Visiting Hauts-de-France: Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Boulogne-sur-Mer

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage  Drive up the coast to Le Touquet, a chic seaside resort with white sandy beaches mixed with pine forests and sand dunes! In the 20s and 30s Le Touquet was Europe’s most fashionable resort and popular with the British smart set such as the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor, PG Wodehouse and Winston Churchill. President Macron has his summer holiday home there. It’s also popular with British golfers. Where to stay in Le Touquet: Hotel Bristol We stayed in Hotel Bristol, a centrally located 3* hotel near the market square and just a couple blocks to the famous “beach of Paris”. The 3* hotel is popular with British golfers. It’s a majestic 19th century building which is very clean and serves a great breakfast! Where to eat in Le Touquet: La Base Nord La Base Nord has gorgeous views overlooking the Parc Nature Baie de Canche – you might even see some seals! If the weather is nice, sit on the deck outside. It’s a lovely atmosphere where you can soak up nature whilst having a wonderful meal. Where to eat in Le Touquet: Perard Tradition in Le Touquet Perard Traditions is a cozy, traditional bistro specialising in seafood. Locals come come to seafood bar with their dogs. If you are not sure of portion size, they will bring out the catch for you to inspect. We had Soupe de poissons maison a volo – a homemade fish soup with all the fixings including Gruyère cheese, rounds of baguette croutons topped with rouille, a thick and pungent aioli-like sauce made with garlic Where to eat in Le Touquet: Cafe des Sport Cafe des Sports is a popular traditional restaurant on the main thoroughfare. We couldn’t resist moules frites! Sit outside and watch the people of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage go by! What to do in Le Touquet: Explore via bicycle! Leave your car and discover Le Touquet-Paris-Plage via bicycle! There are more than 10k of dedicated cycle paths to explore. You can rent bikes at La Baleine Royal in the centre of town. Try one of the eco-friendly electric bikes which are so easy to use and give you an extra “push” when you need it.  The paths are mainly flat and take you through some of the most gorgeous parts of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage. Cycle through pine forests, past the manicured seaside and sand dunes, through the town (you’ll need to walk your bike in the center) and stop to see the light house. You can take a break anytime to explore whatever takes your fancy. Park your bikes at Parc Nature de la Baie de Canache and stroll across the sand to see the seals! What to do in Le Touquet: Go horseback riding! Le Touquet Equestrian Park is where novice riders can rub shoulder with top jockeys. Indoor and outdoor arenas, and a beginner session that goes out to the beach! Boulogne-sur-Mer Just 20 minutes from Calais is Boulogne-sur-Mer, Frances busiest seaport. It also has a perfectly preserved old town and is home to the Basilica Notre Dam, which has the longest crypt in Europe. The seafront has a long sandy beach, perfect for sports such as sand yachting, kite surfing and canoeing. What to do: Visit Naussica, Europe’s largest aquarium Naussica is home to 58,000 animals and 1,600 different species. including grey reef sharks, manta rays, sea lions, penguins and more! It’s the biggest aquarium in Europe and its aim is to educate people of all ages about Ocean life and how to sustain it. The immersive exhibits are mesmerising. Journey on the High Seas explores the coast of Colombia that with depths as great as 4,000 metres. The Big Tank puts you up close to rays, shoals of fish and sharks and Grand Large is an augmented reality experience that lets you interact with ocean life and learn more about sustainability. If you want to learn more about the ocean and how to care for it, I highly recommend a visit! Where to eat in Boulogne-sur-Mer: Le Chatillon Don’t let the appearance of this restaurant fool you! Located in Boulogne’s main fishing port, and tucked in between warehouses, Le Chatillion serves some of the freshest seafood in France. Inside, red vinyl bench seats, wood panelling, and a ceiling made from sails makes you feel as if you are in fishing trawler. But it’s the seafood that draws people here. Dock workers and fishermen mix with businessmen and tourists who all come to enjoy the latest catch from Boulogne’s waters. It’s reasonably priced too, a set menu 28 Euros will get you a 3-course meal. If you are in a hurry (highly recommend you aren’t – it’s France!) get something to take away. Packaging is recyclable and eco-responsible. Seafood doesn’t get fresher than this! Montreuil Sur Mer Another city to visit in Hauts-de-France is the foodie town of Montreiul. Read my article about Montreiul Sur Mer. Montreuil’s narrow cobbled medieval streets were Victor Hugo’s inspiration for several locations in his novel Les Miserables. It’s also a foodie town with it’s Michelin-starred La Grenouillere. It’s chef Alexandre Gauthier, is a bit of a rock star in the foodie world. He caught the eye of President Obama after serving him local Licques chicken at the Paris COP21 conference. Then in 2016 Gauthier was named France’s top chef by Gault et Millau Guide – in some circles this trendy guide is even more prestigious than Michelin. Read my review of Le Grenouillere.