How to get to Etretat on your own, points of interest
Etretat is a picturesque corner of Upper Normandy nestled among the steep cliffs of the Cote d’Albatre. Alabaster Beach itself stretches for 140 km from the mouth of the Somme River in the north to the mouth of the Seine River in the south. It is at Etretat where the cliffs became the most picturesque thanks to the flow of the underground river, which contributed to the creation of picturesque arches of the coastal cliffs. Paintings depicting the Etreta cliffs occupy a worthy place in many of the world’s leading art museums, from the Louvre and the Orsay Gallery in Paris to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts in the United States.
Etretta was the inspiration of prominent artists and writers of the late nineteenth century. Many consider Etreta a place of power, and there’s definitely something to that. The cliffs of Etreta are one of nature’s finest creations, where you can really feel all its power in the gusts of wind and waves constantly crashing down on the shore and all its beauty in the game of colors of the landscape opening to the eye, and whether the sun shines in the sky or the sky is covered with clouds. In 2015, our compatriot Alexander Grivko had a hand in the beauty of Etreta by planting a fantastically beautiful garden in one of the estates on the coast. All this certainly makes Etreta one of the must-visit destinations in France.
In this article I will tell you how to get to Etretat from Paris or Rouen on your own, what to see there, how not to miss anything.
I wore everything I had, the wind was very strong.
How to get from Paris and Rouen to Etretat
By car
Paris and Etretat are 200 km away by highway (86 km from Rouen by the same road), but taking into account traffic jams on the way from Paris you should calculate at least 2,5 hours and pay at least 20€ for a one way journey, A13 is a toll road. If you want to drive on free roads, add another hour for a one-way trip. It’s basically the same from Paris or Rouen, because Rouen is on the same road and the same trains and buses pass through it.
The schedule of local buses
Alas, getting to Étretat by public transport is much more difficult than getting to Rouen or Le Havre, because Étretat doesn’t have its own train station. The nearest railway station is in nearby Le Havre, 34 km away. It’s not really different if you go by train to Le Havre, Fekamp or Breaute, but the difference is that at the railway station you take a local bus no. 24 if you go to Le Havre or Fekamp, and a local bus no. 17 if you go to Breaute. The buses, alas, run on a schedule. You have to pick the perfect price/performance ratio, train and bus connection times for each specific trip.
The bus from Le Havre to Etretat takes 1 hour with all intermediate stops and costs 2€ for a one-way ticket.
Bus schedule for Le Havre – Etretat – Fecan 2021, if the schedule is outdated google: “24: FECAMP / ETRETAT / LE HAVRE”.
Bus No. 17 schedule for 2021, if the schedule is outdated google: “ligne 17 etretat breaute”.
But by bus in one day you can visit three coastal towns. Let’s say arrive in Fecan, walk there, then move to Etreta, then move to Le Havre and take a train to Paris. To execute such a busy plan, you need to leave Paris very early and return very late, as only the road itself one way will take about 3-4 hours, or plan an overnight stay on the coast. From Rouen such a trip looks much more realistic and budget, and from Le Havre completely free.
By train
Trains to the designated stations leave from Saint Lazare station in Paris at 40-60 minute intervals. The easiest way to get to the station is to take the metro to Gare St Lazare station of the same name. The following services will help you to get to Le Havre, Fecan or Bréhotet not only from Paris, but also from any other city in Europe from Amiens, for example.
How to get from Paris to Étretretat
The distance from Paris to Etretat is 206 km. The small town in Haute Normandie is popular for its delightful cliffs, so travelers, try to allocate at least a day to visit it. To get from Paris to the coast is possible only with a change, and this applies to both rail and bus. Go through Le Havre – one of the largest French ports. The distance from Le Havre to Etretat – 28 km.
Travel time is about 3 hours excluding waiting time for the connection. By car, you can get there in 2-2.5 hours.
The following advice is to consider how to get from Paris to Etretat on your own and how much it will cost.
The train Paris – Etretat
There is no direct train connection between the cities. There is a station in Etretat, but trains don’t run for a long time. The only way to get there is via Le Havre. From there you can take an intercity bus.
There are high-speed trains Nomad Train to Le Havre. Travel time is 2 hours 5-10 minutes. Departure every hour from morning to evening from St. Lazare station, arrival – at the railway station in Le Havre.
