Living in Cherbourg

Living in Cherbourg

Updated on

©Marc lerouge

Discover Cherbourg-en-Cotentin

Why choose ESIX and the Cherbourg campus for your engineering studies?

If you don’t know the area, Cherbourg is a charming, lively port city in Normandy. The city is rich in history, culture and diversity, offering students a wide range of opportunities.

Thanks to its prime location, the Cherbourg area is a genuine hub for maritime trade. This has fostered the growth of a major engineering and services cluster, home to large groups such as Orano, Naval Group, EDF and Assystem, alongside dynamic, innovative SMEs across a variety of sectors. These include nuclear power and energy with particular expertise in hydrogen as well as marine renewable energy, especially offshore wind. The city is also an important centre for digital technology, with companies specialising in cutting-edge fields.

After class, life carries on, of course!

And there’s a full student life to enjoy. The city has plenty of bars, restaurants, cafés, concert venues and clubs, as well as sports facilities to suit every taste and every budget.

Cherbourg is also the ideal base for exploring the Normandy region, with its beautiful beaches, cliffs, picturesque villages and historic sites such as the D-Day landing beaches. Every weekend and during the holidays, you can switch off and get away.

Finally, and this is worth bearing in mind the cost of living in Cherbourg is affordable compared with other major French cities, which can be a real plus if you’re looking to live more comfortably during your studies.

Your guide to Cherbourg

  • La Cité de la Mer is a must if you love maritime history. Le Redoutable, the largest nuclear submarine in the world open to visitors, offers an immersive and fascinating experience of life aboard this giant of the seas.
  • Fort du Roule offers a stunning view over Cherbourg harbour. From the top, you can take in the natural beauty of the area and enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.
  • Cap de la Hague is another must-see. The famous Nez de Jobourg, with its impressive cliffs, offers spectacular views over the English Channel and its surroundings.
  • Barfleur is a charming village full of character, not to be missed. Named one of France’s most beautiful villages, Barfleur is known for its fishing harbour, its traditional houses and its cobbled streets. The Gatteville lighthouse, the second tallest in France, is also worth a visit for the view from the top.
  • And there’s the wider Normandy region to explore, with sites such as the D-Day landing beaches, Mont-Saint-Michel and picturesque towns like Bayeux.

Practical information

There are plenty of accommodation options near the IUT: social housing, private rentals or listings from individuals.

Several public transport options are available to get around Cherbourg and the surrounding area.

Bakery counter, hot drinks, soft drinks, etc.
Vending machines for hot drinks, confectionery, soft drinks, etc.
At lunchtime: sandwiches, burgers, paninis, pasta boxes

Open every day outside school holidays, from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm and from 12:50 pm to 2:00 pm.

The University Physical and Sports Activities Service (SUAPS) lets you take part in a wide range of sports at all levels: climbing, fitness, badminton, handball, basketball, volleyball, rugby, futsal, weight training, tennis, swimming and more.

In addition, the Sports Association of the Cherbourg University Site (ASSUC) offers you the chance to:

  • take part in sailing courses (J80, catamaran, windsurfing, etc.), scuba diving (Level 1), horse riding, surfing, land yachting, coastal rowing and paragliding;
  • compete in the FFSportU championships (French University Sports Federation) and take part in a sports exchange with the USA (Tennessee);
  • compete in the J80 sailing European Cup and French Championship, the Trophée de l’Île Pelée;
  • join the University Sailing Training Centre, which welcomes students keen to take up sailing.

We welcome student athletes into our High-Level and University Elite Department.

The Maison de l’étudiant, located on the Cherbourg-en-Cotentin site, welcomes students:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:45 am to 12:15 pm and from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm
  • Wednesday from 8:45 am to 1:00 pm

Since 2010, the Cherbourg Student Centre has offered a whole range of services to higher education students. Between classes, students can come and relax in the fully equipped music room or over a video game.

Various workshops, led by professionals, are also offered depending on the year: a video workshop covering everything from scriptwriting to post-production and acting, guitar lessons for all levels, and drama classes. Be sure to ask at the start of each year to find out what’s on offer!

Throughout the year, concerts and exhibitions open to all are organised, in partnership with the Blanche Maupas University Library, with which the centre shares its premises.

The Student Centre also plays a social role: it helps students with the practicalities of settling in — finding accommodation, applying for housing benefit (APL), applying for a visa, and so on. Every Monday evening, the EpiEtu solidarity grocery offers food at reduced prices.

Finally, student associations can come here for administrative support: help finding funding, advice on organising events, and more.

The Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Library is part of the Joint Documentation Service (SCD) of the University of Caen Normandy.

Open all day, the university library is located on the teaching site. It offers many books and journals across various specialisms, for consultation on site or on loan, as well as access to a wide range of electronic resources in every field: encyclopaedias, bibliographic databases and collections of electronic journals.

You can access the University of Caen Normandy’s union catalogue through the Joint Documentation Service, which brings together the holdings of the 20 libraries spread across all the campuses.