Cherbourg Cruise Port

Cherbourg sits at the northern end of the Cotentin Peninsula on Normandy's English Channel coast, a compact medieval city with a vast sheltered harbour behind it. The cruise terminal is close to the city centre, about 15 minutes on foot, and ships dock at either Quay de France or Quai de Normandie. The cruise terminal itself is an impressive Art Deco building from the early 20th century, and a free shuttle bus runs from the terminal into town.

The harbour is the star of Cherbourg's geography. With a surface area of 1,500 hectares, it is the second largest artificial harbour in the world. Its central breakwater took seven decades to complete, finished in 1853. In 1912, the RMS Titanic stopped at Cherbourg on its maiden voyage, though the ship was too large to dock properly and smaller vessels ferried passengers to and from the liner.

Cherbourg's deeper story is bound to military power. Under Louis XVI and Napoleon Bonaparte the town became a first-rate military port, and it remains one of three naval bases serving metropolitan France. During the 1944 Normandy invasion, Cherbourg was the primary objective for American troops landing at Utah Beach, crucial for providing logistical support to the Allied forces. The city was occupied by German forces in 1940 and suffered heavy damage before being recaptured by the Allies in 1944.

What to do ashore depends on your interests. Next to the terminal sits La Cité de la Mer, a maritime museum with an aquarium, and the city centre has shops, cafés and restaurants within a short walk. Local specialities include fresh oysters and Demoiselles de Cherbourg, small local lobsters. From Cherbourg you can also reach some of Normandy's most significant sites, among them Mont Saint Michel and the D-Day beaches. Cruisers can track the exact route their ship sailed into Cherbourg harbour on The Cruise Globe.