A trip on the ferry to Calais will make a lovely break at Easter. The beautiful French countryside will be bursting into life, the weather will be milder and summer just around the corner.
There are some nice beaches within a short drive of Calais where the France ferries arrive, one such beach being at Le Touquet. It’s also known as Paris Plage, or Paris beach as it’s the place where Parisians go when they want to visit the coast – a bit like Londoners going to Brighton for the day!
Le Touquet has been a firm favourite of the British since the 1930’s as it’s never been seen to be that far away, even before the days of ferry deals on a car ferry to France. It’s a lovely beach with a great promenade and there’s always something going on. Le Touquet beach is unsurpassed in the region with miles of white sand against a backdrop of undulating sand dunes.
There are some nice hotels in the area and great bars, restaurants and shops within walking distance of the main beach. This is what makes Le Touquet so good – everything is close at hand, even the beach activities and Aqualud water park. Aqualud is a large water park sitting right on the seafront and consists of several indoor and outdoor pools, a wave pool, a giant toboggan run as well as Jacuzzis and a solarium.
What’s nice is the old traditional side of the beach with its old fashioned carousels with wooden horses sitting alongside the more modern beach attractions – it works really well and because it does and because there’s always something to do it’s a beach resort that’s open throughout the year.
And, when the sun goes down the town transforms into a stylish place where you can while away the evening, with locals and visitors eating outside and enjoying the music bars, nightclubs and casinos. There are also regular concerts and Aqualud runs and evening session for those who want to continue with beach activities!
In another part of northern France is another great beach. Down towards Dunkirk is Malo-Les-Bains. It was named after a 19th century ship owner who was the son of a pirate, so has an interesting history, but today the 5 miles of sandy beach are enjoyed by holidaymakers throughout the year. Again there’s a nice promenade and a great choice of bars and restaurants that are close to the town. With the beach being so long it’s also a firm favourite of those looking for beach activities such as kite fliers and sand yachters.
While you’re here take a look at the shops in Dunkirk, there’s quite a choice with over 400 shops, from lovely boutiques in Place Jean Bart to the large Pôle Marine shopping centre which, as well as great shopping has cinema screens and many restaurants.
Whichever beach resort you choose if you visit during Easter make sure you stop off at one of the chocolate shops or patisseries for some of the best chocolate and other treats you’ll ever find.
And, ensure you stop off at one of the big hypermarkets as they’ll also be full of Easter treats and Easter bargains. Load up the boot and drive back on to the Dover ferry knowing you’ve had a great break and collected some great bargains along the way.