Making the most of Cherbourg
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
You arrive in an impressive terminal building that is largely unchanged from the beginning of the 20th century. It still conveys the atmosphere of a bygone era, and the Ellis Island signs remain in place.
Near Cherbourg town centre, the cruise terminal offers facilities including tourist information and a souvenir shop.
Cruise ships normally dock at either the Quay de France or the Quai de Normandie, immediately next to it.
Cruise passengers in the terminal are offered a free tasting of Normandy delicacies.
In fine weather, Cherbourg centre is a pleasant 10 to 15-minute walk away, so there is little need for a shuttle bus.
The tourist office in the cruise terminal has free city maps and sells shuttle tickets whenever the city provides the service. It costs €4 for all-day use and follows a circular route with 3 stops: the shopping centre ( Carrefour), the train station, and the city centre near the tourist office, before returning to the terminal. The full circuit takes about 25 mins. There is no bus at lunchtime, 1230 - 1330 hrs.
On Sunday calls, the shuttle bus sets passengers down in front of the tourist office.
At the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula, busy Cherbourg has been an important naval base since Napoleonic times and is a well-used gateway to the magnificent Normandy region. It combines military, fishing and commercial port activity with a yachting marina, and has the world’s largest artificial harbor. Normandy offers a dramatic coastline, plentiful sandy beaches and cliffs rising near Cherbourg.
Experience the lively daily life of the fishing port and marina at the heart of town. Follow the constructed, flood-lit piers as the tides set their rhythm and take in the distinctive character of this sea-facing town.
Cherbourg’s old town is beyond the Bassin du Commerce, reached by crossing the bridge called le Pont Tournant.
La Cite de la Mer is a very large nautical museum with submarines and an aquarium, immediately beside the cruise terminal. At the terminal hospitality desk, passengers can buy La Cité de La Mer museum tickets with a 1,50 euro reduction per adult; the usual price is around 21 euro.
Getting around
The Railway station is 2km from the Cruise Terminal. Cherbourg to Paris takes two hours 45 minutes, and the cruise shuttle stops here.
A small tourist train tours Cherbourg hourly for 5 Euro p.p. It normally waits outside the cruise terminal after the ship arrives; in town, departures are roughly 15 minutes past the hour.
It is worthwhile comparing the shore excursions offered by your cruise line.
Nearby places
Bayeux is an appealing old town of well-preserved Renaissance and medieval buildings, with cobbled streets flanked by characteristic timber-framed houses. These attractive surroundings contain the celebrated Bayeux Tapestry.
The shuttle leaves you at the railway station, 7 minutes from the terminal. The train journey is around an hour, with direct trains approximately every two hours, and a one-way fare of 15 euro.
Cap de la Hague sits amid rugged scenery of granite rocks and moorlands, offering remarkable views and excellent photograph opportunities. The approach follows a scenic coastal route past manor houses and typical Norman villages, then continues by some of Europe’s highest cliffs to a striking panorama.
The nearby Normandy beaches are essential viewing, although their distance makes a ship organized excursion advisable.
The D-Day Landings were the Allied invasion and establishment of forces in Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord in World War II. They ran from the first landings on June 6, 1944 to the Allied breakout in mid-July, and were then the largest seaborne invasion, with over 156,000 troops crossing the English Channel from the United Kingdom to Normandy.
Food and shopping
Cherbourg’s main shopping district is just behind the waterfront in the Old Town. Its maze of narrow, often pedestrianized cobbled streets is filled with specialist food and wine shops, café bars, restaurants, fashion boutiques and gift shops.
Cherbourg centre hosts a large open-air market on Thursday mornings.
Money
The local currency is the Euro.
Staying connected
Local emergency number information:
Free WIFI is available in both the cruise terminal and the Cherbourg tourist office.
The emergency contacts are Police: 17; Fire brigade: 18 Ambulance: 15.
Opening Hours and
Most Cherbourg shops, businesses, information services, museums and banks are open throughout the day. Larger shops generally trade Monday to Saturday from 8 or 9am until 6.30 or 7.30pm, while smaller shops usually open Tuesday to Saturday, with some also opening on Monday afternoon. Boulangeries and food shops can always be found open when others are shut, normally until noon on Sunday.