{"id":1693362,"date":"2026-11-02T17:04:45","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T16:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/?p=1693362"},"modified":"2026-11-02T19:14:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T18:14:02","slug":"port-chantereyne-cherbourg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/segelmagazin\/port-chantereyne-cherbourg\/","title":{"rendered":"Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg: Getting There, Harbour Information and Sailing Destinations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Port Chantereyne is the marina of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin on the north coast of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. It lies sheltered in the Cherbourg roadstead and has around 1,600 berths, 190 of them for visitors. Here you can read how to get to Port Chantereyne for the start of your sailing trip, where to park and shop, what weather and tides to expect, which sailing destinations are nearby, and what skippers should know about registration, approach and marine weather.<\/p>\n<h2>The essentials at a glance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>You can enter and leave at any hour of the day or night, with no lock and regardless of the tide. The town centre and the Plage Verte beach are close to the harbour.<\/li>\n<li>By train, Cherbourg is around three hours from Paris Saint-Lazare and around 1 hour 15 minutes from Caen.<\/li>\n<li>Visitors to the harbour can park their car at the harbour free of charge for up to seven days; for longer trips there is the Napol\u00e9on car park, for which a fee is charged.<\/li>\n<li>An organic supermarket is about 900 metres away on foot, and a Carrefour and an E.Leclerc are around 1.3 kilometres away.<\/li>\n<li>Cherbourg is a tidal sailing area: at spring tides, the difference between high and low water is more than five metres.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Where is Port Chantereyne?<\/h2>\n<p>Port Chantereyne lies in the south-west of the small roadstead of Cherbourg, right next to the town centre. The berths are spread across four basins with floating pontoons. The outer harbour is around 600 metres from the harbour office, and the Bassin du Commerce around 1 kilometre. The pedestrian zone and old town are a few minutes' walk away, and the Plage Verte beach is close to the harbour.<\/p>\n<p>Further out, the large roadstead with its long breakwaters keeps the swell away from the whole harbour. The ferries also pass through it on their way into the commercial port.<\/p>\n<h2>Arriving for the start of your sailing trip at Port Chantereyne<\/h2>\n<p>Cherbourg is easy to reach by train and ferry, and the town buses stop right at the harbour.<\/p>\n<h3>From the airport to Cherbourg<\/h3>\n<p>Cherbourg-Maupertus Airport is about 13 kilometres from the harbour. If you are travelling by air, the Paris airports Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly are good options, as are Caen-Carpiquet and Deauville Normandie. From Paris, you continue by train to Cherbourg from Paris Saint-Lazare station.<\/p>\n<h3>By car, train, bus or ferry<\/h3>\n<p>By car, it is about 360 kilometres from Paris via the A13 and the RN13, and about 235 kilometres from Rennes via the A84. From Saint-L\u00f4, you come in via the RN174. By train, you reach Cherbourg from Paris Saint-Lazare in about three hours, and from Caen in about 1 hour 15 minutes. The station is about 1.4 kilometres as the crow flies from the harbour office.<\/p>\n<p>The Cap Cotentin city buses stop at the Chantereyne and Napol\u00e9on stops right by the harbour. In front of the harbour office there is a Cap Cotentin rental e-bike station; one hour costs 1 euro (as of: 2026 rates).<\/p>\n<p>As things stand (November 2026), ferries run all year round to Portsmouth in England, with a crossing time of about five to six hours. To Ireland there are services to Rosslare (about 16 to 19 hours) and to Dublin (about 18 to 20 hours).<\/p>\n<h3>Parking<\/h3>\n<p>Visitors to the harbour can park their car free of charge for up to seven days in the car parks at the harbour; the nearest is around 100 metres from the harbour office. If you are staying longer, leave your car in the Napol\u00e9on car park, for which a fee is charged. The Petit Perroquet car park is also around 350 metres away. There is a rapid charging point for electric cars at the harbour.<\/p>\n<h3>Showers and sanitary facilities<\/h3>\n<p>The sanitary facilities with showers are next to the harbour office. They are accessible for people with disabilities and open around the clock using a code that you receive when you pay your berth fees. The showers are free for harbour guests. On the north side of the harbour office there is a launderette with coin-operated machines, open daily from 7 am to 9 pm.