Cherbourg options

[ILoveScotland]

I'm looking for options for Cherbourg. I went to St. Michel and Normandy beaches last May so want something in or around Cherbourg.  I welcome all ideas.

[sarahwalker2007]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:08 AM, ILoveScotland said:

I'm looking for options for Cherbourg. I went to St. Michel and Normandy beaches last May so want something in or around Cherbourg.  I welcome all ideas.

We were there last spring. We walked the town and did the museum and aquarium. The submarine was amazing to tour! We had a lovely lunch in a small square and the kids ate the best strawberries they ever had in their entire life!

[caripoo]

Spend the day in Honfleur

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, caripoo said:

Spend the day in Honfleur

Really?  I assume you are aware it is more than a 2 hour drive (each way).

 

 

[MAVIP]

On 1/31/2023 at 4:50 AM, sarahwalker2007 said:

We were there last spring. We walked the town and did the museum and aquarium. The submarine was amazing to tour! We had a lovely lunch in a small square and the kids ate the best strawberries they ever had in their entire life!

Museum and Aquarium just accross from the quay (at least our HALship docked there). Our grandchildren, parents and we as grandparents loved it.

[mawvkysc]

@ILoveScotland If you’ve already sailed could you please tell me what you decided to do? How was it? 
 

We will be there in the spring. We may just have a non excursion day and walk around the old town area. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays there is a farmers market with about 100 stalls in front of the main post office. 

[edinburgher]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:08 PM, ILoveScotland said:

I welcome all ideas.

You could consider visiting Bayeux, a very attractive medieval city with the world famous Bayeux Tapestry. around an hour or so by train.  Info and images will be found online which might tempt you.

 

And do look at the shorex being offered by your cruiseline even if you don't want to book one, as they give an idea of highlights of the area and what could be possibly in your timeline. 

Edited October 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[John Bull]

On 10/25/2023 at 4:28 AM, mawvkysc said:

@ILoveScotland If you’ve already sailed could you please tell me what you decided to do? How was it? 
 

We will be there in the spring. We may just have a non excursion day and walk around the old town area. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays there is a farmers market with about 100 stalls in front of the main post office. 

 

Cruise ship visits to Cherbourg are often only 1/2 day, so check that out - it could ruin plans.

The town isn't very attractive, but there's an excellent maritime complex & oceanarium close to your berth.

 

For a full day I'd recommend two options.....

 

The D-Day sights, especially if you're American - the American section beaches are much much closer to Cherbourg than Le Havre.

Nearest sight (only half-an-hour away) is Ste Mere Eglise, a small town a few miles inland, This had to be captured to protect the western flank of the beaches, and was taken by airborne troops, Excellent  Airborne museum in the Square, opposite the church where hangs an effigy of the paratrooper whose parachute got snagged on the church roof and he dangled from it during the battle (he survived). Needs 30 to 45 mins.

15-20 minutes away is Utah Beach - quite a featureless beach which was captured remarkably easily but an excellent museum. Needs an hour or more

Other sights depend on your time in port - Point du Hoc (worth 20 minutes minimum) is half an hour beyond Ste Mere Eglise and the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach a further 20 minutes. Needs a bare minimum of an hour, preferably 2 or more.

If you have time, the German cemetery is just off your route back to Cherbourg. !0-15 minutes there will show the stark differences to the American cemetery.

You won't have time to visit the Canadian & UK beaches, which are further east. beyond 

 

You'd need a tour or a reasonably knowledgeable taxi driver or a rented car, but driving and parking area easy and navigation fine with a map or GPS.

Plan to include those places which fit your timetable, and visit in the opposite direction to my list - this allows you to foreshorten or skip sights closer to Cherbourg if you fall behind the clock.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2PbfGYE14sY4Q9xu7

 

Bayeux. Easy by direct train. Almost un-touched by the war, both sides tried to keep  this historic city out of the fighting. Super cathedral, and a short walk from the the famous Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the last successful invasion of Britain.

 

I'd advocate against Mont St Michel from Cherbourg - it's a boring two-hour bus ride each-way on featureless roads.

 

JB 🙂

 

[SquishTheWhale]

We did the submarine tour, titanic museum and aquarium (its all one attraction). Right in the port and easily takes hours, it was fab.

