Cherbourg - Normandy - France

Ideally situated as a port for both leisure craft and military ships.

Cherbourg has long been a centre for the French navy as well as a popular destination with local

and international yachtsmen who enjoy the challenge of the choppy seas and challenging winds.

The town was once also the centre for transatlantic liners, and its heyday saw many a famous

celebrity arrive or depart from the Gare Maritime. Now transformed into the Cite' de la Mer, an

impressive museum dedicated to the world undersea and exhibiting the world's largest submarine

open to the public, this building is an architectural reminder of the town's glamorous past.

A lively town, with numerous quayside restaurants and hotels as well as a bustling commercial

centre plus several colourful markets, Cherbourg also has one of the most exotic-looking buildings

in the area - a 19th century "Italian-style" theatre, vaguely reminiscent of Monaco's Casino

Square.

For art lovers, the Thomas Henry Fine Arts Museum boasts a good collection of works by local artist

Millet, and for visitors on the Second World War trail there is a Museum dedicated to the

Liberation.

Access by ferry services from the UK and Ireland, plus regular trips from Paris.