocean views and home to the MuMa, which has an excellent collection of Impressionist paintings
• Walkable City Centre: Le Havre have attractions scattered around the city centre. Fortunately, most of them are on the flat side of Le Havre. The upper town part of Le Havre is hilly, but is more of a residential area.

Le Havre Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need To Know

Le Havre Cruise Port Address: Quai Roger Meunier, 76059 Le Havre, France – see this marked on my Le Havre Cruise Port map below 🗺️📍👇

• Currency: Euros
• Language: French
• Official Website: Le Havre Etretat Normandie Tourisme is the official city tourism website but the regional tourism agency Normandy Tourism also have excellent information on Le Havre
• Recommended Transport App: Use Google Maps for both general walking directions as well as public transit bus / tram routes & times – works well!
• eSim for roaming in France: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout

Le Havre Cruise Port Map

• On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
• On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
• If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps

Le Havre Cruise Port to City Centre: Your Transport Options

Le Havre Cruise Port is about 2 km (~1.2 miles) to Esplanade Nelson Mandela and Catena Containers, landmarks on the Le Havre waterfront and slightly further to the Le Havre Cathedral (Cathedral Notre-Dame). Le Volcan, is typically seen as the “centre” of Le Havre but you’ll find that many of the attractions worth seeing in Le Havre is closer to Le Havre Cruise Port. Here are your options to get to Le Havre city centre:

1. Walk about 2km (~1.2 miles)

Le Havre Cruise Port is a fairly open cruise port. While many cruise ports don’t allow cruisers to walk on the cruise pier, in Le Havre, you can disembark from your ship and walk all the way to the Le Havre city centre.

IMHO, whether it’s worth the walk or not, depends on what you want to see in Le Havre. (The walk is on flat ground – no hills!) If you’d like to start your sightseeing around the waterfront area, then a 20-minute walk on flat ground is reasonable but if you’d like to head to Le Havre train station, I’d say that the walk will be too far for most cruisers. So have a read on my “top things to see & do” below before you decide whether you’d like to do the walk.

2. Bus #18

Public bus #18 runs from the Industrial Port area to Le Havre train station. The closest stop to Le Havre cruise port is called “Terminal Croisières“, just before you get to the first bridge on the walk to Le Havre city centre. The reason why it’s not listed first on my list of transport options is that it only runs frequently during peak hour.

As you can imagine, given Le Havre is not the most popular cruise port, this route is for workers in the port area heading to work, or going to the Le Havre train station to connect to local buses and trams. So it’s not the most tourist friendly, including hard to get tickets unless you purchase on an app online!

• Route Map: #18 route map here – from Terminal Croisières, it’s 3 stops to Gares, which is Le Havre train station
• Frequency: It’s roughly around every 30 minutes on morning & afternoon peak hours, less frequently outside of these hours
• Timetables: (1) Click here to Google Maps, on desktop / laptop, you’ll need to click on “Live Departure Boards” or (2) Transport LIA (which runs local buses & trams) and click on Bus #18. (It’s French only but your web browser can translate it into English for you).
• Tickets: You can’t buy a ticket onboard buses anymore in Le Havre! So the easiest way to pay is to download the app and buy a ticket on the app. There’s literally no ticket booths or ticket machines around Le Havre cruise port. One-way ticket is €1.80.

3. Cruise Line Shuttle

All cruise lines will have a free or paid shuttle to Le Havre city centre. The shuttle drop off point is usually near Le Volcan – a concert and entertainment venue, so named because it does look like a volcano. Usually it’s about €10 return but cruise line prices will differ! Some cruise lines’ shuttles may do a second stop at Le Havre train station. (If you’re traveling on P&O cruises, then select fare holders get the shuttle for free.)

Note that the attractions in Le Havre are rather spread out, so there’s still a bit of walking, even if you choose to take the shuttle to Le Havre city centre.

4. Taxis

If you’re part of a group, then a taxi to city centre (usually €10-15 one-way) will work out cheaper. Uber does work in Le Havre but of course, you’ll need to check for wait times and potential surge pricing when you disembark.

Le Havre Cruise Port: Top Things to See & Do Nearby

Before we start, let me continue with a bit of historical context. As I mentioned above, with 80% of Le Havre being bombed and destroyed during WWII, Le Havre had a huge reconstruction project after the war. The architect Auguste Perret, a pioneer in reinforced concrete construction, led planning and reconstruction using concrete as a creative medium.

So you’ll see the city’s buildings with exposed concrete frameworks, intricate geometric patterns and modular elements, creating quite a distinctive modernist aesthetic. Le Havre’s UNESCO World Heritage listing was given for innovation use of concrete, as well as an exceptional example of urban planning in post-war reconstruction.

1. St Joseph’s Church

You’ll see St Joseph’s Church (Église Saint-Joseph) from afar, because its modern tower rises to 107m (~350 feet). Sometimes known as the “Lantern Tower”, because of its octagonal tower, over 12,000 pieces of stained glass was used to flood the interior with light.

• Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 6pm. Opens earlier and stays open later during summer. The church is free to enter.

2. Les Halles Centrales

A block away from St. Joseph’s Church is Les Halles Centrales – the city’s central food market. It’s not huge, with only about 20 stalls. But this is a good place to walk around and pick up some ready-to-eat goodies for lunch. Note that some stalls (mostly those which sell fresh produce) typically close at lunch time during weekdays. But the bakery, deli and other stalls selling ready made food will be open during lunch.

