Cherbourg, Ferries and Ferry Crossings

Welcome to the Cherbourg (France) section of FerryCrossings.org, the site for information about major UK and continental ports and the ferries between them. Our site includes an introduction to a number of ports and feature pages about the various crossing ways, lanes and routes and companies operating between them to help you plan your journey and discover interesting travel destinations along the way. You can even compare prices and save money on your ferry tickets with ads from selected major ferry lines.

Port of Cherbourg, France

Cherbourg. Cherbourg, now officially 'Cherbourg - Octeville' since 2000, is in Normandy in North-West France. The harbour at Cherbourg has been important through the ages and in Napoleonic times was fortified even further to prevent hostile British ships gaining access. If your ferry crossing takes you to Cherbourg, and you have time to spare, then a worthwhile visit would be to the Cite de la Mer Maritime Museum.

The museum was opened in 2002. One of the reasons for the creation of La Cité de la Mer was the need to find a way of using the former Transatlantic Railway Terminal (Gare Maritime Transatlantique) which was a building listed on the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques in 1989. The idea for the musem served a dual purpose as it was also planned that it should provide a home for the famous, and at that time decommissioned submarine 'Redoubtable', which is now open to the public. Also at the museum is the largest aquarium in Europe which is dedicated to the scientific research of marine life. There is an exhibition hall, a 'virtual' underwater experience and all the usual facilities for parking (free at the time of writing), shops and eating that you might want.