Monday, January 30, 2017 - 10:53 by ce-press
Caen-Ouistreham on the Manche Atlantique in France provides an opportunity for calls to the town centre of Caen as well as the sea resort of Ouistreham Riva-Bella. Lindblad Expeditions, Silversea Cruises and Ponant are regular visitors but talks are taking place with companies such as Saga, Hapag-Lloyd and Noble Caledonia.
Smaller ships can sail into the city centre to the Gaston Lamy quay: 400m long and a depth of 6.5m. However, due to the locks and bridges on the canal, ships with a beam of more than 22m, and more than about 160m in length, will be moored at the 625m-long Blainville Quay, which has a depth of 9m.
At present there are about seven calls a year to the centre town berths. A temporary tent is put in place for welcoming passengers but should the call numbers increase, a more permanent structure will be considered, according to Jerome Chauvet, business development manager Ports of Normandy Authority.
Tourist information is provided and a space for local products is being considered. Port facilities include pilotage, towing, mooring, three turning areas, 24 hour ship service, waste reception, bunkering possibilities and ISPS conformity.
Ouistreham is 15km from Caen city centre which is about 15 minutes by bus. Shuttle buses can be provided.
The locks are open 18 hours/day on average and separate the ferry terminal from the port upstream. The 90-minute journey from the canal to the sea and Caen gives passengers a taste of the land’s history and sights including D-Day beaches, Chateau de Benouville and Pegasus bridge. The canal has the advantage of being a constant waterway which makes loading and offloading passengers easier. There’s also a variety of secure and mostly enclosed terminals which means more cruiseships can stop here.
The port has made investments to improve its cruiseship arrival services: tunnels, red carpet, storage facility, reception desk, mobile plant pots throughout the port.
Local port and tourism companies have founded Caen-Ouistreham Normandy Cruise to take cruise passenger services to another level, to work and invest to meet companies’ needs and to ensure visitors experience the best of tourism in Normandy.
The local highlights are based in three distinct areas: the buzzing Riva Bella beach resort, the old town and the port with its daily fish market. Being in the heart of Normandy makes this a natural base to go out and explore places such as Falaise, Alencon to the south, Bayeux, Cherbourg, Mont Saint Michel to the west, Cabourg, Deauville-Trouville, Rouen and Giverny to the east.
Caen itself has gems such as the 11th century Abbaye aux Hommes founded by William the Conqueror and the Abbaye aux Dames built by his wife Matilda. There are also opportunities to, for example, visit a Calvados distillery, explore amazing gardens, cycle on the banks of the Orne or take a cookery or lacemaking lesson.