<\/p>\n<h3>Shopping for the trip<\/h3>\n<p>The Bio La Vie organic supermarket is within walking distance, around 900 metres from the harbour. For a big shop, drive to Carrefour or E.Leclerc, both around 1.3 kilometres away. Some supermarkets in Cherbourg deliver groceries to the harbour. You can get butane gas in small cylinders from the chandlers at the harbour.<\/p>\n<h3>Doctor, pharmacy and emergency services<\/h3>\n<p>The nearest pharmacy is the Pharmacie de l&#8217;Archipel, around 950 metres from the harbour. The H\u00f4pital Pasteur hospital is around 1.2 kilometres south-east of the harbour. In France, you can reach the ambulance service, police and fire brigade on these numbers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>112: European emergency number, from landlines and mobiles<\/li>\n<li>15: medical emergency (SAMU), 17: police, 18: fire brigade<\/li>\n<li>196: sea rescue, if you are calling from the coast. At sea, call on VHF channel 16; the responsible rescue coordination centre is CROSS Jobourg.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What does Port Chantereyne offer?<\/h2>\n<p>Port Chantereyne is a large town harbour, with workshops, chandlers and a sailmaker right at the harbour. The key details at a glance:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Feature<\/th>\n<th>Details<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Harbour entrance position (approximate)<\/td>\n<td>49\u00b0 38,8&#8242; N, 001\u00b0 37,0&#8242; W<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Berths<\/td>\n<td>around 1,600 in four basins, 190 of them for visitors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Visiting boats<\/td>\n<td>up to 25 m in length and 3 m draught<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Berth fee for a 12 m boat<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac57.20 per day from May to September, \u20ac49.20 otherwise (as of: 2026 rates)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Access<\/td>\n<td>around the clock, no lock and independent of the tide<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>VHF channel<\/td>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Harbour office telephone<\/td>\n<td>+33 2 33 87 65 70<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fuel<\/td>\n<td>Diesel and Super 98, around the clock by card<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Travel lift \/ mast crane<\/td>\n<td>40 t \/ 600 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Equipment<\/h3>\n<p>Electricity (10 or 16 amp) and water are available at the pontoons, and both are included in the berth fee. Wi-Fi at the pontoons and in the harbour office is free; the login details are on your receipt. The fuel station, with two pumps for diesel and one for Super 98, is on the pontoon by the harbour office. It accepts cards around the clock, up to 300 euros per transaction; during office hours you can also pay at the harbour office. For work on your boat there is a 40-tonne travel lift, a self-service mast crane, free slipways at the Base nautique and at the Radoub, a washing area and around 100 spaces ashore. Catamarans and boats over 40 tonnes are lifted at the Les Mielles boatyard area. The harbour is under video surveillance around the clock.<\/p>\n<p>Pontoons H, J, K, N and Q are designed for people with reduced mobility. At pontoon Q there is a crane on request to help with boarding, and a lift by the harbour office leads up to the yacht club terrace.<\/p>\n<h2>What is the sailing weather like in Cherbourg?<\/h2>\n<p>You lie well sheltered in the harbour, as the large roadstead keeps out the swell. M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France issues a strong wind warning for coastal waters as soon as winds of Beaufort force 7 or above are observed or expected.<\/p>\n<p>In Normandy the wind comes mainly from the west to southwest, and in the English Channel it is usually channelled from the west-southwest. The north and west coasts of the Cotentin are among the windiest coasts in the region, especially in winter. From November to March strong winds are considerably more frequent than in summer, and from June to September they are at their rarest.<\/p>\n<p>Cherbourg is a tidal sailing area: at spring tide there are around five and a half metres between high and low water, and at neap tide around two and a half to three metres. Pontoons P and Q are exposed to swell and to the wash of passing boats.