Cherbourg is France’s first port for Ireland: one sailing a day to Dublin with Irish Ferries, four a week to Rosslare with Brittany Ferries, and a night at sea either way. Almost all of them leave in the late afternoon or evening, which gives the day before a particular shape — a long drive up the N13 for most people, a morning to kill, and a terminal with nowhere pleasant to wait. The château is thirty-five minutes from the check-in lanes, with no town to cross. This page is the practical half of the night before; the itinerary half is here.
The sailings, as they stand
Irish Ferries, Cherbourg → Dublin. One departure a day, with two ships alternating. The W.B. Yeats leaves at 4:30 pm and docks in Dublin at about 11 am the next morning; the Isle of Inisheer, a simpler ship with cabins and pet cabins but few other facilities, leaves at 7:30 pm and arrives around 2:30 pm. In summer 2027 the Inisheer moves to 5 pm. The route pauses for a few weeks after the first days of January and resumes in February. Timetable and booking.
Brittany Ferries, Cherbourg → Rosslare. Four sailings a week — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday — on whichever of the fleet is rostered. Monday, Thursday and Saturday are evening departures, about 7 pm, arriving Rosslare around 2:30 pm the next day (1 pm in high summer); Tuesday is an afternoon sailing, 3 pm, arriving 6 am. In winter the Monday sailing moves to 1 pm. Times can shift by up to an hour with the tide. Timetable and booking.
Stena Line no longer serves Cherbourg; if you have an old guidebook that says otherwise, it is out of date. Ships and times change each season — your booking confirmation wins over anything written here, and we check this page at the start of each season.
Check-in, and when to leave the château
Irish Ferries closes check-in one hour before departure for cars and foot passengers, an hour and a half for motorcycles, and two hours if you are travelling with a pet. Brittany Ferries closes it forty-five minutes before, ninety with a pet. Add our thirty-five minutes and a margin, and the arithmetic is simple: for the 4:30 pm Yeats, leave the château by 2:30 pm (1:30 pm with a dog); for a 7 pm or 7:30 pm sailing, by 5:15 pm; for the Tuesday 3 pm Rosslare boat, by 1:15 pm. Breakfast is served from 8 to 9:30, so even the earliest of these leaves you a whole morning — the last-day itinerary fills it with Saint-Vaast, Barfleur or the Cité de la Mer, which is a five-minute walk from the check-in lanes.
Papers and pets
Ireland is in the EU but not in Schengen, so there is a passport check. Irish Ferries accepts a passport or an EU national identity card for every traveller, children included; Brittany Ferries asks Irish citizens for a passport or passport card. British passport holders travel on the passport. With a dog or cat the rules are stricter in this direction than coming back: microchip, EU pet passport, rabies vaccination at least 21 days old, and for dogs a tapeworm treatment given by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before you arrive in Ireland — the vets in Valognes, ten minutes from us, do it, and our dog page has the detail. On the W.B. Yeats pets travel in pre-booked kennels on deck 7 with visiting times; on the Inisheer in pet cabins; Brittany Ferries offers kennels, pet-friendly cabins or staying in the car, depending on the ship. Irish Ferries pet rules · Brittany Ferries pet advice.
The terminal
The Gare Maritime Transmanche is on the east side of Cherbourg harbour, signposted « Car Ferry / Gare Maritime » from the N13 — our boarding guide has the detail. There is short-stay parking in front but no long-stay car park, a brasserie open at sailing times, toilets, showers and a tourist office, and a bus (line 8) to the railway station for foot passengers. Foot passengers and cyclists are taken to the ship by shuttle. Directions · Port of Cherbourg.
Where to sleep
The night before a sailing is the classic single night: a bed-and-breakfast room in the château, dinner at our neighbours’ in Valognes or Saint-Vaast, breakfast in the old castle kitchen, and the car packed in the courtyard. Cottages from three nights if you are giving the Cotentin a proper visit first — many of our Irish guests do the D-Day beaches on the way to the boat. Back to the ferry stopover guide.
Practical
- Château → terminal: 35 min, no town to cross
- Irish Ferries → Dublin: daily, 4:30 pm (W.B. Yeats) or 7:30 pm (Isle of Inisheer); check-in closes 1 h before, 2 h with a pet
- Brittany Ferries → Rosslare: Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat; ~7 pm (Tue 3 pm); check-in closes 45 min before, 90 min with a pet
- Passport or EU identity card for everyone; dogs: tapeworm treatment 24–120 h before arrival
- Timetables checked 7 October 2026 — your booking confirmation is the reference
Stay at the château
Sleep at the château the night before or after your crossing: four B&B rooms from €95 a night, four self-catering cottages from €100, 35 minutes from the Cherbourg terminal with no town to cross. Early breakfast for morning sailings — just tell us your time. Best rate when you book direct.