Cherbourg with kids?

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MissIsle

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Next years holiday will most likely see us in Cherbourg for a few nights before we move on.
The kids will be 11 & 13, is there plenty to do for the young 'uns?
Most info is about ferries & the hypermarket.:confused:
 
SWMBO reminds me that there is a good swimming pool nearby. A run up the hill to the museum should get rid of some of their energy too. There are sometimes events going on, so it may be worth checking their site.

Just messing around in the shops and buying themselves nicknacks and pastries would have satisfied ours and there is a large green for their own games. Try Kobb if you want to be watched.
 
I saw the '99 eclipse from the Musée de la Libération on a hill beside the docks. If another eclipse is due when you're there, I can recommend it.
 
you can catch a bus to Sainte Mere Eglise and if you take fold up bike with you, you can then cycle from the square down to the d day beach's. The square has a para trooper with parachute hanging from the church spire.
 
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Cherbourg is not the greatest. Agree with sky sail the aquarium and nuclear sub are a must. the aquarium is not that great but the overall museum is good. the restaurant on the north entry is very good for lunch. A slightly different french offering than the standard but is always packed with groups attending conferences and visitors alike. make sure your basic French is ok as they did not speak much English when we were there.

I think if you are crossing the channel during a day passage, night in Cherbourg / day in Cherbourg / night then move on it is a good stop off. if the weather is good then the Channel Isles will be a great option but I am biased ;-)
 
Simple answer - yes! As with all places it depends what you/they want but Cherbourg despite its reputation with many people has a lot to offer. There are good cycle routes and if you don't have bikes they can be hired from close by. As mentioned the 'Cite de la Mer' is worth a visit also many other museums if that is what you want. There is a ten pin bowling centre, good swimming pool and all kinds of sports facilities. The tourist information centre and the marina staff will give you plenty of advice/help. Enjoy yourselves - we like it and have been going each year for the last 30yrs!!
 
I don't think anyone should be concerned about going to Cherbourg. The marina is very welcoming, with discounts for YC members and free nights for longer stays. English is the predominant language on the pontoons and children should enjoys themselves. Eating out in France can be a mixed blessing but there are good value places all around. We were stuck there last year for over a week waiting for people that never came and never got bored. Maybe the nearby brewpub helped.
 
Alderney hire bikes and tell them to go and explore.

Carteret great beaches

Buy them a fishing rod each and a crab net a steel ring about 40cm wide with a net then a bit of chicken carcass secured in it in the plastic net from oranges our record was 350 in one morning.
 
RJD393 said:
Simple answer - yes! . . . . . Enjoy yourselves - we like it and have been going each year for the last 30yrs!!
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Thanks everyone. I was planning on 2-3 nights in Cherbourg, then (subject to weather) 1 or 2 nights in Braye Harbour on Alderney before heading back. The showers on our boat are not heated, (Oceanis 281 - bloody French!) so a couple of nights swininging on a mooring is plenty, & we are looking for the luxury of a marina again. I also had a couple of very rolly nights in Alderney a few years back!

The kids are pretty resourcefull, & Katie's French is passable so they can wander off on their own.

Are the beaches worth a visit?
 
Babylon said:
A bit like England then?
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Having crossed the channel with our kids for the last decade we've always avoided Cherbourg, for the reasons that are emerging: Other than a swimming pool, indifferent aquarium and some shops there's not much for kids to do.

Our preference is always to "set out" for Alderney and push on to St PP 90% of the time without stopping - (I find that setting out for Alderney is less daunting for the crew!). Cherbourg imo justs adds an extra journey to move on, which is often an unpleasant windward bash and seems to take all day. However if you don't fancy the extra distance, I'd go to St Vaast instead, much better for kids with good beaches easily accessible from the boat (unlike Cherbourg) - you could easily move on the next morning from C'Bourg to get the tide right.
 
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