Cherbourg is the gateway to Normandy. It lies on the Cotentin Peninsula which covers an area of about 18 miles and has a variety of landscapes. It has a spectacular coastline and plenty of safe, sandy beaches The port’s attractions include a fabulous aquarium and memorials to the dead of WWII. The countryside of the Val de Saire area, east of Cherbourg, and the Hague peninsula, to the west, also have much to offer.

1 OBSERVATORY AND PLANETARIUM
Anyone with an interest in astronomy and space travel can spend an entertaining and informative day at the Ludiver Observatory and Planetarium, just west of Cherbourg. Opened only four years ago, this science centre gives visitors the chance to explore the galaxies, examine the Earth’s inner workings, look at the sun through a special protective telescope and learn about the history of astronomy, with a ‘virtual guide’, the 16th-century Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, no less. A sound and light show gives a tour of the moon.
It’s open every day in peak season, but closed on Mondays during the rest of the year. A two-hour visit costs o6 for adults and o4.50 for children.

2 CITY OF THE SEA
The Cité de la Mer is found in a converted liner terminal in Cherbourg, which has been transformed into a vast aquarium. The site also includes a 45-minute tour of the Redoubtable, a 136-metre decommissioned nuclear submarine in a dry dock. Children under six are not allowed into this section, though, and it is not recommended for the disabled.
Adult admission in peak season is e13; children pay e9.50 (e11.50 and e8.50 off-peak). It’s free to the under-sixes. It’s open daily, 11 months of the year (except for public holidays), but closed in January.

3 BARFLEUR
Just a few miles east of Cherbourg, on a rocky promontory, is the delightful fishing harbour and village of Barfleur. It’s a pleasant spot in which to have a coffee or a glass of wine. A plaque on the harbour wall records that William the Conqueror set sail from Barfleur in 1066, bound for Hastings.

4 ST VAAST LA HOGUE
Five miles or so south of Barfleur is the very pretty fishing village of St Vaast la Hogue. It has a busy harbour with numerous Channel-crossing yachts moored in the bay. There is an abundance of bars and small restaurants along the waterside, and a higgledy-piggledy collection of small streets and shops in the centre of the resort. There are also miles of near-deserted sandy beaches.

5 LIBERATION MUSEUM
It is difficult to separate Normandy from the events of 6 June, 1944. From Cherbourg, along the coast to Ouistreham and the Pegasus Bridge, there are constant reminders of the costly and violent scenes of the Battle of Normandy, which was the opening act of the campaign to free Europe from Nazi occupation.
Brooding above Cherbourg, in the ominous Fort du Roule, is Le Musée de la Libération which uses contemporary material to examine the significance of the invasion and liberation on 25 June, 1944. Admission is e3. Opening hours are limited so it’s best to ring ahead to check.

6 AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Head down the main N13 for less than an hour, and you’ll reach St Mère Eglise, the first French town to be liberated during D-Day. It is also famous for the story of the American paratrooper, John Steele, whose parachute became tangled on one of the stone pinnacles of the church tower during the battle for the town. He was suspended there for hours while the fighting raged below him. He was then taken prisoner by the Nazis. To this day, a parachute can be seen trailing from the same pinnacle with an effigy of John Steele hanging from it.
The town also has a museum, the Musée Airborne, just next to the square. The museum’s two buildings are shaped like parachutes. It is open daily, except during December and January. Admission is o4.54. for adults, o1.81 for under-14s, and free for under-6s.

7 UTAH BEACH
A sombre but fitting end to a day’s tour of the Cotenin Peninsula comes with a visit to the memorial at the 30km-long Utah Beach, one of a number of beaches in Normandy where thousands of Allied servicemen landed on D-Day. There were almost 20,000 Allied and German casualties along that coast almost 60 years ago, making it an eerie but moving place.