Things To Do in Cherbourg, France

Cherbourg Things to Do

Cherbourg, France is a popular port town located in the North of the country. It is easily accessible via the Channel and therefore a favorite of Europeans as well as visitors from the United Kingdom. This ancient city has many beautiful churches and forts as well as magnificent parks and gardens.

Town Square

Located outside of the Theatre, the Town Square is the starting point of one of the town’s spoked hubs, and most of the main streets begin here. The Square has a beautiful fountain in the middle and is a great meeting spot as it is centrally located. It is also a favorite place of visitors and residents for people watching. The town’s Casino, located off of one of the square’s main streets, is also architecturally interesting and breathtaking when brightly lit up at night.

City Park and Botanical Gardens

At the foot of the fortress hill is the city that park that many consider to be the best in the town. Cherbourg enjoys many lush gardens and parks, so to be the best of them all is really saying something. The park also contains a mini zoo and a number of children’s playgrounds. Due to its seaside location, Cherbourg is home to many tropical varieties of plants and flowers, in spite of being in the Northern area of France.

Churches and Forts

Cherbourg served as a supply base for the Allied Forces during World War II and the town has preserved a lot of this history. Fort Roul houses the Liberation Museum, which contains a chronological telling of the first battles of D-Day up through and including the liberation of France. The Abbey of Notre Dame de Voeu is located adjacent to the military port area, and was founded in the 12th Century. This ancient Abbey was situated outside of the city walls of Cherbourg, and was therefore, very susceptible to attack, especially by the English. The Abbey was destroyed by Nazi forces in the Battle for Cherbourg, and only in recent decades have the town’s renovation efforts have turned from the city itself to the Abbey. At present, the town is doing all it can to preserve what remains of this ancient and beautiful Abbey.

Editor’s Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about things to do in Cherbourg.