Groups, staff associations, societies

Planning a group trip on the Opal Coast

A day that works for fifty people takes planning — and it's planned differently from a weekend for two

20 to 100 people
Day or weekend
Year-round
Free introduction

Planning a group trip on the Opal Coast?

Tell us the date, the number of people and the budget: we’ll put you in touch with a local organiser who knows how to make it happen. Free for you, no obligation.

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A group sitting in the dunes, with the beach and cliffs behind them — Photo: Luis Marina, source, CC BY 2.0

A staff association, a walking club, an alumni society, a school class: these are groups with the same constraints — a coach, a timetable, a meal to sort out, and people who don't all walk at the same pace.

The Opal Coast suits this well because everything's close by: you can see a cliff, a museum and a harbour in the same day without spending the whole day on the coach.

What you can do here

The two capes dayMorning at Cap Blanc-Nez, lunch in Wissant, afternoon at Cap Gris-Nez. Free, suitable for every fitness level, and impossible to get wrong.Find out more
The Nausicaá dayHalf a day at the aquarium, half a day in Boulogne's old town. The go-to wet-weather backup, and the one that works with children.Find out more
The remembrance dayBatterie Todt, an Atlantic Wall bunker, war cemeteries. A programme for an adult audience, and one that goes ahead whatever the weather.Find out more
The heritage dayMontreuil-sur-Mer in the morning for its ramparts, Le Touquet in the afternoon. Two towns with nothing in common, twenty minutes apart.Find out more
The guided nature dayA guided walk in a nature reserve or through the dunes, with a ranger. It's what turns a stroll into a proper visit, and it's essential with a school group.Find out more

The three things that trip up a group trip

Coach parking. Not every site on the coast is set up for it, and some towns ban it in season: check this first.
The meal. With fifty people, you can't just walk into a restaurant without having booked and agreed a menu — usually three weeks ahead.
The pace. A group takes twice as long as a couple to do the same thing. Two sites a day, not four.

School groups

The coast is well set up for them: Nausicaá, the museums, the nature reserves and environmental centres offer guided educational programmes, tailored by age group.

Bookings are made well in advance — often as early as the start of the school year for the following spring. This is the type of trip that needs the most planning, and the least improvising.

It's better outside summer

March to June and September to November: sites are open, group rates apply, and you're not stuck queuing alongside fifty holidaymakers.

What budget to plan for

Rough guides, not quotes: prices vary a lot depending on the season, group size and provider.

Site entry at group rate: 5 à 18 € par personne
Group meal: 20 à 35 € par personne
Guide for half a day: 150 à 300 € pour le groupe
Night in group accommodation: 35 à 70 € par personne

Frequently asked questions

From how many people does it count as a group?

Twenty, usually. That's the threshold at which sites apply a group rate and ask for a booking. Below that, you book as individuals.

Can you do it all in a day from Lille or Paris?

From Lille, yes: ninety minutes by coach, and you're left with a proper day on site. From Paris, that's three hours each way: a day trip is possible but tight, and a weekend is more sensible.

What about school groups?

They're well catered for, with supervised educational programmes. But they need booking well ahead, sometimes nine months for spring slots.

Do you organise it, or just point us in the right direction?

We point you in the right direction. We put you in touch with the sites and organisers in the area, free of charge: they're the ones who pay us.

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