I always get excited when packing for a trip on the ferry. Having the car means there’s plenty of room to chuck in that extra pair of shoes or that jacket you may or may not wear. On this occasion I’m packing up my partner, Terry, and my neighbours Anne Marie and Luke too! Luke claims he’s afraid of feeling trapped on a boat and a bit concerned about seeing only the sea at night. I know already that’s about to change before we even board.
It’s a thirty minute drive to Dublin Port and with a flash of our passports our short holiday to France starts. We are onboard the WB Yeats, Irish Ferries’ majestic cruise ferry linking Dublin and Cherbourg, where the journey begins as we step on deck. Named after one of Ireland’s literary giants, the ship invites poetic reflection, from the moment we glide past Howth Head and into the open swell of the Irish Sea.
The WB Yeats Premier Cabins, offer a hushed retreat – booking one of the exclusive suites includes Afternoon Tea on boarding. With expansive sea views, king-sized beds, plush furnishings, and exclusive access to the private Innisfree Lounge, these staterooms rival boutique hotels in comfort. It’s travel with a slow pulse and a deep exhale.
Facilities on board are similar to what you can expect on a cruise ship. The Club Class lounge serves complimentary drinks and snacks, while the Boylan’s Brasserie and Café Lafayette dish out bistro classics with continental flair. Children roam the play areas and movie lovers sink into plush seats at the on-board cinema. 
The Lady Gregory is fine-dining on a whole other level and with breakfast from an A La Carte menu that would rival any hotel. And somewhere, between the lull of the sea and the distant promise of Normandy, you feel the journey itself is the destination – a sentiment Yeats would surely have understood.
Tucked into the port of Cherbourg, La Cité de la Mer is our first stop and it’s more than just a museum, it’s a deep dive into the very soul of the sea. Entering the vast former transatlantic terminal, we feel history echo off the stone that was once a gateway to the New World, now reborn as a cathedral to oceanic adventure.
There’s something movie-like about wandering the belly of Le Redoutable, the world’s largest submarine open to the public. It’s not just the cold steel and narrow bunks – it’s the thrill of immersion. We can almost hear the sonar pings and hushed voices of a Cold War crew beneath the waves. 
Yet La Cité de la Mer doesn’t dwell solely on conflict. The Titanic exhibition is moving and meticulously curated, connecting Cherbourg’s own role in that fateful voyage with human stories etched in time. From the luminous aquariums to dramatic deep-sea explorations, this place is a perfect retreat for the curious and those drawn to the ocean’s mysteries.
We spend our first night at Barneville-Carteret, poised elegantly on Normandy’s Cotentin Peninsula – it’s a whisper of coastal France at its most evocative. Windswept by the Atlantic, this town is dotted with charming stone villas, and laced with a sense of content. Le Cap Hotel, overlooks the sandy channels of this maritime town with a restaurant that carries deserved acclaim. It’s packed with locals on a Friday evening, its tables oozing with magnificent platters of crustaceans and glasses of rose on the terrace.
Next day we set off for Mont Saint-Michel as it rises from the bay like a dream. We park the car and take the free shuttle bus over the water to the island as if stepping into a secret film location held by sky and sea. Cobbled lanes spiral upward through centuries, past shuttered windows and the smell of crêpes, to the abbey that crowns it all as a stone marvel defying gravity. There’s something romantic about its silhouette and the gentle climb that we make of the ramparts. The high tides come in quick and dramatic, like a curtain but thankfully we’ve arrived on a day that the sea doesn’t impinge on our arrival or departure.
Our next stop is Granville, and a visit to the childhood hometown of Christian Dior, it’s a whisper of what would become haute couture legend. The Musée Christian Dior, housed in his pink-hued Belle Époque villa, Les Rhumbs, clings to a cliffside like a well-draped evening gown, elegant and alluring. 
Here, beneath the roses and rustling hydrangeas, it’s easy to see how the sea and gardens imprinted Dior’s aesthetic sensibility. Past and present mingle through rotating exhibitions that reimagine iconic silhouettes alongside fresh interpretations. One minute we’re admiring the architectural sweep of a 1947 Bar suit and the next, tracing Galliano’s influence and reinvention of the brand.
Unlike Paris’s high-gloss catwalks, Granville gives Dior room to breathe. A stroll through the gardens feels like wandering through a living mood board, with the Atlantic below. We stayed at the Hotel de Musee, a few meters down the road from the house and well placed to enjoy the charming bars and restaurants that fill this coastal town.
We can’t leave Normandy without paying homage to World War II history. Utah Beach Museum stands quiet yet commanding on Normandy’s windswept coast, where D-Day’s first light cracked open history – its hulking B-26 bomber suspended mid-air, echoing missions flown above these sands. 
Outside, the breeze and effigies of soldiers carry tales of courage – inside, exhibits tread the line between reverence and realism. We leave knowing more than facts, and being the first weekend in June we witnessed the anniversary flyby of bombers that return yearly to commemorate those that gave their lives in 1944.
We board the ferry after a quick stop at Intermarché, for the ubiquitous wine, cheese and biscuit shop before our return journey home. This time we know our way around the ship and look forward to enjoying the facilities. Luke decides he’s had a change of heart too and enjoyed the ferry crossing so much he’s ready to try a cruise!
Factbox
For more information about the Normandy coast see www.encotentin.fr
Dublin to France with Irish Ferries
Kids go Free to France all summer: Kids Go Free offer applies to new Economy & Flexi motorist bookings on the Dublin – Cherbourg route (excluding France short break bookings)
- Fares from €339 for a French Short break to include car + 2 passengers + inner cabin
- Terms & conditions apply. Prices subject to availability.
- The W.B. Yeats offers pet-friendly cabins, allowing guests to keep their pets with them throughout the journey in comfort.
- With no luggage restrictions,
For more details, visit www.irishferries.com.
