La Cité de la Mer — Attraction in Cherbourg

It is located in the mighty halls of the former transatlantic port station. The Art Deco style halls were inaugurated on July 30, 1933. The building was blown up by the German associations on June 23, 1944 shortly after the Allies landed in Normandy, then reconstructed and inaugurated again in 1952. Actually, the transatlantic port station, with its wonderfully reconstructed wooden terminal, has not been used for over 70 years, except in exceptional historical cases, e.g. when the Queen Mary 2 calls at Cherbourg. Various submarines and diving boats from different decades can be seen right in the entrance hall. After paying the admission fee of almost € 20, you can continue inside to a highlight for me: the atomic submarine Le Redoutable S611 is docked here. The boat was equipped with nuclear missiles, initially with 500Kt, later with 1.2M explosive force. That's the explosive force of Hiroshima a few hundred times, which was just as common in the Cold War. One thing stands out in comparison to all the diesel submarines that I have already visited: the nuclear drive is the paradise for submarine designers, because it promises abundant energy for propulsion, water and air treatment, comfort and space on board. The reactor produced enough energy to power a city of 100,000 people like Cherbourg. Fortunately, none of it was used and the deterrent did its job. The other major exhibition is about the Titanic. How do you think the Titanic has been recovered and will be exhibited in Cherbourg? No, she docked here in Cherbourg in 1912 on her maiden voyage and took on other passengers before her encounter with the iceberg. An entire museum department is being constructed here from this historical stopover. The exhibition presented here is modern, multimedia, interactive, with films, animations, deck and cabin replicas and individual fates. What she is missing, however, are artifacts! There are only 3 small showcases with objects, everything else is on the ocean floor. All of the rest of what is shown here is multimedia-based information, but it is generally available and known. So here is a complete contrast to the original submarine Le Redoutable, which you can walk, touch and see. The third section of the Cité de la mer deals with marine research. Keywords: origin of life, deep sea exploration, wrecks, special living beings. Here you can finally marvel at fish, seahorses, jellyfish and other things live in...

Very close to the port, this is a great stop to make if you're in the area or waiting for a ferry or cruise. It's a museum of multiple parts based in the historical old rail cruise terminal. In the entry foyer, there's a display of submarines which is free to look at and very interesting (don't miss the cannon either!). There's a cafe selling sandwiches, snacks and drinks with lots of tables and also the main restaurant behind (it does have limited opening hours so do check if you plan on dining here. We ate in the restaurant and the food was great, served quickly, and the dessert menu was amazing! With an entrance ticket, you then get access to the Titanic exhibition which includes the old baggage hall as well as memorabilia and a very good animation of the journey of Titanic from Cherbourg. Next up is the submarine Redoubtable which included an audio guide around the sub. This was actually my favourite- the tour was fantastic and you got to see a lot of the submarine and how it worked. The final main section is on the oceans and is part aquarium with all sorts of show from clownfish to jellyfish and even some small rays! We really enjoyed our visit and learnt so much! For extra cost, you can also do the VR experience which we did try. It recreates the train platforms for the departure of the Queen Mary and you walk around and hear the conversation etc. At the moment, its only in French but did see everything on the platforms. It is a bit of a strange experience (especially when other people suddenly appear!) and I think it would be even better if they could develop it a bit further with the liner itself taking more of a role. The only other thing I would say is they offer Early Bird discounted tickets online however the mobile website in English I found very glitchy. It even managed to add on a random extra charge for some kind of pal to accompany you around the museum. There's not many staff members around so I never managed to find out what it was at the museum. Everything is nonrefundable so I'd recommend using a computer and really checking the final balance to make sure there's no...

This is one of the best museums I have ever visited. Very interesting and detailed exhibitions, lots of interactive entertainment. A visit to the “La Cité de la Mer” museum left a unique impression. I really liked the abundance of interactive entertainment - both adults and children can try various activities and learn many new things. The entire space is modern, neat and aesthetically pleasing. The staff is very friendly and helpful, so we felt welcome everywhere.

I was especially impressed by the aquarium - it looks impressive, very beautifully arranged and maintained. The submarine also left a huge impression - its size is simply overwhelming. This is one of those things that is really worth seeing in life to understand how impressive these vehicles are. I was also very impressed by the Titanic exhibition - it is not only informative, but also emotionally strong, in places it even made me cry.

This is a museum where you can have fun, enrich your knowledge, and experience many memorable emotions at the same time. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting this region - it's worth...