France's number one passenger port, Calais has a rich historical and cultural heritage that makes this city on the Opal Coast an unmissable stop on any tour of Pas-de-Calais. The city has kept a number of architectural gems from its past, like the city hall. It was built in the Neo-Flemish style and you cannot fail to notice the Tudor-inspired details. It has a grand staircase, magnificent stained glass windows and a belfry standing 75 metres tall, a listed UNESCO site including a clock with four faces and a carillon. Just opposite the city hall, the six Burghers of Calais are a splendid bronze sculpture by Rodin. The Church of Our Lady is a 13th-century building. The upper part of the nave, the choir and the bell tower were built by Flemish labourers. Another remarkable edifice is the 13th-century Watchtower (Tour du Guet), an ancient defensive system standing 35 metres tall, which happens to be Calais' oldest monument.
Located outside of the city fortifications, the maritime quarter is a historical district with two renowned emblems, the Bassin du Paradis and Place du Minck. On the culture side of things, the Museum of Fine Arts possesses a rich collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures ranging from the 16th to 21st centuries. Let's not forget to mention one of the region's skills: lace-making. To find out more about this tradition which dates back to the late 18th century, head to the International City of Lace and Fashion, where you can discover the history of the city's lace industry.
Calais was also a site of conflict during the Second World War. Its story is told through objects and photos at the Second World War Museum (Musée de la Mémoire 39-45), based in a former command and transmission centre for the German Navy. Bear in mind that Calais lighthouse, which dates back to the 19th century, withstood two World Wars. Climb the 271 steps to the top for a breathtaking view of the city, the sea and the English coast!
After all those visitor attractions, the esplanade alongside the sandy beach is a lovely place to sit down or take a walk. This long beach extends all the way to the spectacular site of Cap Blanc-Nez.
First passenger transport port in France, Calais is a city with undeniable attractions. Located on the coast of the English Channel, the city has always been an important strategic point, a real connection node between Great Britain, France and North-West Europe. Its geography has earned it to be often coveted, even besieged, over the centuries. The most famous and longest was that of 1346-1347, at the beginning of the Hundred Years War. After 11 months, the city capitulated and the English took possession of the stronghold of Calais for 211 years, until 1558. During the Second World War, the German army quickly targeted Calais and its port and declared it a "prohibited zone ", also fearing later that the Allied Landings would take place there. Calais is rebuilt after the war and consolidates its leading position in transport to Great Britain. In 1994, the construction of the Channel Tunnel affirmed this position. Very well served, the life of the city turns and revolves around the port, a city center where there are museums and monuments bearing witness to a rich history and know-how (Dentelle de Calais), but also, more recently, a completely renovated seafront, open to soft mobility and a titanic machine, the Dragon by Calais, created by François Delarozières and the Compagnie la Machine.
Calais knows how to offer good moments of relaxation to its visitors with its completely renovated seafront. Strolling along the pier, to watch the ferries to England pass... which pass the Dragon of Calais carrying visitors on its back, it's a classic waterfront view of Calais! The walk on the long sandy beach at the water's edge is also a great classic, as is strolling on the sea wall with its facilities for children, its gourmet village or its rich program of summer activities. It is also on this seafront that you can find (free access) the largest outdoor skate-park north of Paris. A welcome breeze in summer or wind is regularly present, it will be an opportunity to introduce you to sand yachting, the emblematic sport of the Côte d'Opale and its large beaches. And for a 360 degree view, it will take a little effort to climb the 271 steps of the Calais lighthouse. You will have a panorama of the port, the hinterland of Calais, but also the English Channel and England. In the heart of the city, it is also possible to reach (with a lift) the top of the belfry of the Town Hall of Calais, a superb building asserting by its architecture the proximity of Flanders.
Besides her wearing, Calais has a unique know-how with lace. It is at the City of Lace and Fashion that you will discover this industrial know-how renowned throughout the world. The museum, located in a former lace industry, offers workshops for both children and adults to introduce you to this technique. Each year a major Fashion exhibition is on the program.
Other must-sees include one of Auguste Rodin's masterpieces, the Monument des Bourgeois de Calais, located opposite the Town Hall, as well as the Notre Dame church. Its construction began at the beginning of the 13th century and until the 17th century, each era left its mark there. Present for two centuries, the English have greatly contributed to the expansion of the church and its style still visible today. Severely damaged during the Second World War, the Notre-Dame church was the place, at the end of the First World War, where the religious ceremony took place uniting the Calaisian Yvonne Vendroux with a certain Captain Charles De Gaulle!
City coveted over the centuries, Calais has lost its ramparts but has kept its forts, Fort Risban (at the entrance to the port), the citadel (in the city center) and Fort Nieulay (at the western entrance from the city). Calais is an easily accessible tour, where parking is not a black spot and the public transport network is free.
Two museums are also at the heart of the centre, the Museum of Fine Arts and its room dedicated to Rodin's preparatory work for the Monument des Bourgeois de Calais and, in a different style, the 1939-1945 memory museum. In a former German bunker, its 21 rooms take us back to the Calais dark years of the Second World War.
Two major highlights punctuate the Calais calendar, the "Calais animated summer" program from June to September and the "Calais animated winter" program from November-December. Among the highlights, we can also highlight the "Swamp Blues Festival" every year in April, considered the Blues festival with the richest program north of Paris, and the "Virtual Calais" a major meeting of the Hauts de France for the world of video games and virtual reality (in October).
