Here you arrive in an impressive terminal building, pretty much intact the way it was in the beginning of the 20th century. You still will feel the atmosphere of a bygone area. The signs for Ellis Island are still there!

Located near the town center of Cherbourg, the cruise terminal provides services such as tourism information, souvenir shop, rent an electric assisted bike (20 Euro/day)

Cruise ships will dock at the Quay de France.

In the terminal, cruise passengers are invited to a free tasting of delicacies from the Normandy region.

If the weather is fine it is only a 10 a 15 minute pleasant walk to the center of Cherbourg, so a shuttle bus is not really needed.

Shuttle bus linking the transatlantic cruise terminal of Cherbourg to town center are free for passengers during their call. Some cruise lines may charge 7 euro for this service (MSC). If you need to go to the railroad station than the shuttle will come in handy.
Note: They call it a shuttle but is really a single return ticket.

On Sundays, as all the shops are closed, the shuttle bus will drop passengers to French traditional market in Octeville.

Printable map to take along on your cruise.

Cruise calendar for this port.

Watch a destination video.

Located at the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula, the busy town of Cherbourg has been an important naval base since Napoleonic times, and is a popular gateway to the magnificent region of Normandy. It is a military, fishing and commercial port, with a yachting marina, and boasts the largest artificial harbor in the world. Normandy has a spectacular coastline and plenty of sandy beaches, with dramatic cliffs rising up near Cherbourg.

Let yourself be overtaken by the exuberant daily activity of its fishing port and marina, right in the heart of town; let yourself be guided along the made-up piers with their flood-lighting following the rhythm of tides, and appreciate the very special atmosphere of a town open to the sea.

The old town of Cherbourg is on the other side of the Bassin du Commerce crossing the bridge 'le Pont Tournant'.

You might want to visit La Cite de la Mer, a very large nautical museum including submarines and aquarium. It is located right next to the cruise terminal.

Railway station 2km from the Cruise Terminal. Two hours 45 minutes Cherbourg to Paris. Cruise shuttle makes a stop here.

A little tourist train makes an hourly tour through Cherbourg. 5 Euro p.p.
It normally is waiting right in front of the cruise terminal when the ship has arrived.
In town it leaves roughly 15 minutes after the hour.

The Bayeux Tapestry: Bayeux is a charming old town with well preserved Renaissance and medieval buildings and cobbled streets lined with typical timber-framed houses. In these beautiful surroundings you will find the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

The shuttle will drop you off at the railway station. It takes 7 minutes from terminal to station. Journey takes around an hour, with direct trains roughly two-hourly. One-way fare 15 euro.

Cap de la Hague: set in rugged countryside, with a backdrop of granite rocks and moorlands, the Cap de la Hague offers breathtaking views and some splendid photo opportunities. On your way there you will follow a scenic coastal route and pass by manor houses and typical Norman villages. Continue via some of the highest cliffs in Europe to admire the stunning panorama.

The nearby Normandy beaches are a must-see.

The D-Day Landings: the Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Allied forces in Normandy, France during Operation Overlord in World War II. It covers from the initial landings on June 6, 1944 until the Allied breakout in mid-July. The invasion was the largest sea borne invasion at the time, involving over 156,000 troops crossing the English Channel from the United Kingdom to Normandy.

The main shopping area lies just behind the waterfront, in the Old Town, where a maze of narrow cobbled streets, many pedestrian only, are packed with specialist food and wine shops, café bars, restaurants, fashion boutiques and gift shops.

On Thursday mornings there is a big open air market in the center of Cherbourg.

Euro

Currency Converter

Local emergency number:

Plenty of WiFi cafes around.
You might notice the many "free" WiFi connections on your laptop or pad, but the French "free" is not free at all and is a subscription service. Also in the terminal itself and on the handout city maps you will see WiFi everywhere, but are subscription services and therefore not free.

Police:              17
Fire brigade:      18
Ambulance:       15 

Most shops, businesses, information services, museums and banks in Cherbourg stay open all day. Basic hours of business are from 8 or 9am to 6.30 or 7.30pm Monday to Saturday for the big shops and Tuesday to Saturday for smaller shops (some of the smaller shops may open on Monday afternoon). You can always find boulangeries and food shops that do stay open, however, on days when others close – on Sunday normally until noon.

National holiday dates:

January 1 New Year's Day
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Ascension Day (forty days after Easter)
Pentecost or Whitsun (seventh Sunday after Easter, plus the Monday)
May 1 May Day/Labour Day
May 8 Victory in Europe Day
July 14 Bastille Day
August 15 Assumption of the Virgin Mary
November 1 All Saints' Day
November 11 1918 Armistice Day
December 25 Christmas Day

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