The French port of Le Havre will be constructing a new cruise port, with three new cruise terminals set to be operational by the end of 2025. The new construction will focus on the environment and provide an open space for residents of the French port city.
Le Havre is one of the busiest cruise ports in Western Europe, often used by cruise ships as the gateway to the French capital, Paris.
From Le Havre, guests board buses that shuttle them for a day in the city of light. The town is also close enough to the D-Day beaches, making Le Havre one of the best cruise destinations on the French Atlantic Coast.
Le Havre to Construct New Cruise Facility
By the end of 2025, the port of Le Havre will have a newly constructed area dedicated to welcoming cruise ship passengers while also providing a welcome haven for local residents to enjoy.
The restoration of the currently difficult-to-access Pointe de Floride will envelop several stages. First and foremost, the area will be transformed to open up to the city and invite the people of Le Havre to rediscover it.
The area will have space for sports facilities and cultural events, while the currently undeveloped central area of the port will be transformed into a sizeable vegetated walkway extending nearly 320 meters between the future cruise terminals.
The three new cruise terminals will be built using state-of-the-art materials to ensure the building is carbon neutral and running energy positive with large solar-power roof coverings. The docks will also be upgraded, ensuring that all ships can use shore power, reducing CO2 output by 100 tons and two tons of other pollutants during the cruise ship calls.
Construction is scheduled to start in the autumn of 2023. By early 2025, terminals two and three will be delivered, and by fall 2025, terminal one, together having a usable area of 15,000 m2. The port of Le Havre expects to welcome 600,000 cruise ship passengers annually by 2030, with a capacity of 13,500 passengers per day.
There will be more than enough to do for cruise ship passengers and local residents in and around the cruise terminals. There will be restaurants and an Amphitheater for cultural programming and events. There will be views of the water and events at sea from ‘Le Pont,’ and an exposition hall promoting Le Havre and the Port.
Why Cruise to Le Havre?
There are several good reasons why Le Havre features prominently on the itineraries of several big cruise companies. Most, if not all, cruise lines offer full-day tours or sometimes even overnight tours to Paris.
After leaving early in the morning by bus, guests can already be in the city of light by mid-morning, offering a full day of exploring what the French capital offers.
Le Havre is also the gateway to explore the world-famous D-Day beaches, where the allied forces landed during the second world war. From Le Havre, guests can visit the beaches, museums, and monuments that make the area a bucket-list destination for many.
Cruise Lines that have calls scheduled to Le Havre this year include Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruises, MSC, Costa Cruises, Princess, and Viking. Carnival Cruise Line (Carnival Pride) and Royal Caribbean have scheduled calls to the port from next year. The new French cruise line Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) will use Le Havre as its base of operations.
