Visits and activities in Cherbourg and its surroundings
The North Cotentin proposes diverse landscapes and a variety of sightseeing opportunities. You can stroll around the town and see La Cité de la Mer, the Basilica of the Sacred Trinity or the Liberation Museum.
The city center of Cherbourg gives you a lot of places to see: The Italian theatre, the churches, museums, without forgetting the gardens like Parc of Emmanuel Liais where you can visit the Museum of Natural History.
The museum of Liberation sits proudly atop the mountain Roule dominating Cherbourg, 117 meters above the level of the sea. It is housed in an old fort of the Second Empire, occupied by the German army during the second world war. The museum traces the role of Cherbourg – first released Ports - during the Second World War.
You can go to visit and the world-famous Umbrella factory of Cherbourg”Le Véritable Cherbourg” . The factory gives some of its secrets during a live guided tour of the site, allowing the privileged visitor to find out in real time the making of a genuine Cherbourg umbrella, which is obviously unique.
Situated in the heart old transatlantic harbor station of Cherbourg, La Cité de la Mer is a unique place in Normandie. You can visit the”Redoutable”, the largest submarine which you can visit in the world. You find also the Aquarium with 1200 fishes in 17 basins, one of them is the” Aquarium Abyssal” which is 11 meters deep.
For your walks, visit the magnificent “Chateau Renaissance Des Ravalets” in blue schist, restored at the end of the 19th century by René de Tocqueville who also created the landscaped park that frames it with a rotunda and ponds. The estate, owned by the town of Cherbourg since 1935, extends over 18 hectares.
With “La Hague à Part”, you can make a one-hour cruise through the seafront of Cherbourg aboard “the Adele” and navigate the world's largest artificial harbor (1500 hectares)..
Finally, for a sweet visit, discover the Maison du Biscuit, located in Sortosville in Beaumont. A must-see establishment, a family owned establishment well known for its butter biscuits and its beautiful old-fashioned grocery store. The Burnouf family makes delicious butter biscuits according to an ancestral recipe that has made the house a success since 1903.
