Transportation to Etretat in Normandy

Getting to the white chalk cliffs and natural arches of Étretat in Normandy is easy by car or by bus from Le Havre with good train connections to Paris. Flixbus has direct season buses from Paris to Etretat.

Horse riders and view of arch at Etretat

Etretat with its white cliffs and three natural arches is hugely popular with day-trippers and holidaymakers. Étretat is easiest reached by car but public transportation is also available. For most travelers using public transportation, the easiest option is the direct seasonal buses of Flixbus from Paris to Etretat. A good alternative is to use a train to Le Havre and from there the local bus service to Etretat. Le Havre has frequent trains services arriving from other parts of France including hourly from Paris and Rouen. Etretat can be seen on a day trip from Paris but few would regret staying in Etretat over night.

By Car to Etretat in Normandy, France

The picturesque little seaside village of Etretat is in the Département Seine Maritime in the Région Haute Normandie (Upper Normandy). Etretat can easily be reached on route D940 from Le Havre or Fecamp. The closest autoroute is the A29 – exits 6 and 7 are both around half an hour’s drive from Etretat on small country roads.

Driving distances and times to Etretat are around:

30 km / 0h40 from Le Havre
16 km / 025 from Fecamp
80 km / 1h45 from Dieppe
70 km / 1h20 from Jumièges
106 km / 1h20 from Rouen
140 km / 2h00 from Giverny
200 km / 2h30 from Versailles
200 km / 2h40 Paris (most likely much longer)
230 km / 2h50 from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (most likely much longer)
275 km / 3h00 from Calais

From Lower Normandy, cross the Seine on the magnificent Pont de Normandie bridge and drive to Etretat either through the outskirts of Le Havre, or for lighter traffic but more country roads leave the Autoroute A29 at exit 6 or 7.

60 km / 1h00 from Honfleur
110 km / 1h40 from Caen
140 km / 2h00 from Bayeux
230 km / 3h00 from Mont St Michel

Parking in Etretat is often problematic during the high season but with luck a place can be found right at the beach at Place du Général De Gaulle (charge). Cheap or free parking can also be found in the outskirts of town.

A parking lot is also available at the top of the Falaise Amont cliffs to the north (right when facing the sea) of Etretat. The drive up here to the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garde and Monument Nengesser et Coli is along narrow roads – often single lane with blind spots. (The driver traveling in the direction of the red arrow has to make way, or reverse, for drivers traveling in the direction of the white or black arrows.)

By Train and Bus to Etretat

Trains no longer operate all the way to Etretat. Travelers using public transportation usually have to transfer to a bus service at Le Havre but occasionally Bréauté or Fecamp can also be sensible options. From Paris, the direct Flixbus is the best options but this service is seasonal and does not operate daily.

Trains arrive frequently in Le Havre from Paris and Rouen. However, the lack of bridges across the Seine means that travelers from most other parts of France will have to change trains at either Rouen or even Paris-Saint Lazare en route to Le Havre. French train tickets may be bought from the official websites of French Railways such as Oui.SNCF and RailEurope but Trainlines are often far easier to use.

(Etretat station is only service by velo-rail – a type of bicycle train for tourists; enquire from the tourist office for details.)

How to Buy French Train Tickets Online

French railway tickets are available online from many resellers — Trainline is currently often the simplest to use.

SNCF has several official websites: Oui.SNCF is the main site but visitors may be passed on to other SNCF sub-sites with many non-European-based users ending up at RailEurope sites that often sell only long-distance train tickets. Trainline and Omio are generally a lot easier to use and may include searches for competing buses, such as Flixbus, that are price and time competitive with trains on some popular routes. Try Ouigo for low-cost TGV trains — very good deals are available at quiet times and inconvenient hours.

Trainline and Omio also sell cross-border journeys and tickets for many other European countries. Show-on-mobile phone tickets and print-at-home tickets are generally the best options, collecting tickets at the station is time-consuming. Tickets for short journeys and trains in urban areas (RER & Metro) are usually not sold online.

Bus 24 from Le Havre to Etretat

The main bus service to Etretat is line 24 between Le Havre via Etretat and Fecamp. Ligne n° 24 is operated by Keolis Seine Maritime – currently, this bus service is not included in transportation searches at Oui.SNCF but the timetable is available on the Etretat Tourist Office website.

The bus fare in Seine Maritime is only €2 (€1 for children under 10) irrespective of the distance traveled. Buy tickets from the driver. Travel in a small group? Buy a pack of ten tickets for only €12.

Bus 24 Timetable from Le Havre to Etretat

During the 2018 season, bus line 24 departs from Le Havre Gare SNCF to Etretat Marie as follows (summer is for the French school vacations, i.e. most of July and August):

On weekdays and Saturdays:

8:00 – first departure during the summer school vacations (most of July and August)
9:30 – first departure rest of the year
10:12 – all year
13:12 – all year
13:30 – summer only
15:00 – summer only
16:25 – all year
16:40 – all year
18:05 – all year

On Sundays:

8:45 – summer only
9:45 – summer only
10:15 – all year
11:30 – all year
12:30 – all year
13:30 – summer only
18:15 – all year
18:25 – all year

Traveling time on the summer time (mostly July and August) Rapid Bus is only 40 minutes while the regular buses takes just over an hour depending on the exact route and number of stops.

