Tourism and Places to Visit in Calais and France

- Federation Nationale des Comités Departementaux du Tourisme. www.fncdt.net

About the Atlantic wall. www.vanderweel.info/atlantikwall

French site - comprehensive on the Atlantic wall. site.voila.fr/bunkers

All French monuments and museums. www.culture.fr

- Downloadable information from Pas-de-Calais Tourist Office & Eurotunnel. www.pas-de-calais.com

Nord Department Tourism. www.cdt-nord.fr

Nord / Pas de Calais Tourism. www.northernfrance-tourism.com

French Embassy - USA site. www.info-france-usa.org

Excellent site full of information for Provence. www.beyond.fr

- Calais Tourist Office English web site. www.calais-cotedopale.com

- The Other Side, lots of useful information. www.theotherside.co.uk

- France on your own newsletter. www.franceonyourown.com

- ViaFrance. www.viafrance.com

- Infotourism.net, an independent site with some useful information. www.infotourisme.net

- Boussole. Useful directory for many shops and institutions in France. www.boussole-fr.com

- Slow Travel is a community of people who like to travel and experience new places! www.slowtrav.com

Also Sloweurope.com (photos) & Slowtalk.com (message board).

- Hostelworld, book a hostel worldwide. www.hostelworld.com

- Book a local tour

- Hostel Bookers. Book a hostel worldwide. www.hostelbookers.com

Places to go to in and around Calais

We now have pages devoted to each subject - To go to the pages concerned with your interest click on the heading.

World War 1 & 2 Museums are well planned and worth a visit.

- Route 39/45 - runs from Calais (War Museum) through to Eperleques (Blockhaus), Ardres, Ambleteuse, Mimoyecques (Base V3) and Audinghen (Atlantic Wall Museum - TODT Battery). www.route-3945.com

For more information contact the Calais Tourist Office.

Most of us just pass through Dover, but it is well worth a visit, particularly the Castle and the War Museum in the Cliffs. About Dover

French Tourist Offices are well funded and full of useful information.

More About maps on this site.

Markets in France are always enjoyable. This region is renowned for its local produce - which makes visits all the more enjoyable.

Towns along the coast between Calais and Boulogne

Ambleteuse - pretty village just 6miles from Boulogne. Impressive Vauban fort. Good for walking.

Audinghen - 14miles south of Calais (exit 36, A16). Visit the lighthouse, The Atlantic Wall, The Old Fort, and the local church.

Audresselles - near Cap Gris Nez, a historic village. Visit the Church (St Jean-Baptiste - XIII century).

Escalles - Small village in a valley leading to the sea below Cap Blanc Nez. 6.5miles from Calais.

Tardinghen - Mussels are cultivated here.

Wimereux - pretty seaside town just north of Boulogne. Worth a stroll around. Plenty of restaurants.

Wissant - Between the Caps, it has a very beautiful sandy beach. An old fishing village, it has been preserved.

Printemps des Musées (May every year). www.printempsdesmusees.culture.fr

French museums open for free for one day in spring, offering a chance to whizz round the country's finest temporary and permanent collections.

Rendezvous France. This is a new initiative by the French Tourist Office. It aims to boost the tourism industry and employment in this important sector. www.rendezvousenfrance.pro

Beautiful towns and villages in France and Belgium

The main grouping is that of the "Villes et Villages Fleuris" in France. Palmarès = participating towns. The "Plus Beaux Detours" grouping is another worth checking out.

- Villes et Villages Fleuris. Many French towns particpate in this scheme. Competition is fierce, but those that win the coveted four flowers are worth a detour. www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com

Towns with four flowers awarded (map link). www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com

- Loveliest Detours of France (Les Plus Beaux Détours de France) - an association created at the end of 1998. Groups together more than 60 towns scattered all over France. Makes a rewarding detour. www.plusbeauxdetours.com

- Des Plus Beaux Villages de France. 152 villages all over France (none in Nord, Pas de Calais). www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org

- Private site, with good links to all the Beaux Villages and many more all over France. www.villagesdefrance.free.fr

- Station Verte. Towns and villages of less than 6,000 citizens with a country location or appeal, such as a lake, river or natural feature. Must guarantee holidaymakers stay in a "preserved environment". Montreuil and Frévent in Pas de Calais are part of this scheme. www.stationverte.com

- Useful Station Verte definition. www.bretagne-residences.com

- Les Plus Beaux Villages de Wallonie. www.beauxvillages.be