[Alaskanb]

We will be doing a ships tour (Sky Princess) to a cider/brandy producer followed by a pastry cafe that specializes in the food of Normandy. 

[John Bull]

15 hours ago, Alaskanb said:

We will be doing a ships tour (Sky Princess) to a cider/brandy producer followed by a pastry cafe that specializes in the food of Normandy. 

Normandy has a lot of regional food & drinks - that sounds like an interesting day.

 

Not the usual brandy distilled from grapes - that's further south in Cognac & Armagnac - but apple brandy Calvados (the farmyard stuff is fiery), cider (ditto), Pommard (mid-way between Calvados & cider). And pear brandies & liqueurs

Benedictine, a herbal liqueur.

 

Pork is big in Normandy, naturally-salted lamb, scallops & oysters & mussels, tripe (if you have a strong stomach 😮), soft cheeses like Camembert, Pont-Leveque, & Neufchatel,  glazed apple tart & apple-filled crepes.

 

Rough earthenware Calvados jugs make an excellent & inexpensive souvenir, provided that they survive the journey.

 

Gotta go now - I'm feeling hungry 😏

 

JB 🙂

[mawvkysc]

I found the submarine tour quite interesting.  The aquarium and Titanic part of the museum were ok. 
 

I did enjoy the farmers market although it was smaller than I expected. We walked around town and had cider and some pastries. 
 

I overheard a couple in the MDR that night say that they had done some research and had made reservations at a Michelin star restaurant for lunch that day and it was amazing. 

[sgmn]

On 10/26/2023 at 11:41 AM, John Bull said:

 

Cruise ship visits to Cherbourg are often only 1/2 day, so check that out - it could ruin plans.

The town isn't very attractive, but there's an excellent maritime complex & oceanarium close to your berth.

 

For a full day I'd recommend two options.....

 

The D-Day sights, especially if you're American - the American section beaches are much much closer to Cherbourg than Le Havre.

Nearest sight (only half-an-hour away) is Ste Mere Eglise, a small town a few miles inland, This had to be captured to protect the western flank of the beaches, and was taken by airborne troops, Excellent  Airborne museum in the Square, opposite the church where hangs an effigy of the paratrooper whose parachute got snagged on the church roof and he dangled from it during the battle (he survived). Needs 30 to 45 mins.

15-20 minutes away is Utah Beach - quite a featureless beach which was captured remarkably easily but an excellent museum. Needs an hour or more

Other sights depend on your time in port - Point du Hoc (worth 20 minutes minimum) is half an hour beyond Ste Mere Eglise and the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach a further 20 minutes. Needs a bare minimum of an hour, preferably 2 or more.

If you have time, the German cemetery is just off your route back to Cherbourg. !0-15 minutes there will show the stark differences to the American cemetery.

You won't have time to visit the Canadian & UK beaches, which are further east. beyond 

 

You'd need a tour or a reasonably knowledgeable taxi driver or a rented car, but driving and parking area easy and navigation fine with a map or GPS.

Plan to include those places which fit your timetable, and visit in the opposite direction to my list - this allows you to foreshorten or skip sights closer to Cherbourg if you fall behind the clock.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2PbfGYE14sY4Q9xu7

 

Bayeux. Easy by direct train. Almost un-touched by the war, both sides tried to keep  this historic city out of the fighting. Super cathedral, and a short walk from the the famous Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the last successful invasion of Britain.

 

I'd advocate against Mont St Michel from Cherbourg - it's a boring two-hour bus ride each-way on featureless roads.

 

JB 🙂

 

Hi JB @John Bull 

We're thinking of going to Bayeux. 

There's a train at 0854 and 1048. We dock at 0800

 Do you think we would have enough time to disembark and catch the earlier train? How would you get to train station? Walk or taxi 

Alternatively we may hire a car, which car company have you used and would you recommend it? Is it in the port or town ?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give

Sue

[John Bull]

3 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Hi JB @John Bull 

We're thinking of going to Bayeux. 

There's a train at 0854 and 1048. We dock at 0800

 Do you think we would have enough time to disembark and catch the earlier train? How would you get to train station? Walk or taxi 

Alternatively we may hire a car, which car company have you used and would you recommend it? Is it in the port or town ?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give

Sue

 

Hi, Sue,

 

We've never rented in northern France, always crossed by ferry with our own car.

