Opal Coast
Visit Hardelot Plage
The upmarket resort, its château and its forests
- Château
- Main beach
- Forest
- Golf
Photo: Bateloupreaut, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardelot Plage in brief
- How long
- A day: the beach in the morning, the château and forest in the afternoon.
- When to go
- May to September for the beach. Out of season, the resort is empty and the forests are magnificent.
- Parking
- At the end of avenue François 1er, facing the sea. Full before eleven in July and August.
- From
- Lille 1 h 30Paris 2 h 40Boulogne sur Mer 20 min
An upmarket resort on the Opal Coast, Hardelot-Plage belongs to the commune of Neufchâtel-Hardelot. Surrounded by protected and popular natural sites, the resort welcomes thousands of visitors every summer. Fans of water sports (sand yachting, kitesurfing, windsurfing and more) or hiking also value the commune for its golf course and its activities for children. The population multiplies tenfold between winter and summer.
The 3 highlights
What to do in Hardelot-Plage?
La grande plage
Eight kilometres of seafront and a beach wide enough for sand yachting. The flattest on the coast.
Le château d'Hardelot
A neo-Tudor château in the middle of the woods, with its Elizabethan theatre, unique in France.
Les dunes du Mont Saint-Frieux
One of five protected natural sites around the resort. A view over the whole bay from the top.
And also
- The beach
- Saint Augustine of Canterbury church
- The gatekeeper's lodge at Villa Sans Gêne
- Saint-Pierre church
3 activities to book
What activities to do in Hardelot-Plage?
Our favourite
For the best sand-yachting ground on the coast
Char à voile sur la grande plage
Hardelot beach is wide, flat and windy: ideal conditions for a first sand-yachting session.
1 h 30 · from age 10
To play among the pines
Le golf d'Hardelot
Two courses laid out in the forest, a few minutes from the beach. One of the amenities that made the resort's name.
Booking required
For the afternoon when the beach is too windy
Randonnée dans la forêt d'Hardelot
The state forest and the Écault dunes are criss-crossed by waymarked trails, on foot or by bike.
Half a day · open access
Our 3 restaurants
Where to eat in Hardelot-Plage?
Our favourite
To eat facing the beach
L'Océan
Boulevard de la Mer, on the Hardelot seafront.
100 boulevard de la Mer, Neufchâtel-Hardelot
For the centre of the resort
Le Grand Café
Place de Bournonville, in the heart of Hardelot-Plage, a hundred metres from the shops.
2 place de Bournonville, Neufchâtel-Hardelot
For a table in the centre
La Villa
Place de la Concorde, in the resort's shopping square.
16 place de la Concorde, Neufchâtel-Hardelot
Other good addresses
- L'annexe3 Avenue d'Eole, 62152 Neufchâtel-Hardelot
- O'Délice3 Avenue de la Concorde, 62152 Neufchâtel-Hardelot
- Les Sables15 Avenue de la Concorde, 62152 Neufchâtel-Hardelot
Our 3 places to stay
Where to stay in Hardelot-Plage?
Our favourite
To have both just ten minutes away
Entre plage et forêt
Hardelot has the unusual feature of the sea on one side and the state forest on the other. This address plays on both.
Accommodation · Hardelot
For a family stay
Les jardins d'Hardelot
An address in the resort, within walking distance of the shops and seafront.
Accommodation · Hardelot
To be as close to the sand as possible
La Reine des Plages
A seafront address, facing the main beach.
Accommodation · Hardelot
Getting there and parking
By car on the A16, Hardelot exit, then ten minutes' drive through the state forest.
Hardelot-Plage belongs to the commune of Neufchâtel-Hardelot: the château is inland, a five-minute drive from the beach.
The questions people ask before coming
Is Hardelot family-friendly?
Yes: the beach is wide, flat and supervised in summer, the resort is flat and easy to explore by bike, and both the château and the forest offer a backup plan on windy days.
Do you need to book for sand yachting in Hardelot?
Yes in season, and the session depends on the wind and the tide: it's best to book a few days ahead by calling the club.
What's the difference between Hardelot-Plage and Neufchâtel-Hardelot?
It's the same commune. Neufchâtel is the historic inland village, Hardelot-Plage the seaside resort built on the coast.
Information about the town
Much loved by people from the north of France and by visitors, Hardelot-Plage and Neufchâtel-Hardelot offer a state forest, an 8-kilometre seafront with a fine sea wall, a beautiful beach, dunes, villas scattered through the town and a pleasant centre. Five protected natural sites surround the resort: the dunes of Mont Saint-Frieux, Hardelot forest, the Marais de Condette nature reserve, Écault forest and the Écault dunes.
The 5th wealthiest commune in the Pas-de-Calais by average income, the resort has a well-off population, but English, Belgian and French visitors mainly come for the water sports on offer, as well as hikes with remarkable viewpoints. The town was awarded 'Station classée de tourisme' status in 2014 and 'Commune touristique' status in 2010.
We recommend continuing your tour of the Opal Coast with a visit to Boulogne-sur-Mer, Équihen-Plage and Wissant.
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