<\/p>\n<h2>Which sailing destinations are close to Cherbourg?<\/h2>\n<p>From Cherbourg you can sail east along the coast of the Cotentin, west around Cap de la Hague, or across to the Channel Islands and southern England. The distances are rounded distances over water on the usual course from Port Chantereyne; for precise planning, rely on the chart.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1693271\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Fort off Cherbourg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/toernfinder-cherbourg-fort.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alderney (Braye): around 23 nm<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: about 25 nm<\/li>\n<li>Di\u00e9lette: about 26 nm<\/li>\n<li>Guernsey (St Peter Port): around 42 nm<\/li>\n<li>Cowes on the Isle of Wight: around 75 nm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue<\/strong> lies on the east coast of the Cotentin. The route runs east along the north coast and round the Pointe de Barfleur to the south. <strong>Di\u00e9lette<\/strong> lies on the west coast of the Cotentin, south of Cap de la Hague, a day's sail with the tide around the cape.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alderney<\/strong> is the nearest of the Channel Islands. In Braye harbour there are 70 yellow buoys for visitors, you can reach the harbour control on VHF channel 74, and the speed limit in the harbour is 4 knots. The tidal range there reaches 6.9 metres at spring tide. <strong>St Peter Port<\/strong> on Guernsey can be reached in one long day's sail.<\/p>\n<p>For the passage across the English Channel to <strong>Cowes<\/strong> and into the Solent, allow for a long day or a night. You can read more about the harbours at your destination in our profiles of the <a href=\"\/en\/sailing-magazine\/harbours-cowes-isle-of-wight\/\">Harbours in Cowes<\/a> and on <a href=\"\/en\/sailing-magazine\/marinas-hamble-le-rice\/\">Marinas in Hamble-le-Rice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What can you do on a harbour day in Cherbourg?<\/h2>\n<p>You can reach most attractions on foot from Port Chantereyne.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cit\u00e9 de la Mer: The maritime museum features the submarine Le Redoutable and an exhibition on the Titanic. It is open daily for almost the whole year, from 9.30am to 7pm in July and August. It closes for a few weeks in January, and also on some Mondays in March, November and December.<\/li>\n<li>Town centre: The pedestrian zone, the lanes of the old town, the Basilique Sainte-Trinit\u00e9 and the Italian-style theatre are just a few minutes from the harbour. You can also visit the Cherbourg umbrella factory.<\/li>\n<li>Plage Verte: The beach is close to the harbour.<\/li>\n<li>Parks and museums: In the Emmanuel-Liais Park, just a few steps from the harbour, exotic plants brought back by sailors in the 19th century are growing. The Mus\u00e9e Thomas-Henry shows works by Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Millet, among others. The Mus\u00e9e de la Lib\u00e9ration on the Montagne du Roule tells the story of the Second World War and the liberation of Cherbourg, and from up there you look out over the town and the roadstead. The Jardin public city park is also worth a visit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>For skippers: berthing and marine weather in Cherbourg<\/h2>\n<p>Before entering, call Port Chantereyne on VHF channel 9; the harbour office will assign you a berth. You cannot reserve in advance.<\/p>\n<h3>Registration and Berthing<\/h3>\n<p>After mooring, you must register at the harbour office with the ship's papers within two hours at the latest. If you arrive outside office hours, register in advance in the Aliz\u00e9e app and you will receive a Pass-Nuit with the access codes. All visitor pontoons are floating pontoons in the Bassin Chantereyne:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pontoon P: boats up to 12 metres<\/li>\n<li>Pontoon Q West: boats up to 14 metres<\/li>\n<li>Pontoon K West: boats over 12 metres<\/li>\n<li>Pontoon Q East and pontoon H North, both alongside: boats over 14 metres<\/li>\n<li>Pontoon J alongside: boats up to 25 metres, only by arrangement with the harbour office<\/li>\n<li>Waiting pontoon with no connection to the shore: boats up to 25 metres<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Larger yachts moor in the Bassin du Commerce. The swing bridge leading there opens from one hour before to one hour after high water. These berths are allocated by the Capitainerie of the port of Cherbourg, telephone +33 2 33 20 41 25, VHF channel 12.