LE TOUQUET-PARIS PLAGE AND CYCLING
In 1976, Freddy Maertens was on a roll, and this was evident in the winding 37-kilometre time trial held around Le Touquet. The Belgian had already crushed the competition three days earlier in the prologue at Saint-Jean-de-Monts. He did it again on the Opal Coast, winning with a 1’37” lead over his compatriot and team-mate Michel Pollentier. The world pursuit champion, Roy Schuiten, in third place, was already two minutes behind. All the favourites, including Bernard Thévenet, Luis Ocana, Joop Zoetemelk and Lucien Van Impe, were more than three minutes behind. It was the fourth stage, and the insatiable Maertens had already won three. He would go on to win eight in total – a record – in this edition before becoming world champion.
Thirty-eight years later, Marcel Kittel would achieve a similar feat during a stage starting from Le Touquet and heading towards Lille. Having already won in Harrogate and London in the 2014 edition, the German triumphed in Lille and claimed three of the first four stages of that Tour. Apart from Freddy Maertens, only two other riders have managed such a run of victories: René Pottier in 1906 and François Faber in 1909.
In 2024, Belgian sprinter Milan Fretin claimed victory in Le Touquet on the first stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, which started in Dunkirk.
It was also in Le Touquet that Louison Bobet opened one of his thalassotherapy centres in 1974. The avenue where the complex still stands is now named after the three-time Tour de France winner.
SIGHTS
La Canche Lighthouse
Construction: 1947 to 1952.
History and features: the lighthouse consists of an octagonal tower nearly 57.60 m high, with a total weight of 3,080 tonnes, and is notable for being situated 800 m from the sea, near the Canche estuary. The lantern is accessed via 309 steps, including the four external steps; inside are 274 concrete steps covered with a slab of Boulonnais stone, leading up to the ceramic-tiled service room, followed by a flight of 23 steps of the same type and the eight steps of the lantern ladder. This lantern still houses two 3,000 W lamps behind Fresnel lenses. The last lighthouse keeper left in 1992 and the lighthouse was automated in 2011.
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 2011.
Canche Bay Nature Reserve
To the south of the Caps et Marais d’Opale Regional Nature Park, the Baie de Canche Nature Reserve covers part of the right bank of the river of the same name. Two habitats characterise this site. The estuary is a rich and diverse habitat, whilst the dunes stand as natural barriers. As a result, between the sand and the water, flora and fauna form a remarkable treasure trove. The site’s botanical interest lies in its more than 600 plant species. Among the rarest are Loesel’s twayblade, a threatened orchid; the dune pansy, a true treasure of the region; and the round-leaved wintergreen. As for wildlife, the reserve is home to mammals such as the wild boar, roe deer, badger, fox, stone marten, squirrel, dormouse and, occasionally, the harbour seal. Amphibians are well represented, with four species of newt, the natterjack toad and the green tree frog. The reserve is also home to a large population of breeding birds that colonise the dunes to breed, such as the shelduck, the nightjar, the woodlark and the red-breasted bunting, alongside numerous passerines. The site serves as a stopover for tens of thousands of migratory birds, including, amongst others, the bar-tailed godwit, the grey plover and the chaffinch. The woodcock is the typical winter visitor, not to mention a few merlin falcons.
The Baie de Canche Nature Reserve is open to the public.
Town Hall
Built: 1931
Style: regionalist and Art Deco.
Features: built by Louis Debrouwer and Pierre Drobecqe using regional materials, it features a 38-metre belfry and a carillon. It is one of the most spectacular listed buildings in Le Touquet. Built during the prosperous interwar period, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage Town Hall impresses with its appearance and imposing dimensions. The architects drew inspiration from Neo-Tudor, Anglo-Norman and Flemish styles, all combined with an Art Deco touch that gives it its distinctive character. A guided tour of the building allows visitors to explore the majestic hall of honour, worthy of an English castle, the council chamber with its original furnishings, and the wedding hall with its Tudor-inspired ceiling. The building underwent extensive restoration in 2018, which was completed in 2025.
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 2014.
Belle Époque villas in Le Touquet
Tucked away beneath pine trees or lined up along the grand avenues, several hundred villas tell the story of a seaside resort that, during the Roaring Twenties, was one of the most fashionable in Europe. In 1837, a Parisian notary, Alphonse Daloz, acquired a vast area of dunes at the mouth of the Canche and planted pine trees to stabilise the dunes, creating the forest that gives the resort its charm today. After his death, the estate passed into the hands of English businessman John Whitley, who secured the official establishment of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in 1912. This dual Franco-English heritage explains the unique character of Le Touquet’s architecture. The interwar period marked the transition from a seaside resort to a more sophisticated town, dedicated to sport and elegance. This evolution is reflected in the architectural diversity of the villas with their fanciful names, ranging from Neo-Gothic to Neoclassical, from the Norman style to the most daring Art Deco. The Anglo-Norman style is the most widespread. These houses are characterised by their pitched roofs, half-timbering, red bricks and imposing chimneys. Bay windows, which capture light from every angle, are ubiquitous. Each villa is a variation on the same theme, and no two are alike.
Art Deco came to the fore during the Roaring Twenties. Geometric lines, simplified forms, bold and striking volumes: the architects of the time vied with one another in their imagination to construct striking buildings which today contribute to the resort’s rich character. The Westminster Hotel, built between 1924 and 1926 to a design by Auguste Bluysen, is the most striking example visible from the street.
Among the most representative villas are Villa Roy d’Ys, Villa les Mutins, Villa Tata Ice, Villa Pomme d’Api and Villa Wallonne: sixteen of these villas are listed as Historic Monuments.
Le Touquet Enduro (Enduropale)
Established: 1975.
