Day trips

The Cotentin at a glance

Cherbourg sits on the north coast of the Cotentin peninsula. Day trips head in two directions: to the east lie Barfleur, the Phare de Gatteville and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue with the island of Tatihou, to the west the cliffs of La Hague. Valognes, Sainte-Mère-Église and Utah Beach lie to the south-east, on the way inland into Normandy.

By car, the D901 takes you to Barfleur in around 30 minutes, and to Goury at the Cap de la Hague in around 30 minutes too. For Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, take the D901 towards Quettehou; the drive takes around 35 minutes. Mont-Saint-Michel and the Bayeux Tapestry make for long day trips.

The distances by road are longer than as the crow flies.

If you come over on the ferry with your own car, you can drive straight from the port to any of these places; sailings are on the ferries from Cherbourg page. Campsites along the coast are on the camping page, and bathing beaches close to town on the beaches page.

Barfleur and the Phare de Gatteville

Barfleur lies 26.1 km east of Cherbourg as the crow flies and is one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Grey granite houses from the 17th and 18th centuries line the drying harbour, and the Église Saint-Nicolas stands on a rock by the sea. 2 km north of the harbour rises the Phare de Gatteville, 75 m tall and open to visitors.

The village, church, harbour, lighthouse and how to get there are covered on the Barfleur page.

La Hague

West of Cherbourg the Cotentin ends at the Cap de la Hague. At the Nez de Jobourg the cliffs rise 128 m, at Goury the lighthouse stands over the Raz Blanchard, and Port Racine is said to be the smallest harbour in France. To the south opens the Anse de Vauville, with dunes and a nature reserve. In Omonville-la-Petite stands the house of the poet Jacques Prévert, now a museum. The GR223 coastal path runs from Cherbourg to the Nez de Jobourg in two stages.

Walks, buses and opening times are on the La Hague page.

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and Tatihou

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue lies on the east coast of the Cotentin, 26.6 km from Cherbourg as the crow flies. Off the town stand two Vauban towers, one on land at La Hougue and one on the island of Tatihou. Vauban called for them in 1694, and they were built under the engineer Benjamin de Combes. Since 2008 they have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Fortifications of Vauban. The tower on Tatihou is 21 m tall.

The island of Tatihou

Tatihou covers 28 ha and becomes a peninsula at low water. Since 1992 the amphibious boat Tatihou III has made the crossing: at high tide it floats and takes 5 minutes, at low tide it rolls across on wheels and takes 15 minutes.

The island admits no more than 500 visitors a day, so book your ticket in advance online or at the tourist office (Office de Tourisme) in Saint-Vaast. If you collect it from the office on Quai Vauban, be there at least 30 minutes before departure. Dogs are not allowed on the island, except assistance dogs. Picnics are allowed.

The island museum is a Musée de France and displays finds from the ships scuttled here in 1692, when Admiral Tourville lost the Battle of La Hougue to the Anglo-Dutch fleet. Entry to the museum is included in the island ticket. Bookings and departures are on the Tatihou visitor page.

In the town

Saint-Vaast calls itself the “Berceau de l'huître Normande”, the cradle of the Normandy oyster. The oyster beds are visible at low water. At the end of Quai Tourville stands the Chapelle des Marins, the Romanesque apse of the old church and a listed Monument historique. 10 km of shoreline paths run around the bay.

Valognes

Valognes lies 18.5 km south-east of Cherbourg as the crow flies and goes by the nickname “Petit Versailles Normand”. Nearly forty hôtels particuliers, grand town houses, survive, around a third of them restored after the Battle of Normandy.

The Hôtel de Beaumont at 9 Rue Barbey d'Aurevilly has a grand staircase and a French formal garden. The Maison du Grand Quartier houses the Musée régional du Cidre. The town also has the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Protection and the Roman baths of Alauna.

Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église

Utah Beach Museum

The Musée du Débarquement Utah Beach stands on the Plage de la Madeleine in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, 41.2 km from Cherbourg as the crow flies. It opened on 6 June 1962 and takes you through 10 sections, from the German defences to the artificial harbour at Utah Beach. A B26 Marauder bomber stands in the hangar.

From October to April the museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, from May to September from 09:30 to 19:00. It closes from 16 November to 14 December. The ticket desk closes an hour before the museum. A visit takes an hour and a half to two hours. Tickets are sold online only; details are on the Utah Beach practical information page.

Airborne Museum

The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église stands opposite the church whose tower John Steele’s parachute caught on, 34.4 km from Cherbourg as the crow flies. It is dedicated to the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.

It is open from 09:00 to 19:00 from May to August, from 09:30 to 18:30 in April and September and from 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March. It closes in December and January, except during the Christmas holidays. Allow about two hours to go round. Opening times and tickets are on the Airborne Museum visitor page.

Without a car

The Cap Cotentin bus network links Cherbourg with most of these places. The regional Nomad line 301 runs to Sainte-Mère-Église.

For places off the routes there is the on-demand bus Cap à la Demande, which you book the day before. Nomad line 301 does not carry passengers between Cherbourg and Valognes; lines C and D cover that stretch instead. The timetable shows whether line S6 also stops in Barfleur itself. For Utah Beach the nearest railway station is Carentan, 17 km from the museum.

Lines and timetables change with the season. Services are listed on the Cap Cotentin route pages, and for Sainte-Mère-Église on the Nomad line 301 page.