<\/p>\n<p>A berth day runs from 12 noon to 12 noon. Berth fees apply if you stay longer than two hours. If you stay less than four hours, you pay half. The price includes water, electricity, showers, Wi-Fi and the tourist tax. A boat of 12.00 to 12.99 metres costs 57.20 euros per day from 1 May to 30 September, and 49.20 euros the rest of the year. Multihulls pay 1.4 times the rate (as of: 2026 rates). With a Passeport Escales card you can moor free of charge for up to two nights if you register your trip there by 12 noon on the day of arrival.<\/p>\n<p> In July and August the harbour office is staffed daily from 8 am to 9 pm, and in the winter half-year Monday to Saturday with a lunch break. Outside office hours you can reach an on-call service on +33 6 87 71 09 22.<\/p>\n<h3>Harbour rules<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Speed limits: 14 knots in the outer roadstead, 8 knots in the inner roadstead, 5 knots in the approaches to the marina and 3 knots within the marina.<\/li>\n<li>Anchoring is only permitted in the zones designated by the maritime prefecture (Pr\u00e9fecture maritime). Anchoring is prohibited in the inner roadstead outside the harbours. In the outer roadstead, request permission by VHF from the Vigie du Homet signal station.<\/li>\n<li>You must not clean the underwater hull on the slipways; use the wash-down area for that.<\/li>\n<li>Fishing and swimming are prohibited in the marina, as are fires and barbecues on boats, pontoons and quays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Approach<\/h3>\n<p>There are two entrances to the large roadstead. The western entrance (Passe de l&#8217;Ouest) is the deeper one, while the eastern entrance is used less. Both are buoyed by day and night. In the small roadstead lies the Jet\u00e9e des Flamands, which is submerged at mean high water springs. Its end is marked by a buoy with a red quick-flashing light. The way into the marina is indicated by a red light (four flashes every 15 seconds) at the end of the mole at the Gare Maritime (near the Cit\u00e9 de la Mer) and a green light (three flashes every 12 seconds) at the end of the marina breakwater.<\/p>\n<p>Many ferries and other ships use the naval and commercial harbours. The routes from the two entrances to the Passe du Homet and on to the harbours count as a narrow channel under Rule 9 of the collision regulations: boats under 20 metres and sailing boats must keep well clear of larger vessels there. If you have VHF on board, listen out on channel 12 as you pass through the roads and the commercial harbour. At night and in poor visibility, boats over 15 metres in length should call the Vigie du Homet signal station when entering the large roads or leaving either harbour, and an AIS unit is recommended.<\/p>\n<h3>Border control and entry to the Channel Islands and England<\/h3>\n<p>If anyone on board is from outside the EU and the Schengen area, and Cherbourg is the first or last port in the Schengen area, the owner fills in the form for the border police (Police aux Fronti\u00e8res). Ideally, they email it to the harbour office (portchantereyne@cherbourg.fr) 24 hours before arrival and before departure, and the office forwards it to the border police. One form per boat is enough. No fingerprints are taken at the marina for the European Entry\/Exit System (EES). Anyone who entered by ferry and was registered biometrically there reports to the border police at Rue Dom Pedro 27 when leaving.<\/p>\n<p>In the Channel Islands of Alderney and Guernsey, you first head for a port of entry, such as Braye or St Peter Port. Until you have submitted the GC27 entry form, fly the yellow Q flag. British forms are not valid there. The details can be found on the <a href=\"https:\/\/gov.gg\/vesseldeclaration\">Guernsey Government website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For arrival in Great Britain, you report your boat online using the Pleasure Craft Report. From the 12-nautical-mile limit, fly the Q flag until the report has been completed. If you do not hold a British or Irish passport or right of residence and are coming from France, you may only go ashore with permission from the border authority. If you are coming from the Channel Islands, this permission is not required, but the report is still mandatory. Everything else can be found on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/sailing-a-pleasure-craft-that-is-arriving-in-the-uk\">UK government's website<\/a> (As of November 2026).