Cherbourg Port + Harbour Guide

Cherbourg is another fantastic, majestic holiday destination for both foreign and domestic visitors. Formally known as Cherbourg-Octeville as of 2000 when the two townships merged together, Cherbourg hunches on France's northern coast in Basse-Normandie (i.e. “lower Normandy”) accessible by cross-channel ferry tours to and from Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Poole.

The “most romantic city in the world”, Paris, France looms to the South of Cherbourg, approximately 300 kilometers away along the French highway Route Nationale 13. Also, another well-traveled, oft-taken route from Cherbourg to Paris is the Cherbourg/Paris railway line, which whisks travelers from the Paris Saint-Lazare train station to Cherbourg in approximately three hours.

Cherbourg attractions

English visitors can reach this wonderful sea side French city via services such as Brittany Ferries, a popular, well-priced cross-channel leisure ferry from Poole to Cherbourg. Accommodations in Cherbourg range in cost from the most frugal economy hotels to internationally recognized luxury lodging in the heart of the city.

Visitors to this French harbour report being stricken by the seamless fusion of modern public transportation and numerous historical sites preserved throughout the port. Thus, travelers can enjoy the magnificence of the cities museums and World War II memorials which are a stone's throw away from modern attractions such as Cherbourg's massive aquarium La Cite de la Mer.

Transportation

Similar to the English port cities of Poole and Plymouth, Cherbourg harbour is open to recreational and commercial use by sea vessels large and small from many different countries around the world. Once you have arrived in the port, transportation is relatively easy to acquire, and in fact, many visitors prefer to use the aforementioned Paris/Cherbourg railway train in order to travel further into the French provinces.

Visitors with less adventurous holiday ambitions would do well to make good use of the Cherbourg bus system, which stands within walking distance from the ferry landings and Cherbourg's town centre. The city's train platform, on the other hand, is located a bit further than the nearest bus station. But once you reach the Gare de Cherbourg (i.e. Avenue Jean-Francois Millet), the local train services can carry you about where ever you desire on your planned holiday across the channel.