 

The station is a 20 -30 minute walk, and an "8am" time is kinda awkward cos it could mean berthing at 8am or disembarkation from 8am. But at least you have the option of going for either of two trains depending when you disembark.

 

We'll actually be there  this coming sunday, our first time there on a cruise ship, so I'll check on the availability of taxis

One thing that I've learned - it's impossible to rent a car there on a sunday 🙁.

.So it'll probably be  https://www.citedelamer.com/en/  for us, but no worries - it's right alongside the cruise berths, we've not been in there and we've heard great reports about the place.

I'll get back to you when we return in a week or so.

 

JB 🙂

[sgmn]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:54 AM, John Bull said:

 

Hi, Sue,

 

We've never rented in northern France, always crossed by ferry with our own car.

 

The station is a 20 -30 minute walk, and an "8am" time is kinda awkward cos it could mean berthing at 8am or disembarkation from 8am. But at least you have the option of going for either of two trains depending when you disembark.

 

We'll actually be there  this coming sunday, our first time there on a cruise ship, so I'll check on the availability of taxis

One thing that I've learned - it's impossible to rent a car there on a sunday 🙁.

.So it'll probably be  https://www.citedelamer.com/en/  for us, but no worries - it's right alongside the cruise berths, we've not been in there and we've heard great reports about the place.

I'll get back to you when we return in a week or so.

 

JB 🙂

Thanks JB. Enjoy your cruise. We're off shortly but don't reach Cherbourg until the third week in July

 Hubby came back today from a four day charity bike ride to the D Day beaches so it's unlikely he'll want to visit those sites again so soon.  

Someone told me they thought the Bayeux tapestry was closed at present but there's nothing online about closure until Sept 2025 so I think that's incorrect 

[Hlitner]

On 6/27/2024 at 4:23 AM, sgmn said:

Hi JB @John Bull 

We're thinking of going to Bayeux. 

There's a train at 0854 and 1048. We dock at 0800

 Do you think we would have enough time to disembark and catch the earlier train? How would you get to train station? Walk or taxi 

Alternatively we may hire a car, which car company have you used and would you recommend it? Is it in the port or town ?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give

Sue

We have rented cars in Cherbourg on a couple of occasions.  There are multiple agencies in town (Hertz, France rent a car, Avis, Europcar, etc) all within a mile walk of the pier.  We simply shop for the best deal (online) and book before the cruise.  Driving in France is not a problem, and this part of France is mostly rural.  On our driving trips we have visited the various D-Day beaches, St Malo, Sainte Mere Eglise, etc.  Having a working smartphone, to use for its map programs, makes life easy :).  You might be able to find a car/driver online, and there are a few taxis you could hire, but that is going to cost you many hundreds of Euros (for the day).

 

Hank

[sgmn]

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have rented cars in Cherbourg on a couple of occasions.  There are multiple agencies in town (Hertz, France rent a car, Avis, Europcar, etc) all within a mile walk of the pier.  We simply shop for the best deal (online) and book before the cruise.  Driving in France is not a problem, and this part of France is mostly rural.  On our driving trips we have visited the various D-Day beaches, St Malo, Sainte Mere Eglise, etc.  Having a working smartphone, to use for its map programs, makes life easy :).  You might be able to find a car/driver online, and there are a few taxis you could hire, but that is going to cost you many hundreds of Euros (for the day).

 

Hank

Thanks Hank, I'm going to book Europecar I think

[John Bull]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:23 AM, sgmn said:

Hi JB @John Bull 

We're thinking of going to Bayeux. 

There's a train at 0854 and 1048. We dock at 0800

 Do you think we would have enough time to disembark and catch the earlier train? How would you get to train station? Walk or taxi 

Alternatively we may hire a car, which car company have you used and would you recommend it? Is it in the port or town ?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give

Sue

 

 

Hi again, Sue,

 

We met up with a friend who lives in Normandy and he drove us around a few places. Top-notch was a D-Day  museum near Carentan which included a simulator flight in a Dakota, from take-off in Exeter to crashing near Carentan - brilliantly-conceived and executed.

https://dday-experience.com/en/d-day-experience/

 

But sorry, that meant we exited the port thro the Edwardian liner embarkation hall & the Cite de la Mer museum to the parking lot rather than the main entrance, so don't know about the availability of taxis. Taxis were bringing cruisers back to the port when we got back. 

 

JB 🙂