In just five years, Le Havre has seen a 63% increase in ocean cruise passengers, reaching an expected 350,439 this year. This surge is largely due not only to the growth of the industry but also to significant advancements in port and tourism infrastructure. And let's not forget the additional 17,000 river cruise passengers it receives.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 50 – September 2019
Its strategic location in northern France, opposite Southampton and in the center of the English Channel, makes Le Havre an ideal port of call or embarkation for North Sea cruises, or those transiting to or from the Iberian Peninsula. The growth of German and British shipping companies in recent years, along with the increase in cruise traffic in Northern Europe, has led to a continuous improvement in the number of port calls and passengers.
The city of Le Havre, with approximately 172,000 inhabitants, is located on the north bank of the Seine estuary in the Normandy region and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. It is situated 3 hours from Paris and 2 hours from the D-Day landing beaches, among many other tourist attractions.
The port
expects to end 2019 with 135 cruise ship calls and 350,439 passengers, 14 of which will be inaugural calls. It will have 31 turnaround operations (mostly partial), with ships from Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises, Rivages du Monde, the Queen Mary 2, Seabourn Ovation, Seven Seas Navigator, and the Boudicca, which made a special commemorative voyage for the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings last June.
In just 5 years, Le Havre has grown by 63% in the number of ocean cruise passengers.
All this traffic is handled at the Roger Meunier Quay with Terminal 1, and at the Pierre Callet Quay with Terminal 2, in addition to a welcome pavilion for the ship furthest from a terminal in the event of a triple call. In March of this year, Terminal 2 was expanded from 600 m² to 2,400 m², equipped with check-in counters, six boarding control lanes with X-ray and metal detectors, as well as a defibrillator and everything necessary for complete and safe operations. It also has space for 31 buses. Terminal 1, with 2,000 m², has four boarding control lanes, car and bicycle rental counters, and 24 bus parking spaces. There is a reception point for people with disabilities, a taxi rank, and a long-stay car park connected to the terminals by a shuttle.
But Le Havre is also a major river cruise port, receiving an additional 133 cruise ship calls, carrying 17,000 passengers. The Marseille and Antilles docks are used for this purpose. The Marseille dock can now supply water and electricity to docked vessels.
For 2020, 145 ocean cruise ship calls are expected, carrying approximately 418,000 passengers, thanks to a significant increase in calls by MSC Cruises, which will rise from 14 calls in 2019 to 25 calls in 2020. Meanwhile, river cruises will see a slight decrease to 112 calls with 14,000 passengers.
Terminal 2 has been expanded from 600 to 2400 m2. 145 stopovers and 418,000 passengers are expected by 2020.
Another important improvement in the port area is the new "Green Way" route that guides passengers to the city center safely, substantially improving the previous one.
Le Havre.
The city of Le Havre was devastated by Allied bombing during World War II, and its reconstruction began in 1945 following an innovative urban plan by the architect Auguste Perret, a true pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete for building construction. The result is a city of wide avenues, with grand buildings that occupy entire blocks, capturing natural light through their French-style balconies. Notable landmarks include the Church of Saint Joseph, with its hexagonal tower visible from almost anywhere in the city, and the Town Hall, with its tower and enormous windows at the far end of a large square. Other unique architectural works would follow, but it is this original legacy that has earned Le Havre the designation of a World Heritage City.
One of these unique works that breaks with geometry and order is Niemeyer Square, where a large, asymmetrical white volcano rises mysteriously next to another circular building shaped like a flying saucer: the library. The prestigious architect Oscar Niemeyer designed both buildings as the headquarters of the House of Culture in the late 1970s, and restoration work began in 2010 to give them a modern and innovative look. The 11,000 square meters of Le Volcan house an imposing auditorium, the National Theater, the center of the city's artistic life, while the other building houses the Oscar Niemeyer Library in a spectacular space now bathed in natural light, a space that has garnered international awards.
Le Havre was devastated by Allied bombing during World War II, and later rebuilt by Auguste Perret, a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete.