Bus Timetable 24 from Etretat to Le Havre

The bus line 24 back to Le Havre starts in Fecamp so the actual departure time from Etretat Marie to Le Havre Gare SNCF are subject to traffic conditions but is listed for the 2018 season as follows:

On weekdays and Saturdays:

6:39 – all year
7:02 – all year
8:37 – all year
8:55 – summer only
9:10 – all year
10:39 – all year
11:03 – summer only
12:55 – all year
13:07 – all year
15:05 – all year
15:51 – summer only
17:27 – all year
17:41 – summer only
18:40 – all year (last bus of the day)

On Sundays:

7:03 – summer only
8:16 – summer only
9:05 – all year
9:37 – all year
11:05 – all year
12:11 – summer only
16:37 – all year
16:39 – all year
16:56 – summer only
17:52 – all year
17:54 – all year

Traveling time on the summer time (mostly July and August) Rapid Bus is only 40 minutes while the regular buses takes just over an hour depending on the exact route and number of stops.

From Paris to Etretat by Train and Bus

Travelers from Paris to Etretat have three basic choices:

The direct Flixbus from Paris to Etretat is usually the fastest and cheapest but the service is seasonal and not daily. Flixbus coaches to Etretat depart from Paris-Bercy and Paris-Pont de Levallois. The latter is on Metro line 3 and could shave 40 minutes off travel time.
Train from Paris-Saint Lazare to Bréaute-Beuzeville and then on the SNCF bus 87001 / line 17 to Etretat – often available only once or twice per day (or not at all) depending on the season. (See Weekend Break from Paris below for more details on this routing.)
Train from Paris-Saint Lazare to Le Havre and then on bus 24 to Etretat – the highest frequency and available daily and year round. (This option is often not listed in online timetables as bus 24 is not bookable online.)

The direct Flixbus is generally the cheapest, fastest and most convenient way to travel from Paris to Etretat but the service is not daily or available year round. The train from Paris and change to bus at Bréaute-Beuzeville is slightly more convenient than traveling via La Havre – and the whole journey may be booked online at Oui.SNCF or Trainline.

Direct InterCity trains (not TGV so no surcharge or compulsory seat reservations required) connect Paris-Saint Lazare and Le Havre Gare (and Bréaute-Beuzeville) generally hourly from around 7 am to 9 pm. The journey time is just over two hours. (On Sundays, the service is much reduced and often requires a transfer in Rouen.)

Day-Trip from Paris to Etretat

It is possible to see Etretat on a day trip from Paris using public transportation but it will require a lot of travel in a single day and an early start.

On days when the Flixbus service is available, leave Paris-Bercy by bus at 7:30 (8:15 from Paris-Pont de Levallois) to arrive in Etretat at 11:20. In the afternoon, depart from Etretat on the 17:00 bus to arrive back in Paris at 20:00 (Pont de Lavallois) or 20:50 (Paris-Bercy). The Flixbus service is very popular and often book out – especially on Fridays from Paris and Sundays from Etretat.

When the Flixbus is not available, the best option is the 8:50 train from Paris-Saint Lazare with a change to the bus at Bréaute-Beuzeville to reach Etretat at 11:30. Depart from Etretat at 18:40 to reach Paris at 21:41. This option is usually available daily from mid-April to early September. Only use this option if listed in the timetables at Oui.SNCF or Trainline.

The final option via Le Havre works daily and year round – online timetables will only offer the train to Le Havre and very rarely list the bus 24 to Etretat as an option. Start the day early and depart from Paris-Saint Lazare station earlier than 8 am. Except during summer, the train and bus times are not well coordinated for trains arriving in Le Havre later than 10:10 am – no buses until after 13:00!

On the whole, doable but a lot of travel for a day trip. Few would regret spending the night in Normandy – hotels in Le Havre, Etretat or even Rouen will almost certainly be cheaper than in Paris.

Paris to Etretat for Weekend Breaks

Etretat is a very popular weekend destination from Paris. As a result, the Flixbus on Friday departs from Paris in the afternoon rather than the morning and several special extra train and bus services are available via Bréauté Beuzeville.

Take the train from Paris-Saint Lazare (or Rouen) to Bréauté Beuzeville (a stop shortly before Le Havre) and then bus 17 to Etretat. This routing is usually available daily from mid-April to early September leaving Paris at 8:50 and 17:48 to arrive in Etretat at 11:30 or 20:33. However, on Fridays a further two services leave Paris at 18:50 and 19:48 to arrive in Etretat at 21:35 and 22:30.

The daily return services depart from Etretat at 16:25 and 18:40 to reach Paris at 19:12 and 21:41 with extra services on Sunday leaving Etretat at 13:25 and 15:41 to return to Paris at 16:10 and 18:41.

See Trainline or Oui-SNCF for the exact timetable and availability during the low season.

Etretat is surprisingly seldom included in minibus day-trip tours but easy to visit on public transportation.