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Popular Cruise Port Le Havre is in the Département Seine Maritime part of the Normandy region, situated on the north coast of France. Cruise Ships dock within walking distance of Le Havre town centre which is probably the ‘marmite’ of cruise destinations - with as many people loving it as hating it! It is in Normandy - a region famous for its food, in particular apples. sea-food and dairy products. One of Frances most important deep water ports, Le Havre is situated at the mouth of the Seine river which links Paris to the sea. The reconstruction of the town by August Perret after the catastrophic damage of WW2 is now viewed by many as an outstanding example of urban planning - leading to its position as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Popular Cruise Port Le Havre is in the Département Seine Maritime part of the Normandy region, situated on the north coast of France. Cruise Ships dock within walking distance of Le Havre town centre which is probably the ‘marmite’ of cruise destinations - with as many people loving it as hating it! It is in Normandy - a region famous for its food, in particular apples. sea-food and dairy products. One of Frances most important deep water ports, Le Havre is situated at the mouth of the Seine river which links Paris to the sea. The reconstruction of the town by August Perret after the catastrophic damage of WW2 is now viewed by many as an outstanding example of urban planning - leading to its position as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Arriving early on a clear, crisp, sunny November morning, we decided to take the chance to visit Lycabettus Hill - the tallest of the seven hills in Athens - standing about 300 metres above sea level - somewhere we had seen (you can’t really miss it from almost anywhere in Athens) but had never actually visited.
The Spanish port of Cadiz is very high on my list of perfect cruise ports! The last Atlantic port that you reach before entering the Mediterranean, the old town sits neatly on a small peninsular and its mix of Spanish, Moorish, Greek, Roman and Phoenician history makes it a fascinating place to explore.
The iconic image of Nice, Cote d’Azur is its wide sweeping bay and beach, overlooked by large imposing hotels. Although some smaller ships dock nearby at the Vielle Port de Nice, most cruise ships will dock further along the coast in the next bay, Villefranche-sur-Mer, where passengers come ashore by tender. From there cruise excursions are all about popping you onto a bus and driving you out of town to visit Monaco, Cannes, Grasse or up to the mountain villages but to be honest you really could spend a lovely day here without heading far from the ship at all - there are so many things to see and do in the area that you will probably want to come back on another cruise or even four! Read on to find out more…
The iconic image of Nice is the Promenade des Anglais - the wide sweeping bay, backed by palm trees and imposing hotels, but cruise ships actually dock away to the east of the town. The smallest ships (under 190 metres) may dock in the old port Lympia where there is a tiny cruise terminal, within walking distance of the old town and seafront. However most ships anchor in the next bay, Villefranche-sur-Mer, where passengers come ashore by tender at Porte de la Sante. Most cruise excursions from here will see you onto a bus and out of town to Monaco, Cannes, or Grasse but, because there are so many things to see and do in the immediate area, I think that Nice is a perfect port for an independently planned day ashore. The largest ships expected in 2020 were ‘Anthem of the Seas’ and ‘Celebrity Apex’, so although there are never more than two ships in port it can get quite busy and it is worth doing a bit of planning before you arrive to get ahead of the crowd.
