Getting around by boat and ferry Manche

A real link between the Channel Islands and the English Channel, Manche Îles Express operates regular services from Granville, Carteret or Diélette to Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney or Sark. Fares are flexible, depending on the length of your stay and the time of year. The boats are modern and fast, and crossings take just a few dozen minutes: that's how quickly you can get to your Channel Island neighbours. Make sure you have all the official documents you need before you leave!

It is a small jewel of the Cotentin Peninsula, which has earned Barfleur regular recognition as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is also, and especially for some, a very practical anchorage port, in an area that is certainly less turbulent than the Raz-Blanchard, on the other side of the peninsula, but not always easy to understand. Here, we welcome, only at anchor, boats of 15 meters maximum, up to 125 places. A slipway and toilets are available for boaters, and the whole is splendid.

Accessible when the door is open, and therefore depending on the tide, the port of Saint-Vaast has several hundred moorings, including a part reserved for passing yachtsmen, which sail along the superb Cotentin coastline. Ideally located, it is not off-centre, unlike many other ports. As soon as you disembark, you can enjoy the active life of the port directly - and Saint-Vaast's is undeniably so. The well-situated harbour master's office is the nerve centre of the whole.

The second marina in the department after the department of Cherbourg, the Hérel in Granville, has several hundred rings. Ideal place of departure or arrival for pleasure boaters, it is located in the immediate vicinity of the centre of Northern Monaco and its activities. Accessible at high tide, the basin is the result of a water restraint carried out using a table door. The Granvillais port has the equipment to repair and maintain your boats. From here, you can easily reach Saint-Malo at 25 miles or Jersey, only 30 miles away.

Donville-les-Bains, a charming coastal town in Normandy, offers a unique experience thanks to Granv'iles Charter. This boat rental service offers visitors the chance to discover the region's magnificent seascapes. Their website provides all the information you need to book a boat. In addition to boat hire, Granv'iles Charter also offers overnight accommodation on board the Swift Trawler Escapade II. This yacht-hotel offers unusual and romantic accommodation, with its owner's cabin, panoramic saloon and upper deck offering a breathtaking view of Granville, the marina and the sea. For those wishing to explore the surrounding islands, Granv'iles Charter organizes cruises to the Chausey Archipelago, the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Serk, and Mont Saint-Michel. Whether for a personalized seminar or a private cruise, Granv'iles Charter is ready to accompany visitors in their desire to get away from it all.

From Cherbourg, the company offers many departures to the English coast, via several fast ships in the summer (making the crossing in less than 3 hours) or via huge ferries, the most recent of which is called Galicia. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people, individuals or professionals, use the company's boats from the capital of Cotentin: traffic, after a complicated period due to Brexit and especially the health crisis, is gradually picking up.

This vast building is the nerve centre of a busy cross-Channel port. On site, you'll find a wide range of services, including stores, restaurants, a cash dispenser, a waiting room with disabled access, and a tourist information office. The hall is alive with departures and arrivals to and from the UK, Channel Islands and Ireland. For some years now, Cherbourg has been France's leading port for trade with Ireland.