France
Cherbourg
Cherbourg: An Art Deco Liner Terminal on the Channel
Cherbourg is a working port at the northern tip of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, with ferries to Britain and Ireland, a fishing fleet and a naval base. American troops took the city on 26 June 1944 after fierce street fighting and stubborn resistance at the Fort du Roule on the hill above it.
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Good to know
Arriving in Cherbourg
Ships tie up at the Quai de France, and passengers come ashore through the baggage hall of the old transatlantic terminal, a listed art deco building. The town center is about half a mile away, a walk of about 10 minutes along the east side of the harbor.
- The terminal has a hospitality desk, a gift shop, toilets, free Wi-Fi and lifts between its two levels.
- Volunteer greeters from the town meet cruise calls to help passengers find their way.
- Taxis and rental cars are available at the terminal.
- The tourist office is at 56 Quai de Caligny, on the harbor in the town center.
Cherbourg on Your Own
Cherbourg is easy to see on foot, because the Cité de la Mer is inside the terminal building and the old town is a short walk away. A simple plan is the museum in the morning, lunch in town and, if there is time, the view from the Montagne du Roule.
- La Cité de la Mer: Go aboard Le Redoutable, the largest submarine open to visitors anywhere, then see 17 aquariums, one of them 11 meters deep. Adults paid €21 in 2026, and ticket sales stop 90 minutes before closing; check before you go.
- On a cruise day: While a ship is in, the baggage hall is closed to museum visitors, but the Titanic area stays open; ask at the desk what else is available.
- The old town: Restaurants fill the old town's streets and squares and line the quays, and the front of the umbrella shop from the 1964 film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg is preserved at 13 Rue du Port.
- Holy Trinity: The Gothic Basilica of the Holy Trinity on Rue de l'Église is one of the oldest buildings in the city, with 15th-century alabaster carvings from Nottingham.
- Montagne du Roule: The hill above the town looks over Cherbourg, its harbor and the Cité de la Mer, and the fort at the top houses the Liberation Museum.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
Tipping in France
Tips are neither required nor expected in France, because the cost of service is included in menu prices by law. Leave something only if the service was exceptional.
- When French diners do tip, they usually round the bill up.
- France uses the euro.
A Naval and Maritime Town
Cherbourg is a naval town and the seat of the maritime prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea, and since 1898 its arsenal has specialized in building submarines.
- From 1964 Cherbourg built France's nuclear ballistic-missile submarines, beginning with Le Redoutable.
- The 1964 musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, starring Catherine Deneuve, was filmed in the town, and a workshop on the harbor still makes Cherbourg umbrellas.
- The Italian-style theater on Place du Général de Gaulle opened in 1882.
- The Parc Emmanuel-Liais, with greenhouses and more than 400 plant varieties, has been listed as a remarkable garden since 2006.
- The Château des Ravalet in Tourlaville, a Renaissance house built in 1575, stands in a landscaped park with a greenhouse and ponds.
A Brief History
Cherbourg's story is that of a strategic harbor: fought over in the Hundred Years' War, turned into a great naval base, and made a gateway to America by the transatlantic liners. In 1944 it was the first goal of the American troops landing in Normandy.
- 12 August 1450: Cherbourg, the last English possession in Normandy, surrendered to the king of France.
- 1686: Vauban proposed closing off the roadstead with two sea walls.
- 1779: Under Louis XVI, France decided to build a 4-km breakwater from wooden cones filled with stone.
- 1853 and 1895: The central sea wall was finished in 1853, and the eastern and western walls in 1895.
- 1858: Napoleon III opened a new naval basin and the railway line to Paris.
- 10 April 1912: The Titanic called at Cherbourg on her maiden voyage, and passengers were ferried out to her by the tenders Nomadic and Traffic.
- 30 July 1933: President Albert Lebrun opened the new transatlantic terminal, where four trains and two liners could be handled at once.
- 1944: German forces blew up part of the terminal on the night of 23 June, and the garrison surrendered to American troops on 26 June. The port was repaired quickly, and for a time in late 1944 the port of Cherbourg handled more traffic than New York.
- 1952: The rebuilt terminal reopened.
- 1989: The terminal was listed as a historic monument.
- 2002: La Cité de la Mer opened in the old terminal.
- To learn more ashore: La Cité de la Mer, on Allée du Président Menut inside the transatlantic terminal, covers the liners, emigration to the Americas and the Titanic's call at Cherbourg.
Cherbourg with Children
The Cité de la Mer, in the terminal itself, can fill a family's morning, and a public garden with animals and a playground lies at the foot of the Montagne du Roule. Both are an easy outing from the ship.
- Younger children: Children under 5 enter the Cité free with a paying adult but may not go aboard the submarine, so with two adults, one can go aboard while the other stays with the child.
- The public garden: The Jardin public has an animal park, a playground and a farmyard of Normandy breeds.
- School age: Choose the family audio guide aboard Le Redoutable, a conversation between a former submariner and his grandson.
- Teenagers: On days it runs, try Cherbourg Transatlantic, a 35-minute mixed-reality visit that recreates the terminal on 14 April 1937, when the Queen Mary first came alongside.
Accessibility
The cruise terminal has lifts, and the museum's main exhibitions can be reached by lift as well. Ask your ship about the gangway at the Quai de France if you use a wheelchair.
- An elevator serves each level of the Ocean of the Future aquarium exhibition, and a lift takes visitors with reduced mobility to the Titanic exhibition.
- The Cherbourg Transatlantic mixed-reality visit is listed as accessible.
- Adults with a disability card paid €16 in 2026, and children with a disability card €12.50; check before you go.
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