Directly opposite the cruise ship pier, we see a control tower belonging to the Maritime Authority, and behind it, a rectangular building made mostly of glass. This is the André Malraux Museum of Fine Arts, which houses an important collection of Impressionist works by Monet, Delacroix, Renoir, and Matisse, among others.
If you arrive in the city by river cruise, you'll find Les Bains des Docks right at the dock. This aquatic center, designed by Jean Nouvel in 2008, is inspired by Roman thermal baths. The project unfolds with boxes, clean lines, and seemingly random shapes, creating a bright, pristine, and white environment. The regeneration of this port area was completed with the conversion of the old warehouses into shopping centers, and not far from here, you'll also find another of the city's most interesting architectural projects: Cité à Docks. This complex comprises 100 studios built from shipping containers, structured in two four-story buildings, and intended as student housing.
Visiting Le Havre or its surroundings offers a unique opportunity to savor Norman cuisine, whose most famous product is perhaps Camembert cheese, followed by cider, Calvados liqueur, and a variety of seafood such as scallops, oysters, and mussels. The traditional heart shape of Neufchâtel cheese, the oldest in the region, makes it easily recognizable, although there are two other varieties in the area that also deserve our attention: Livarot and Pont-l'Évêque. The same goes for the cider, traditionally made from apples, but also from pears in this region—a true delight!
Day trips
to Paris are about two and a half hours away by car or train, or about three hours by bus. It's certainly a long trip, but feasible for extended stays, although the charms of Normandy are just as captivating as those of the City of Lights. A few kilometers away are the D-Day landing beaches. In the center of Omaha Beach stands a symbolic metal monument commemorating the tragic use of this material during the landings. A short distance away, the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum is a must-see, as is the American Cemetery at the far end of the beach. The entire area of the five D-Day beaches is filled with remnants of the war, and several cemeteries, museums, gun batteries, and bunkers are open to visitors.
On the opposite bank of the Seine, across from Le Havre, lies Honfleur, a beautiful seaside town where many Impressionist painters lived. Here you can find perfectly preserved medieval houses, as the town was spared from bombing during World War II. The main attraction is undoubtedly the Church of Sainte-Catherina, built entirely of wood by the fishermen in the 15th century. It remains intact to this day, along with the bell tower, which was built separately because, lacking a master builder, they didn't trust their own construction skills. The Vieux Bassin, or Old Quay, is the quintessential image of Honfleur, but it's also the town's most modern area. It's worth wandering its streets to discover the many wooden buildings, now converted into charming restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries.
While Honfleur is a charming village full of wooden houses, Etretat offers spectacular cliffs.
Etretat, a little further north, is a pretty little town, very popular with tourists in France thanks to the beauty of its surrounding coastline. The towering cliffs of the Albatross Coast contrast sharply with the tranquil beach where the town meets the sea. To the left, the town is guarded by "The Eye of the Needle," a natural arch measuring over 70 meters high, which some also see as resembling an elephant's head dipping its trunk into the sea. To the right, the other cliff, "Falaise d'Amont," is a massive vertical wall topped by the Church of Notre-Dame de la Garde. Hiking along the trails that climb to the top of the cliffs offers spectacular views that you won't be able to resist photographing.
Another interesting excursion could be to Rouen, the region's capital with about 110,000 inhabitants, located on the banks of the Seine. It boasts a significant architectural heritage, most notably the Gothic Rouen Cathedral, which inspired artists such as Monet. Furthermore, it houses the heart of Richard I of England, and the Archbishop's Palace was the site of Joan of Arc's second trial. River cruises often stop overnight in Rouen, allowing passengers to witness the impressive video projection show on the cathedral's facade during summer evenings.
Its architectural heritage has earned it the designation of World Heritage Site.
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 in the Place du Vieux Marché, and on the exact spot where this tragic event took place, there is now a garden next to the modern Church of Joan of Arc, another building of singular beauty. Between these two monuments, we will pass under the arch of the Great Clock, a magnificent astronomical clock whose mechanism is one of the oldest in Europe. The Abbey of Saint-Ouen, next to the town hall, is another point of great beauty, not far from the Museum of Fine Arts. Rouen is undoubtedly a city with many attractions to explore during our cruise.
