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Calais

Visiting Calais Citadel

Vauban's ramparts turned into a park, open day and night

Calais Citadel, on the Opal Coast

The essentials

Where
Calais
How long
One hour
Price
Free, open 24/7
  • Vauban
  • Free access
  • Walking
  • Multi-sport
What to do in Calais?

While Calais is known today as a welcoming, family-friendly seaside resort, the town was for a long time an object of covetousness, and therefore of attacks, in the past. The Calais Citadel was built to allow the town to defend itself, and successfully so. Turned into walking paths and sports complexes, the characterful Citadel of Calais has weathered history to establish itself as one of the must-see sites in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Calais Citadel: a bit of history

The Calais Citadel is a monument dating back to 1560, built on the site of a medieval castle that had become too weak a deterrent to withstand enemy assaults on the town.

Commissioned by successive kings of France, the citadel owes its fortifications to Vauban.

The Calais Citadel would witness plenty of turmoil over time, but never lost its architectural assets.

With its remarkably well-preserved remains on display, the Calais Citadel and its splendid grounds are home to just as much activity as ever, though now a peaceful kind, thanks to walkers, tourists, schoolchildren, and history and sport enthusiasts.

What activities can you do at the Calais Citadel?

A visit to the Calais Citadel is a chance to combine sport, relaxation and culture.

The walking paths invite you to stroll. Winding through green spaces, they call for calm.

The route runs alongside the fortifications and ramparts, up to the site's historic gates: the Porte de Boulogne, which served as the Citadel's emergency gate, and the Porte de Neptune, also known as the royal gate.

To (re)discover these remains from a different angle, licence-free electric boats can be hired on the water at the Citadel park.

Lastly, the site is equipped with a multi-sport ground. Games of football, basketball, rugby, tennis, running… whether alone, with family or with friends, the Calais Citadel is the place to go to let off steam.

Getting to the Calais Citadel

Here's the practical information you need to plan your visit to the Calais Citadel.

Address of the Calais Citadel

The Calais Citadel is located on Avenue Pierre de Coubertin, a stone's throw from the tourist office, around 1 km from the beach and the outdoor skatepark.

Reaching the Citadel

The A16, A26, A216 motorways and the Rocade Est all lead to the Calais Citadel. Car parks are located nearby: the Bassin Ouest car park and the Asfeld car park. A motorhome area is also available.

The citadel is also served by the Calais Imag'In bus network: Citadelle stop. Calais can be reached from neighbouring England via the Channel Tunnel, by train.

By plane, Calais-Dunkerque airport is the closest.

Opening hours and prices

Access is free, 24/7. No guided tour of Calais would skip the Citadel.

How much time you spend there is up to you. The visit lasts an hour on average, but you can stay longer to read, play with the children, do some sport, or enjoy the gardens.

Sporting and cultural events are occasionally organised on site, such as Heritage Days or the Citadel trail, for example.

Eating

There are no restaurants directly on site, but the town of Calais and its surroundings offer a great choice of places to eat.

Where to stay?

You'll find a range of accommodation in the town, around the Calais Citadel: hotels, guesthouses, coastal campsites… Remember to book ahead during the tourist season.

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    3 activities to book

    What activities to do in Calais?

    Our favourite

    To see the seafront from the back of a machine

    Une promenade sur le Dragon

    The Dragon rides along the seafront with its passengers. Places sell out fast in season: check the schedule before you come, not when you arrive.

    45 min · booking required

    For an afternoon with nothing to book

    La plage et le skatepark

    Calais beach is huge and edged by a skatepark. From there, you can watch ferries coming and going all day.

    Free · open access

    Our 3 restaurants

    Where to eat in Calais?

    Our favourite

    A table laid at the Aquar'Aile restaurant, facing Calais harbour

    For the view over the Strait of Dover

    Aquar'aile

    Rue Jean-Moulin, up on the heights, on the seafront side.

    255 rue Jean-Moulin, Calais

    To eat on Place d'Armes

    L'Ardoise

    At the foot of the watchtower, on the old town's central square.

    29 Place d'Armes, Calais

    For a table by the basin

    Le Channel

    Boulevard de la Résistance, between the town centre and the harbour.

    3 boulevard de la Résistance, Calais

    Nearby

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