• Opening Hours: Individual stall hours will vary but most stalls open from 7:30am till around 5-7pm, with some closing during lunch time.

3. Le Volcan

Le Volcan, or “The Volcano” is a distinctive landmark in Le Havre. Designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the building is shaped like two volcanic cones. The large “cone” houses a theatre and concert hall, while the small “cone” is the local public library.

Standing across the street, from Place Charles de Gaulle, is a popular photo spot, because you can get the Volcano with St Joseph’s Church in the background. If you need free WiFi, or just a quiet indoor space to sit, then the public library (closed Mondays) is a good place to go!

4. Appartement Témoin Perret

A few minutes walk north from the Volcano is the Appartement Témoin Perret, or “Perret Show Apartment”. Designed by Auguste Perret to showcase his vision of post-war reconstruction in Le Havre, it’s a fully furnished apartment meticulously preserved from the 1950s. There’s original furniture, appliances and decorative elements that will make you think you’re back to a time capsule!

Because the apartment is in a working apartment building (with people living in it!), you need to pre-book. Tickets are €7. (Technically, it’s a guided tour by a volunteer, usually in French. So manage your expectations accordingly!)

5. Museum of Modern Art André Malraux (MuMa)

Known as the MuMa, there’s an exceptional collection of Impressionist and Fauvist art, including Monet, Renoir, Manet, Dega and Pissaro’s works. Claude Monet was born in Le Havre and its port, beaches and surrounding landscapes served as inspiration for early Impressionist artists.

Over the years, the museum built its Impressionist collection with large number of donations. So it’s definitely unusual for a regional museum to house such a large Impressionist collection, given how much these paintings are worth!

• Opening Hours: Closed Mondays. Open 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 7pm Saturday to Sunday.
• Tickets: €10 adults from April to September (when usually temporary summer exhibitions are on). Otherwise, €7 adults. Free for kids and youth under 26 (bring ID!) and free to everyone on first Saturday of the month.

6. Catena Containers

Around the corner from MuMa, along the waterfront is The Catène de Containers, or “Chain of Containers”, a famous sculpture, created to celebrate the port’s 500th anniversary in 2017. The sculpture has become an iconic landmark in Le Havre quickly, so it’s a good spot to take some photos!

The sculpture is made up of brightly coloured shipping containers stacked to form two intersecting arches, with 21 containers and 15 containers respectively. The sculpture uses the catenary principle for support, similar to the architectural techniques of Antoni Gaudi.

The name “Catène de Containers” is meant to be a double entendre, referencing both the physical chain-like structure, the global supply chain that containers and ports are integral to, and Le Havre’s role in international trade.

7. Le Havre Cathedral

Le Havre Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Havre) is one of the few buildings in Le Havre’s city centre to have survived the extensive bombing during WWII. It’s worth visiting, just for the visual contrast to the rest of Le Havre. The main facade of the Cathedral is Baroque, while the side facades have Renaissance and Classical elements. The bell tower dates back to around 1520. Open day 10am – 6pm. The Cathedral is free to enter.

8. Maison de l’armateur

Note this museum is temporarily closed.

The Maison de l’armateur, or “Shipowner’s House,” is a historic house-museum on the edge of Le Havre, just before you return to port, if you’re walking. It’s one of the last surviving grand townhouses from 18th century Le Havre and it once belonged to the Foäche family, who were prominent shipowners who played a vital role in Le Havre’s maritime trade.

Today, the Maison de l’amateur is part of Le Havre’s Museum of Art and History. Besides well-preserved interiors of the lavishly decorated rooms, the museum also highlights Le Havre’s maritime heritage with displays on shipbuilding and trade routes.

Le Havre Cruise Port to Paris

Le Havre is about 133 miles (~215 km) from Paris, using the main motorways. Depending on traffic, it takes about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours each way. There is a reason why most cruise lines schedule at least 12 hours at port in Le Havre, because it’s the only way to sell tours to Paris given the return travel time.

A train isn’t that much faster. Trains from Le Havre are regional TER services, typically stopping at Rouen on the way, with the final stop at Paris Saint-Lazare station. Trains typically take 2 hours 20 – 30 minutes one-way but you’ll need to add the time it takes for you to travel from the ship to Le Havre train station on top. So it’s roughly 3 hours as well.

It’s actually easier to travel to Paris from London on the Eurostar, than it is from Le Havre! So if you’ve never been to Paris before and really keen to go, your best bet is to join a tour via your cruise line or at least get the return coach transfer from Le Havre Cruise Port, directly to Paris, if you’d like time on your own. This will save you time, without having to make your own way from Le Havre Cruise Port to Le Havre train station.

Le Havre Cruise Port to Normandy D-Day Beaches

Le Havre is actually not that far from the Normandy D-Day Beaches, such as Utah Beach and Omaha Beach (mainly US troops), Juno Beach (mainly Canadian & British troops) and Sword Beach (mainly British troops).

But the lack of public transport to those Normandy beaches (other than from the town of Bayeux, famous for the Bayeux Tapestries) means that a tour is the best option from Le Havre Cruise Port. The Normandy beaches are very popular excursions, so no doubt your cruise line will sell one. Typically it’s a full day tour.

Featured Image by ddzphoto from Pixabay

Le Havre has a bit of a bad rep as a boring port and most cruisers choose to make a beeline to Honfleur, Caen, Rouen or even Paris! But if you don’t want to travel fast, then I hope that this guide has given you a list of things to see and do in Le Havre.

Anchors aweigh! Search for your port of call 👇

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