Car Hire Cherbourg

Cherbourg Mini Guide

An interesting French city for tourists to visit is Cherbourg in the northern area of the Contentin Peninsula. Since the year 2000 the city has had an official name change and is now known as Cherbourg Octeville. This is due to the merge of a neighbouring city Octeville.

With your hire car in Cherbourg you can take the N13 motorway which derives from Paris or even opt to enter the city by rail with services such as TER. Another major transport method to Cherbourg is by its very own port, which is also a focal point of the city. There you can cross the English Channel to and from British cities such as Poole and Portsmouth. Ferries operate daily in order to meet tourist and commuter demands with operators such as Stena Line, Brittany Ferries and P&O Ferries. The city itself has many attractions such as Cite de la mer, which contains maritime objects and information in the museums building. Guests can find a virtual exhibition which is located underwater and an aquarium reaching 10 metres in height featuring marine life.

Located next to Rue de la Bucaille you can find the Emmanuel Liais Gardens. There you can browse the many species of plants within the garden. Gardening enthusiast will be kept busy as their are over 500 different types of plants in the greenhouse alone, such as a Jubea all the way from Brazil. Shopping in Cherbourg is a real treat as there are markets around the area almost everyday. Twice a week however is a very popular market in Place Centrale where you can buy fresh local produce such as mushrooms, jam, honey and organic chicken. Mainstream shopping can be found in the centre where you can find large clothing stores and other retail outlets.

Cherbourg is known as Cherbourg Octeville and this is an important naval town in the north west of France. With car hire in Cherbourg you can explore the surrounding Manche department and this area of France has a fascinating history having been witness to many wars.

There was the Seven Years War when the British captured the town in 1978 and the Normandy invasion of 1944. Today it makes a wonderful summer holiday destination and is easily accessible along the N13 road. Remember that you can also hire cars at Cherbourg Airport which is not far away from the centre.