Weekend Port Breaks to Normandy

It is so easy to pop on a boat, either as a foot passenger or with your car, and prices for short breaks are still very reasonable. Brittany Ferries sails into Cherbourg as well as Caen each day and LD Lines have daily sailings to Le Havre. Add in Condor Ferries who also sail to Cherbourg and there is quite a choice. The port towns are also interesting in themselves and too often we drive straight through them onto our gite or hotel. However, why not consider staying in one of the port towns.
Cherbourg has long been a centre for the French navy as well as a popular destination for yachtsmen who enjoy the challenge of the choppy seas and challenging winds often found off ‘La Manche’. The town was once the centre for transatlantic liners and its heyday saw many celebrities arrive or depart from the Gare Maritime. Now it has been transformed into the Cite de la Mer, an impressive museum dedicated to the world undersea and exhibiting the word’s largest submarine open to the public. The town also has numerous quayside restaurants and hotels as well as several colourful markets. For art lovers, the Thomas Henry Fine Arts Museum boasts a good collection of works by local artists and for visitors on the Second World War trail there is a Museum dedicated to the liberation, although the Invasion beaches are further down the coastline.
La Havre is a commercial port and its 2kms of beach open onto the Seine estuary which is great for bird watching or painting breaks. The town has a modern feel having suffered major destruction during World War II but it was rebuilt to the original plans and has a busy commercial and cultural centre. The Malraux Museum is an ultra-modern building on the sea front which has a good collection of Impressionist works together with art from other centuries. Other things of interest include the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Natural History Museum.
Although the ferry docks at the attractive seaside resort and fishing harbour of Ouistreham, there is a shuttle link plus a good bus service to Caen which is within 15 miles. Caen has historical roots dating back to William of Normandy who commissioned the building of Abbaye aux Hommes as well as the Abbaye aux Dames and this is where his wife, Mathilde, has her final resting place. Both building survived the destruction of bombardments in 1944 and although large parts of it were rebuilt it offers a good mix of old and new with various markets held daily. Most visitors head straight for the superb Le Memorial de Caen museum which not only covers all aspect of World War II but also has a good range of restaurants and several memorial gardens dedicated to the Allied troops. Opposite you will find Colline aux Oiseaux Floral Park which was once a rubbish tip but now is a 41 acre site of landscaped gardens dedicated to peace. However it is also worth visiting the Jardin Botanique as well as the city’s Fine Beaux-Arts Museum.