Opal Coast & Boulogne sur Mer

NOTE: We are now leaving at 07h30 instead of 07h00. Also we are going with a slightly larger bus so there are more seats available now. LAST CHANCE. You can book until there are no more tickets available. For questions, don’t hesitate to call 0495-345144 or email info@expatclub.org, or use the chat below. For more practical information for participants, please click here.

At just 2 hours from Brussels lies the beautiful Côte Opal with its magnificent landscapes. This part of the French coastline received its name for its beautiful iridiscent light. It stretches out about 120 kilometers from the Belgian boarder to Picardy, although the 40 kilometers between the cities Calais and Boulogne sur Mer are the most interesting. Besides beautiful wide beaches, rolling landscapes and lovely towns it is known for two spectacular viewpoints.

Gris-Nez cape and Blanc-Nez cape are respectively 45 and 134 meters high. While the first consists of grey clay, limestone and sandstone, the second one is a pure white chalk cliff. From its top you may actually see England on a clear day. This is namely the location where the Channel is the narrowest.

Today we leave early so we can make the best of the day. We depart from Place Schuman at 08h00 by luxury 4* coach. You can also get on board at Metro Yser or at Basilique. Of course this is early, but we simply need the time to visit various spots along the coast and have a enough time to just relax and enjoy the views and touristic places. The bus has an on-board toilet, a DVD system with flatscreens, air-conditioning and super comfortable chairs with extra leg space. We’ll provide you with some drinks and snacks while you can enjoy a movie or documentary. So we’ll make sure that you can simply sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Since this day is long we bring two professional drivers (in line with EU regulations).

Our first stop is in Dunkerque (or Dunkirk or Duinkerken), France’s third largest port that is just across the French-Belgian border. This harbor town is alive 24/7 due to the many UK-bound ferries that depart here. Its history goes back far over 1,000 years, but in particular the amazing evacuation of over 300,000 British soldiers in 1940, when the town was completely surrounded by German forces, has put this city in the history books. During Operation Dynamo every possible vessel was sent from England to France to pick up the trapped soldiers, whereas Hitler could have easily destroyed them.

Our next stop is another major harbor city, Calais, even though it lies just 30 kilometers down the coast. From here many ferries leave for England and of course the city is known for the Eurotunnel that links the two countries by a 50,5km tunnel that cost almost 10 billion pounds, about 2 times the initially estimated amount.

Besides the opera house and the city hall there are not many beautiful buildings here, but fortunately there are still plenty of other things to see. In particular the harbour activities are great to look at, there is always a ferry leaving to or arriving from England. We’ll have lunch here as a group (optional) in a nice restaurant right next to the harbor with a great view of the beach and the ferries. You can walk along the quays, ascend the impressive lighthouse, walk towards the small one (picture above) or just spend some time at the beach and enjoy the views.

Our next destination is also just a short drive, namely the impressive Blanc-Nez cape that towers 134 meters above the Channel. We’ll stop here for a while to get a breath of fresh air, take some pictures, take out our binoculars, and wave to the people standing on the famous white cliffs of Dover.

After again a short drive we’ll also make a short stop at the Griz-Nez cape. Although it’s not as high as the first cape, it’s definitely worth a quick stop because also here the views are breathtaking.

The last stop of the day, where we’ll spend considerably more time, is the lovely coastal town of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Although the port is smaller than Calais and Dunkerque, it is the largest fishing harbor in France. This is a great place to stroll along the fishing boats, smell the sea, take some pictures. With all that fish around, guess what we’ll be having for dinner….?

In Boulogne-sur-Mer there are many things to do. Just walking around and halting here and there is probably a good start. Enjoy the port activities, the shopping streets, the belfry, the fortifications, the Basilique and the squares. We will return to Brussels by 23h30.