<\/p>\n<p>For Great Britain, Guernsey and Jersey, most visitors from Europe need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), unless they hold a British or Irish passport or have the right of residence in Great Britain. Every person on board needs their own ETA, including children. It is valid for stays of up to six months and currently (November 2026) costs \u00a320. You can apply for it on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/eta\">UK government's ETA page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Which marine weather forecast applies in Cherbourg?<\/h3>\n<p>The M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France marine weather forecast is the authoritative one. Cherbourg lies in the coastal area \u201cDe la baie de Somme au cap de la Hague\u201d; if you are sailing west around the cape, you also need the forecast for the area \u201cDu cap de la Hague \u00e0 la pointe de Penmarc&#8217;h\u201d. The coastal forecast applies up to 20 nautical miles offshore.<\/p>\n<p>The CROSS Jobourg rescue coordination centre broadcasts the forecasts on VHF channel 80. For the Channel Islands, Jersey Radio broadcasts on channels 25 and 82. All stations and broadcast times are listed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/meteofrance.fr\/sites\/meteofrance.fr\/files\/files\/editorial\/Guide_marine_octobre2022.pdf\">Marine weather guide from M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France<\/a>. The weather forecast is posted in the harbour office, every morning outside the season and morning and evening during the season. In the entrance hall, a screen shows the M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France forecast.<\/p>\n<h2>Sailing trips from Cherbourg on T\u00f6rnfinder<\/h2>\n<p>Im November 2026 gibt es auf T\u00f6rnfinder 1 T\u00f6rntermine in den n\u00e4chsten zw\u00f6lf Monaten mit Start oder Ziel Cherbourg.<\/p>\n<p>You can find an overview of offers on all French coasts at <a href=\"\/en\/cabin-charter-france\/\">Sailing in France<\/a>, all offers at <a href=\"\/en\/sailing-trips\/\">Trips<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>How do I get to Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg?<\/h3>\n<p>The easiest way is by train: about three hours from Paris Saint-Lazare, or about 1 hour 15 minutes from Caen. The city buses stop at the Chantereyne and Napol\u00e9on stops right by the harbour.<\/p>\n<h3>Where do I park at the start of a sailing trip in Cherbourg?<\/h3>\n<p>Guests of the harbour can park free of charge for up to seven days in the car parks at Port Chantereyne. For longer sailing trips, there is the Napol\u00e9on car park, which charges a fee.<\/p>\n<h3>Are there showers at Port Chantereyne?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, next to the harbour office, accessible around the clock with an access code. Next door there is a launderette, open daily from 7 am to 9 pm.<\/p>\n<h3>Where can I buy provisions for my sailing trip in Cherbourg?<\/h3>\n<p>On foot at the organic supermarket Bio La Vie, around 900 metres from the harbour. Carrefour and E.Leclerc are around 1.3 kilometres away, and some supermarkets deliver to the harbour.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I enter Port Chantereyne at any state of the tide?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. The harbour is accessible around the clock, with no lock and regardless of the tide, and boats drawing up to 3 metres can berth at the visitors' pontoons.<\/p>\n<h3>How far is it from Cherbourg to the Channel Islands?<\/h3>\n<p>It is around 23 nautical miles to Alderney and around 42 nautical miles to St Peter Port on Guernsey. First you head for a port of entry such as Braye or St Peter Port and submit form GC27.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg: Anreise, Parken, Einkauf, Gezeiten, Segelwetter und T\u00f6rnziele bis zu den Kanalinseln und in den Solent.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":1693270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tf_mag_toernhinweis":"frankreich","footnotes":""},"categories":[536],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1693362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviere-haefen","category-536","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1693362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1693362"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1693362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1694029,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1693362\/revisions\/1694029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1693270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1693362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1693362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1693362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}