Tourist information on Cherbourg-Octeville, France

Cherbourg-Octeville is large sea port in the Manche department of the Lower Normandy region of north-western France. It lies at the head of the Cotentin Peninsular and is protected by the world's largest manmade breakwater The town, formed from the merger of neighbouring Cherbourg and Octeville in February 2000, is both a thriving commercial port and an important naval base. Having sustained extensive damage in the Second World War, Cherbourg was rebuilt without much thought and is far from being the most attractive of towns on the Normandy coastline. Most of the travellers who arrive at the busy ferry port are en route to other, more inspiring, destinations. The town's attractions are mainly cultural (its museums are among the best in this part of France), although its beaches manage to attract a fair number of holidaymakers in the summer.

Cherbourg's history as a port goes back to the times when the Cotentin Peninsula was conquered by the Vikings. Repeatedly invaded by the Normans in the 9th century, the town became part of the Duchy of Normandy in 933. It was fiercely fought over by the French and English throughout the 100 Years War and served as the bridgehead for the English invasion of France. Because of its strategic location, Cherbourg was developed into a major naval port at the time of Louis XVI and Napoleon I. The town was briefly occupied by the British in 1758 during the Seven Years War and was fortified in the Napoleonic era to resist attack by the British navy. Cherbourg was ravaged when the Allies fought to liberate the town from the occupying German army in June 1944.

Cherbourg-Octeville's attractions are few and far between, and it has little of the charm that it portrays in the famous Jacques Demy musical film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. Apart from its beaches, the only thing to detain a visitor are its museums, although it should be said that these are all of exceptional quality. The Musée d'Art Thomas-Henry is the third most important art museum in Normandy, with a collection of over 300 paintings and sculptures from the 15th to 20th centuries, as well as a substantial ceramics exhibition. The paintings represent the French, Flemish, Spanish and Italian schools, and include work by Chardin, David, Fra Angelico and Millet. Also of interest is the Point du Jour, the town's contemporary art centre, dedicated to photography.

The Musée de la Guerre et de la Libération (Liberation Museum) traces the day-to-day lives of people living in Cherbourg at the time of the Occupation and covers the Liberation, in particular the Battle of Cherbourg, in some detail. It is situated in an old fort on the Montagne du Roule, where the outnumbered Germans put a defiant resistance against the Allies in 1944. The fort itself offers some stunning views of the city. Of more interest to families is La Cité de la Mer (City of the Sea), which offers visitors a taste of underwater exploration. Situated in the town's old transatlantic railway station, this provides a three-hour long tour which takes in an old French army submarine and a vast aquarium stocked with fascinating marine life. The Muséum d'Ethnographie, d'Histoire naturelle et d'Archéologie, Cherbourg's oldest museum, displays a wealth of natural history exhibits, including fossils and shells. It also has a collection of archaeological artefacts from Greece, Egypt and Asia.

The Parc Emmanuel Liais is an attractive park and botanical garden which was left to the city in the 1890s by Emmanuel Liais, the son of a wealthy shipbuilder. Liais was both an astronomer and an avid botanist and amassed an impressive collection of plant specimens. Today the garden contains over 500 species of plants, including some rare and exotic varieties.     The town's historical ecclesial buildings are also worth checking out. These include the 12th century Église Notre-Dame du Voeu, which was repeatedly ransacked during the Anglo-French wars and served as a hospital, prison and barracks in Napoleonic times. Another interesting old church is the Basilique de la Trinité, which was founded in the 11th century at the request of William the Conqueror. This was renovated in the mid-19th century in the neo-flamboyant Gothic style.

A standard train service operates from Cherbourg-Octeville to Paris via Caen (the journey time being about six hours). There is a ferry service to Portsmouth and Poole in the UK and Rosslare in Ireland. The nearest airport is Cherbourg Maupertus, in nearby Maupertus-sur-Mer, 11 km to the east of the town.