Discover NORD-PAS DE CALAIS

The Nord-Pas de Calais region has always been a strategic region in Europe. Over the centuries, it was conquered in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks, England and Great Britain, the Spanish and Austrian Netherlands, and the United Provinces of Holland, until the final French annexation in the late 17th century.

DISCOVER NORD-PAS DE CALAIS: Arras, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Coquelles, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Lille, Montreuil-sur-Mer, Saint-Omer,

DISCOVER NORD-PAS DE CALAIS, FRANCE - Attractions & Culture

Discover Arras, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover ARRAS
During the First World War, Arras was near the front and a long series of battles fought nearby are known as the Battle of Arras in which a series of medieval tunnels beneath the city, unknown to the Germans, became a decisive factor in the British forces holding the city. The city, however, was heavily damaged ...

Discover Boulogne-sur-Mer, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover BOULOGNE-SUR-MER
In the Middle Ages, Boulogne was the centre of a namesake county, fought over by the French and the English. In 1550, The Peace of Boulogne ended the war of England with Scotland and France. France bought back Boulogne for 400,000 crowns.The museum of Boulogne has a wonderful egyptian collection ...

Discover Calais, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover CALAIS
Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 miles) wide here, and is the closest French town to the United Kingdom, of which Calais was a territorial possession for several centuries. The white cliffs of Dover can easily be seen on a clear day ...

Discover Coquelles, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover COQUELLES
Coquelles is a village located near Calais in northern France. Coquelles is known informally as 'la ville du tunnel sous la manche' (the town of the Channel Tunnel). Besides the EuroTunnel, attractions include the ruins of an ancient chateau, an old windmill and the remains of a 12th century church ...

Discover Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover LE TOUQUET-PARIS-PLAGE
In 1903, a British Gentleman bought the land around Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, and set out to sell properties to the rich from across the English Channel. In the 1920s Noel Coward and the 'smart set' from England spent weekends here, and commissioned more outstanding villa designs ...

Discover Lille, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover LILLE
Lille features an array of architectural styles with various amounts of Flemish influence, including the use of brown and red brick. In addition, many residential neighborhoods, especially in Greater Lille, consist of attached 2-3 story houses aligned in a row, with narrow gardens in the back ...

Discover Montreuil-sur-Mer, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover MONTREUIL-SUR-MER
Montreuil-sur-Mer is surrounded by medieval ramparts, part of the reinforcement work of the famed French military engineer Vauban from his fortification of Northern France in the 17th Century. Montreuil was the setting for much of the early part of Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables ...

Discover Saint-Omer, Nord-Pas de Calais, France

Discover SAINT-OMER
In the 9th century the village which grew up round the monasteries in the area took the name of Saint-Omer. The Normans laid the place waste about 860 and 880, but ten years later found town and monastery surrounded by walls and safe from their attack. The old cathedral belongs almost entirely to the 13th, 14th and centuries ...