Calais France
Frequently Asked Questions
At a dedicated cruise berth, away from the ferry traffic. The town centre is about twenty minutes on foot or a short shuttle ride.
Barely thirty-four kilometres. On a clear day the white cliffs of Dover show on the horizon, and that proximity has shaped the town's entire history.
An extravagant brick and stone palace in neo-Flemish style, completed in 1925, whose 75-metre belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its lift leads to a view over the busiest strait on the planet.
One of the most famous bronzes in the world, sculpted by Auguste Rodin and standing in front of the town hall. It shows six citizens of 1347 walking towards the King of England with ropes around their necks, to save their besieged town.
Because in the nineteenth century English mechanics smuggled their tulle machines into the town. Calais became the world capital of machine-made lace, the lace of the great fashion houses.
Nine-tonne Leavers looms run in front of you, gowns by Chanel, Givenchy and Iris van Herpen, and workshops explaining point d'esprit and the mantilla. The museum occupies a former factory beside the canal, about fifteen minutes' walk from the town hall.
A 25-metre steel and wood performance machine that has walked the seafront since 2019, breathing steam and flame with some fifty passengers on its back. Its articulated wings and blinking eyes leave children and adults alike open-mouthed.
Yes, a fine sand beach that seems to stretch forever at low tide, backed by a completely rebuilt seafront: a wide promenade, striped beach chalets, coloured huts and an uninterrupted view of the shipping in the strait.
A generous welsh, a Flemish carbonnade or moules-frites facing the harbour, in the pedestrian streets around Boulevard La Fayette. Take home a maroilles or a local tomme, or waffles filled with vergeoise. The Place d'Armes market runs Wednesday and Saturday mornings, below the watchtower.
Yes, the Two Capes site is about twenty kilometres away: chalk cliffs and views across to England. Allow half a day by excursion.
