Côte d'Opale
The Opal Coast by bike: La Vélomaritime
150 kilometres of EuroVelo 4, and the only truly sporting stretch of the route
The essentials
- Where
- Côte d'Opale
- How long
- From half a day to a week
- Price
- Free — bike hire available
- EuroVelo 4
- 150 km
- 6 stages
- Waymarked
La Vélomaritime is the French leg of EuroVelo 4: 1,500 kilometres from Roscoff to Dunkirk. The Opal Coast makes up its final 150 kilometres, split into six stages, and it's by far the most spectacular stretch of the route.
It's also the most demanding. Between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais, the route passes both capes: fifty-three kilometres, and far more climbing than you'd expect looking at a map of the coastline.
The six stages, from south to north
- Berck-sur-Mer → Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, via the Authie estuary and the dunes
- Le Touquet → Boulogne-sur-Mer, via Étaples, Hardelot and Le Portel
- Boulogne-sur-Mer → Wissant, via Wimereux, Ambleteuse and Cap Gris-Nez
- Wissant → Calais, via Cap Blanc-Nez and Sangatte
- Calais → Gravelines, flat and fast, along the canal
- Gravelines → Dunkirk, 28 km to the end of the route
What catches people out
Much of the route runs on dedicated paths — greenways, cycle tracks, rural lanes. But the section through the capes climbs and drops constantly, on shared roads: this isn't a family cycle route, it's a touring cyclist's ride.
Wind is the other variable. From south to north, you'll usually have it at your back: that's the direction to ride the coast in, if you have the choice.
The train, cycling’s ally here
The Paris-Nord to Calais line serves Étaples–Le Touquet, Boulogne and Calais, letting you ride just part of the route. That's what makes it feasible over a weekend: take the train up, cycle back down.
Nearby
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