The price of the train ticket in 2022 depends on the fare and varies from 22 euros for 2nd class, and from 27.80 euros for 1st class.
You can buy tickets on the website of SNCF (French National Company of Railways), the Russian-speaking website Rail Europe, which specializes in finding and selling tickets for trains throughout Europe, as well as through a unified ticket service OMIO.
From Le Havre to Etretat goes bus number 24 (route Fécamp – Etretat – Le Havre). The bus station is located close to the train station, follow the signs. Departure is from platform B. This is how looks the bus station on panorama from Google Maps:
Travel time is one hour. The schedule of the bus is very specific. For example, on Sundays there are no buses. And on other days the intervals between departures are up to 2-3 hours. So, the train trip will have to adjust to the bus. View the current schedule (only French, use a translator).
Tickets cost 2 euros, children under 10 years accompanied by an adult – 1 euro, children under 3 years – free of charge.
Bus Paris – Etretta
If for some reason you are not satisfied with the train, take a bus. FlixBus (Isilines), BlaBlaBus (formerly Ouibus) operate flights on the route.
FlixBus . There are plenty of options during the day. The buses leave from the bus stations in Défense (northwestern part of the capital, metro Gare de La Défense) and Bercy (southeastern part, metro Dugommier). Travel time – 2.5-3 hours, depending on the flight. Tickets cost from 8.99 euros .
BlaBlaBus . This company does not spoil the variety. Departures from the Defence bus station every day. Travel time – 3 hours. The ticket price – from 15 euros .
Buses arrive at the bus station in Le Havre, where you must then take bus number 24, mentioned above.
Compare all options for moving between cities by bus in terms of cost and travel time through the unified ticket service OMIO.
Paris-Etretat transfer
Pre-booking a transfer saves you from having to think through the route, docking flights and taking care of tickets. The driver will pick up the car at the indicated time and take it to the place. To book a cab from Paris to Étretat, just make an online booking.
Available offers on the website KiwiTaxi:
Search for transfers to Étretretat
| From | Where to | Cost | ||
| Paris Orly Airport | Etreta | from 41275 p. | Show | |
| Paris “Charles de Gaulle” airport | Etreta | from 41275 p. | Show | |
| Paris | Etreta | from 41275 p. | Show | |
| From | Where to | Cost | ||
| Etreta | Paris | from 41275 p. | Show | |
| Etreta | Paris Orly Airport | from 41275 p. | Show | |
| Etreta | Paris “Charles de Gaulle” airport | from 41275 p. | Show | |
From Paris to Etreta by car
The picturesque coast is located 2 hours from the capital. The distance from Paris to Ettret by car is 206 km. It runs along the A13 towards Rouen, then the A131 towards Le Havre, and then the A29 and D39. A step by step description of the route is shown below:
Route description Paris – Etretat
Route length between Paris and Etretta: 205km
Approximate driving time: 2h 32m Show route description
Remember that some routes in France involve a toll. The cost depends on the vehicle you use and the distance you travel. To calculate how much it would cost to travel by car, go to the French freeways portal.
Car rental
A road trip to the English Channel coast promises to be enjoyable in every way. If you have a driver’s license, do not deny yourself this pleasure. You can rent a car anywhere in Paris.
We also recommend you to read our article about: “Rent a car in France”.
Finding a traveling companion
During the vacation season, the route Paris – Etretat is very popular, so it is easy to find a hitchhiker. Look for drivers who are traveling in the direction you want (for example, you can go at least as far as Le Havre) on the Blablacar website.
OMIO unified ticket search
The Omio service allows you to compare all available public transportation options by cost and travel time. Here you will find tickets for trains, intercity buses for your chosen destination. Thanks to a convenient search will be able to find the best offer.
Useful Links:
✔️ Cashback 4% when booking on Ostrovok.ru . More than 3000 reviews.
✔️ Cashback of 2% when booking Rail Tickets on Yandex.Travel.
✔️ Cashback 4% when you book a car with Localrent. Cars from local rental agencies in popular resorts: Turkey, Crimea, Sochi, Georgia, UAE, Armenia and many others. Accept cards MIR.
✔️ Cashback 2% when booking Tours on Travelata .
✔️ Russian guides and excursions around the world. Transfers, photographer services and more.
