What to do in Le Havre?

Mini cruises are increasing in popularity. Once marketed to people who had yet to try a cruise holiday as a ‘taster cruise’ we are seeing more and more people travelling on them for celebrations, to sample a brand new ship or just have a luxury weekend away.

Due to the proximity to the UK, on the itineraries for many mini cruises that sail from Southampton is Le Havre in France. Many cruise lines rather ambiguously list this port as Paris, however the drive can be 2-3 hours each way depending on traffic, so many people don’t want to make such a long trip on such a short break. So what is there to do in Le Havre?

The town was badly hit by bombing in World War 2 so you will not find too many historic buildings left.

One thing to note is that many of the museums & art galleries don’t open on a Tuesday.

If you want to just have a walk around town it’s around 25 minutes walk from the port to the centre, although many cruise lines will provide shuttle busses.

If you’re lucky with the weather there is a (rather rocky) beach where you can relax and read a book or just have a pleasant stroll along the promenade.

Another relaxing thing to do in good weather is visit the beautiful  Parc des Rouelles. You can really get away from it all in this lush green park with its large lake and forest trails. Another peaceful place is the gardens of the Hotel De Ville which is close to where the shuttles drop off.

You can while away half an hour or so looking round the Notre Dame cathedral right in the centre of town. You may not see a hunchback, however you you will see some beautiful statues, intricate stained glass windows and a huge organ. Another stunning religious building in Le Havre is the church of St Joseph. This has a completely different feel to the Cathedral as it’s very modern architecture both inside and out. Built in the 1950’s you can see the 107 metre tall tower from miles away.

For art lovers the Musee des Beaux Arts is around a 20 minute walk out of town, but gets rave reviews. The artist Raul Duffy was born in Le Havre, so there are several pieces of his work on display plus a couple of Renoirs, some Monet, Sisley.

Set in an old courthouse that survived the bombings of WW2 is the Natural History Museum. It’s free entry . There are hundreds of photos, drawings and paintings from a French biologist from the mid 1800s which are stunning in accuracy plus some real animals ‘preserved’ for the exhibition.

If you want to stop somewehere in town for lunch and sample some real French cuisine at a reasonable price Le Bouche A Orielle restaurant (translated as Word Of Mouth) comes highly recommended with a choice of 2 set menus coming in at either 21 or 31 Euros for a 3 course meal. It’s only small, so reservations are recommended and the opening times for lunch are 12 noon until 1.30pm.

Le Havre is also a great place for shopping with a refreshing selection of local shops alongside the usual international chains that you see everywhere, so take your card. Somehow I always seem to get back on the ship with at least one new pair of shoes!

So there is more to Le Havre than meets the eye. Go,explore, eat, shop & enjoy!