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The guide

Visiting the Opal Coast

A hundred and twenty kilometres of coastline, from Le Touquet to Cape Blanc-Nez

  • The Two Capes
  • Big beaches
  • Seaside resorts
  • Fishing villages
Cape Blanc-Nez seen from the sky, its chalk cliff and the beach belowThe chalk cliff of Cape Blanc-Nez seen from the beach at low tide

The Opal Coast at a glance

How much time
Two days for the essentials, four to take your time. One day is enough for a single area.
When to go
May to September for the beach and water sports; the capes and towns are worth visiting year-round, and winter here is spectacular.
Parking
Every resort has its car parks, full by eleven in the morning in July and August. Out of season, no problem at all.
Getting there from
Lille 1 h 30Paris 2 h 45Brussels 2 hLondon 2 h via the Channel Tunnel

The Opal Coast is the coastline of the Pas-de-Calais and the Nord, from the Authie estuary to the Belgian border. Its name comes from the light: like the gemstone, the sea here changes colour with the sky, from blue to green to grey, sometimes within the same hour.

Over a hundred and twenty kilometres, you go from big seaside resorts to fishing villages that have stayed wild, with the two capes in between, Gris-Nez and Blanc-Nez, listed as a Grand Site de France. That's what makes the area interesting: two neighbouring towns never tell quite the same story.

The six highlights

What to do on the Opal Coast?

  1. Cape Blanc-Nez

    The chalk cliff, the view of England, and the finest panorama on the coast.

    between Wissant and Escalles, Tardinghen

  2. Cape Gris-Nez

    The closest point in France to England: 36 kilometres, visible to the naked eye on a clear day.

    Audinghen

  3. Nausicaá

    The largest aquarium in Europe. Five hours' visit, and the only site on the coast that doesn't care about the weather.

    Boulogne sur Mer

  4. The Wimereux promenade

    Fifteen hundred metres of promenade between white and blue beach huts and Belle Époque villas.

    Wimereux

  5. Le Touquet beach

    The biggest beach on the coast, and the most elegant resort, backed by its pine forest.

    Le Touquet

  6. The Montreuil ramparts

    Three kilometres of ramparts and a 360-degree walk round the town, a quarter of an hour from the sea.

    Montreuil sur Mer

The 22 towns

Where to go on the Opal Coast?

The towns along the coast aren't all alike. Here's how they break down, depending on what you're after.

For the beach and the big resorts

Sand as far as the eye can see, promenades, beach huts, and enough to keep a family busy for a whole week.

For the cliffs and the Two Capes

The wildest stretch of coast: cliffs, dunes, walking trails and fishing villages.

For the town, the history and the museums

Enough to fill a rainy day, and the only towns on the coast where you can dine late.

For the hinterland

Twenty minutes from the sea, a different coast: farms, markets and trails, without the July crowds.

3 activities to book

What activities can you do on the Opal Coast?

Our favourite

Three sand yachts on a beach on the Opal Coast

For turning the wind into good news

Sand yachting on a big beach

The beaches at Le Touquet, Hardelot and Wissant are among the best grounds in France. One taster session is enough to make your first runs.

1 h 30 · aged 10+ · by reservation

A cyclist on the Cape Blanc-Nez path, the sea below

For seeing the coast from above, without the car

The Two Capes trail by bike

The coastline can be followed from end to end on waymarked trails. Between the two capes, the view of England alone is worth the trip.

Half a day · rental on site

Two children in a sea kayak, paddles raised

For the one view you don't get from land

Sea kayaking below the cliffs

A guided trip along the coast, setting off from a harbour. You paddle past cliffs no trail can reach.

2 h · aged 8+ · by reservation

Our 3 restaurants

Where to eat on the Opal Coast?

Our favourite

For the catch of the day, at France's biggest fishing port

A table looking over Boulogne harbour

On the quays of Boulogne, the menu follows what the fish market landed that morning. This is where you eat the freshest fish on the coast.

Fish and seafood · €€ · Boulogne sur Mer

For local cooking, no frills

A village estaminet

Welsh rarebit, carbonade, potjevleesch: the villages of the Two Capes keep the tradition alive. The portions are built for people who've been walking.

Regional cuisine · € · Audresselles, Audinghen, Tardinghen

For the meal you'll remember from the trip

Fine dining in Montreuil

Montreuil-sur-Mer has the best tables in the area, some offering a bistro menu far more affordable than their evening one.

Fine dining · €€€ · Montreuil sur Mer

Our 3 places to stay

Where to stay on the Opal Coast?

Our favourite

For sleeping inside the postcard

A Belle Époque villa in Wimereux

The seafront villas are rented out for a weekend or a week. The promenade is a hundred metres away, Boulogne ten minutes.

Rental · Wimereux

For being between the two capes

A campsite or gîte in Wissant

Wissant is the best base for the capes area: both are a quarter of an hour away, and the village stays alive all year.

Campsites and gîtes · Wissant

For the resort and its shops right by the hotel

A hotel in Le Touquet

Le Touquet has the widest choice of hotels on the coast, and the only town centre where everything is walkable after the beach. It's also the priciest.

Hotels · €€ to €€€ · Le Touquet

Our itineraries

How long should you stay?

It all depends on the area you choose. One day is enough for the Two Capes, a weekend to add Boulogne, and three days to get down to Le Touquet without rushing.

The questions people ask before coming

How long does it take to visit the Opal Coast?

Two days for the essentials: a day at the Two Capes, a day in Boulogne. Allow four days to add Le Touquet and Montreuil without spending your trip in the car.

What's the loveliest town on the Opal Coast?

It depends what you're after: Le Touquet for elegance, Wimereux for the villas and the promenade, Montreuil for the ramparts, Audresselles for the fishing village that's stayed wild.

When's the best time to visit the Opal Coast?

May to September for the beach and water sports. But the capes are more striking out of season, and the resorts get their space back from late September.

What to do on the Opal Coast when it rains?

Nausicaá in Boulogne, the Cité de la Dentelle in Calais, the Atlantic Wall museum in Audinghen, and Boulogne's old town, which is well worth visiting in the rain.

How do you get to the Opal Coast?

Via the A16, which runs the length of the coast: 1 h 30 from Lille, 2 h 45 from Paris, 2 h from Brussels. By train to Boulogne-Ville, Calais or Étaples-Le Touquet, but a car remains useful once there.