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Cherbourg

Cherbourg is one of the best connected ferry ports in France with sailings to both the UK and Ireland. Brittany Ferries sails to Cherbourg from both Poole and Portsmouth, and also offers the fastest crossing to France west of Dover via their high speed ferry service from Poole in addition to its cruise and freight ferry departures.

Port Guide

Cherbourg has four sections to its port: the naval base, marina, commercial port (including the ferries and the occasional cruise ship) and fishing port. You may not notice it from the ferry but there is a substantial naval dockyard which has specialised in building submarines for over 100 years. There are 4 or 5 small naval patrol craft based here, but no larger warships at present.

The fishing port comes next and is closest to the town centre. There is a marina consisting of around 1,150 moorings catering for over 11,000 visitors a year. Then you come to the ferry port which has sailings to and from Poole & Portsmouth in England. The area of the port which is now occupied by the ferries used to be used by trans-Atlantic liners, the terminal for which included a railway station for boat trains direct to and from Paris. At its peak in the 1920's 41,000 people a year emigrated to the United States via Cherbourg. Incidentally, the liners which called here started their crossing from Southampton and so it was possible to use one of Cunard's famous liners to travel across the channel to Cherbourg. The only link with this era now is the occasional visit by a cruise ship.

The final part of the port deals with general cargoes and also spent reactor fuel on route to the reprocessing plant at Cap de la Hague.

Our Guide

Cherbourg, with its deep water harbour of over 3,000 acres, is the largest artificial harbour in the world. From the fortress 'le Fort du Roule' which houses the Liberation Museum, there is a panoramic view over the town and the port.

The old part of the town is centred around the old basin, the fishing port. Its history goes back at least to Roman times. Though there aren't any Roman remains to be seen much of the centre of the town is 19th century or earlier in origin and there are traces of the old walled city to be seen. The town is worth spending some time in rather than just rushing through to or from the ferry or hypermarket.

A new attraction, la Cité de la Mer in the former trans-Atlantic terminal building, it includes a cylindrical aquarium, a permanent exhibition in two parts - the submarine area and the ocean diving area, a former nuclear submarine - the Redoubtable - and a hall for temporary exhibitions and shows. Highly recommended.

For those who are 'topping up on supplies' there are several hypermarkets, the largest being Carrefour at Octeville on the edge of town as you leave on the main N13.

Accommodation

If you are looking for a nights accommodation in Cherbourg bfenthusiasts recommend the following hotels:

Mercure: Part of the renown Accor hotel group, this hotel is just five minuites away from the town centre and the ferry port by foot. There are 71 rooms with prices starting at 45 euros.

Restaurants

The town of Cherbourg offers a great range of dining experiences, from local fruits de mer to local apple tarts. bfenthusiasts recommend the following locations:

Restaurant Au Saint Michael is an excellent small creperie on Rue Tour Carrée. Just beware it can get quite busy.

Transport

By Car: Cherbourg is at the end of the N13/A13 dual carriageway/autoroute from Paris and this links to the A84 autoroute to Rennes with good roads to the south.

By Train: Mainline services are offered to Paris, and local services to Bayeux and Caen.

By Bus: Regular local bus services operate.