Pas-de-Calais is not somewhere you’d automatically think of heading to for a weekend break or holiday. But the Côte d’Opale is just 15-minutes drive away when you emerge from Eurotunnel onto the continent. With beautiful beaches, delightful towns and rich heritage, there’s plenty to explore off the D940 coastal road. Here are some of our favourite towns and villages.
Watch the kite surfers in Wissant
Wissant is a lovely seaside town situated around ten miles from Calais. One of the last remaining fishing villages in France, it uses a traditional method of fishing – a “flobart” (wooden boat). It’s also favoured by Parisians as the mecca of surfing due to the favourable winds. We saw hundreds of kite surfers in Wissant, it was quite a sight for sore eyes. POD had the best time running down the giant sandbanks and attempting to stay upright. Working up a great appetite, we discovered many of the restaurants in Wissant stop serving food at 2pm. That said, there are an array of places you can have moules and frites to takeaway – enjoyed outdoors in the glorious sunshine.
Wander around an authentic fishing village
The central market square, with its traditional longhouses, in Audresselles was abuzz when we arrived. Although small with a population of around 700, including professional fishing families, many take advantage of the mussels, crabs and shrimps on offer in restaurants. There are a couple of beaches here too – South Beach which heads towards Ambleteuse and North beach which is the wilder of the two. A fort can be found on the seafront. The landscape is a mix of sand and pebbles with rock pools and plenty of wildlife – with seals to be seen if you’re lucky!
Explore bunkers and pillboxes in Audinghen
All along the coastal road to Boulogne-sur-Mer, you can visit bunkers and impressive gun emplacements, including Cap Gris Nez and Cap Blanc Nez and the imposing Batterie Todt which once housed 380mm calibre Krupp guns that could reach the British coast. Both are part of the network of Great Sites of France which include Navacelles, Gorges du Verdon, Carcassonne and Bay of Mont Saint Michel. Amid the chalky cliffs at Cap Blanc Nez, there are bomb craters from World War II still visible with an obelisk at the summit. Plus concrete bunkers that housed guns weighing 160 tonnes hidden beneath a lake. On a clear day, you can see the White Cliffs of Dover from here.
Cap Gris Nez is just a short drive away from Cap Blanc Nez where you will find Batterie Todt. Built by the Germans in World War II, it formed an important part of the Atlantic Wall. Now known as the Musée du Mur de l’Atlantique (Museum of the Atlantic Wall), it is dedicated to military history. There are thousands of collectables spread across three floors with weapons, uniforms and posters to be seen as well as reconstructed versions of the barracks, engine room and armoury. There’s even a canon, military vehicles and sentry boxes outside.
See a fort in Ambleteuse
Originally a hamlet of wooden huts, Ambleteuse was used by Julius Caesar and his troops for the invasion of England in 54 BC. Fort d’Ambleteuse still stands on the beach. The museum was closed when we were there but we did get to see a bride and groom being photographed by the fort. POD also got the opportunity to go crab hunting in some nearby rock pools.
Grab some lunch in Wimereux
Following a wander around the picturesque streets in Wimereux, which is well-served with shops and restaurants, we stopped for a leisurely lunch. On this particular trip, we were heading to Boulogne-Sur-Mer, around 15 minutes drive away, so it made for a great pit stop. A seaside town, its architecture is primarily Anglo-Norman in style. Although we did very little while we were here, there are many activities on offer from swimming, sailing and yachting to windsurfing, horse riding and golf – Wimereux has the oldest golf club in France.
Delve into the ancient town of Boulogne-sur-Mer
We’ve stayed in Boulogne-sur-Mer as a family before, at an Air BnB, and visited when exploring Côte d’Opale. It’s the country’s largest fishing port with a new and old town – the latter enclosed with an ancient wall and ramparts. We typically favour the old over the new so much of our time has been spent exploring the likes of the Belfry, Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogne, Crypte de la Basilique Notre-Dame and Château de Boulogne-sur-Mer. Not forgetting the cobbled Ville Fortifiée which is where you’ll find restaurants, shops and bars. On the outskirts of Boulogne-sur-Mer is the NAUSICAA Aquarium which is home to 35,000 fish and marine creatures. We got to stroke stingrays, meet the penguins and have a close encounter with the sharks (through toughened glass). A really great undersea experience if you’re visiting with kids.
Visit the Le Touquet market (or go horse riding)
Le Touquet was originally the brainchild of an Englishman who bought the land to attract visitors from English high society. The centrepiece is The Westminster an art deco inspired Hotel which maintains much of its charm and elegance including an ornate caged lift and sweeping staircase. There are reminders of its famous clientele on the walls with signed photographs including the Aga Khan, Princess Grace of Monaco and Sean Connery.
We stayed at the Hotel Residence Hippotel which offers basic but comfortable accommodation and is nestled amongst the thatched holiday homes of rich Parisians. Next door to the hotel, on Avenue de la Dune aux loups, is the Parc Equestre (Le Parc Equestre du Touquet Paris-Plage) where we took POD riding. It was an interesting experience. We paid about €10 and were given a pony and a riding hat. Sami was reluctant to move (at all!) at first but once he got going, POD had a great time.
While we were in Le Touquet we visited the covered market in the centre of town. It’s open on Thursdays and Saturdays plus Mondays in the summer. Much of it is undercover with everything from seafood, cheese and sausages on offer along with arts, crafts and clothing. There are a wealth of restaurants in the town. We sampled about three with our favourite the cosy Le Coq Hardi where a 3-course meal was around €15 per person.
Lark around on the beach in Berck
Of course, we couldn’t leave Le Touquet without a visit to the beach. Although the weather was against us, we attempted to fly a kite in 40mph winds and loved larking around on Berck beach. While it did resemble a moon landing, rather than a beach, you could really appreciate how special it is on a usual sunny day.
It’s hard to believe Calais is just an hour and a half away from Dover. Côte d’Opale is so easy to get to and accessible for a weekend if you don’t fancy a week. Fares on Eurotunnel are usually good value (often less than £100 for a car below 6ft) so it makes for a much more economical trip than flying.