History and characteristics: created in 1975 by Thierry Sabine, the founder of the Dakar Rally, the Enduropale, or Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais (known as the Enduro des Sables in its first year and the Enduro du Touquet until 2005) takes place annually at the start of the year on the Opal Coast, on the beaches of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Stella-Plage. It has become Europe’s biggest enduro race and, at fifteen kilometres, the world’s longest race on sand. In 2023, the event became part of the new World Sand Racing Championship organised by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM).
The 2027 Enduropale will take place from 29 to 31 January, marking the 30th anniversary of the Quaduropale.
Le Touquet Racecourse
Established: 1925.
History: It was inaugurated on 29 August 1925. Architects Georges-Henri Pingusson, in collaboration with Paul Furiet, were commissioned to build the racecourse’s grandstands.
Features: the racecourse is built on a section of the filled-in bed of the River Canche. It is protected by a 3 km-long embankment. It is a racecourse for trotting, flat racing and steeplechase. Several meetings are held there each year, between early June and late July. Since 2022, the equestrian park, in which the racecourse is situated, has hosted the Touquet Music Beach Festival, which specialises in dance music (electro, house, techno).
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 1997 (grandstands)
Sand yachting
Sand yachting is one of the iconic sports of Le Touquet-Paris Plage, which is one of the world’s leading centres for the sport and hosted the World Cup in 2006. The Centre Nautique de la Manche, the club where this sport is practised, was named after Bertrand Lambert, a six-time world sand yachting champion who ran it for many years. Also a 17-time European champion, Bertrand Lambert passed away in 2013.
CALAIS AND CYCLING
In 2022, Wout van Aert was unstoppable. The Belgian took the Yellow Jersey on the very second day of racing in Denmark and went on to pull off one of his finest performances in Calais. Set up by his teammates from the Jumbo-Visma team, he broke away 10 km from the finish and won solo ahead of the peloton, outsprinted by Jasper Philipsen. It was the seventh of Van Aert’s ten stage victories in the Tour de France and the first of three he secured in that edition, in which he went on to win the green jersey.
As the gateway to the United Kingdom, Calais has seen the Tour de France and its followers pass through every time the race has crossed the Channel, but the town had only been a stage town twice before 2022, in 1994 and 2001. The first time, following a Grand Départ in Lille, a 66.5 km team time trial saw the GB-MG Technogym team take victory and Johan Museeuw don the Yellow Jersey before crossing the Channel for three stages in England. Seven years later, Calais was the start town for a stage finishing in Antwerp with a sprint victory for Marc Wauters.
Calais, which has hosted the finish of the Four Days of Dunkirk on several occasions, was also, in the early days of cycling, the destination for two historic road races: Lille–Calais, won in 1895 by Maurice Garin, the future first winner of the Tour, and Paris–Calais, held between 1909 and 1926 and won in its inaugural edition by Eugène Christophe. The second edition was won by Calais native Léon Lannoy, who competed in the Tour de France in 1909 and 1910. Another local rider, Steven Tronet, was French road champion in 2015.
SIGHTS
Town Hall and belfry:
History: built in the 20th century (1925).
Style: Neo-Flemish (architect: Louis Debrouwer).
Features: 75 metres high. Four gold-leaf-covered knights mark the four cardinal points at its summit, above the four dials of its clock. Unlike other older buildings, its tower is completely empty. Only a staircase filled the interior: it was used solely by the technician responsible for setting the clock to winter or summer time.
History: the decision to build this belfry was taken in 1885, at the same time as that for the new town hall, to mark the merger of the municipalities of Calais and Saint-Pierre.
Listing: Listed as a Historic Monument since 2003, the belfry is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France.
Monument to the Burghers of Calais
Creation: a work created in the 19th century (between 1884 and 1889) by Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).
Style: bronze.
Description: the monument commemorates the collective sacrifice of six prominent citizens who set out to hand over the keys to the city to the victorious King of England at the end of the 1346–47 siege during the Hundred Years’ War. The six figures are depicted individually, gathered on a single plinth but standing apart. Alone in the face of their fate and death, they do not look at one another or touch one another.
Background: commissioned by the city of Calais, the monument, completed in 1889, was erected in 1895 in the square in front of Calais Town Hall, though this did not comply with Rodin’s wish for it to be displayed at a great height.
Calais LA Plage
The ‘Calais LA Plage’ project is a regeneration of a strategic area of the city. It involves a complete transformation of the seafront, designed to enhance Calais’s seaside character. Inaugurated in July 2021 during a large-scale show, the ‘Calais LA Plage’ resort offers residents and tourists a new setting for living, relaxing and strolling.
The Dragon of Calais
In November 2019, during a spectacular inaugural show, 400,000 visitors welcomed the arrival in Calais of the monumental ‘Dragon of Calais’. For four days, the dragon’s magic captivated the public. Open to passengers since February 2020 for a 45-minute ride, the Calais Dragon continues to make a powerful impression on those discovering it or boarding its back. The Dragon attracts thousands of visitors, particularly during the summer season
www.compagniedudragon.com
Notre-Dame Church
Founded: built in the 13th century.
Style:Tudor.
History: It is the only religious building constructed in the English Perpendicular style, and its bell tower is situated in the centre of the building.
Trivia: It was in this church that Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), then a young captain and future President of the French Republic from 1958 to 1969, married Yvonne Vendroux on 7 April 1921.
Listing: Listed as a Historic Monument in 1913.
City of Lace and Fashion
It is housed in one of the last remaining traditional collective lace factories, dating from the late 19th century. Following an architectural competition launched in 2004, the firm Moatti et Rivière was selected, and construction began in 2006. Today, the building houses magnificent collections of haute couture lace, as well as industrial heritage, including the famous Leavers looms which still produce Calais lace.
www.cite-dentelle.fr