Those who take the ferry to Calais risk missing out on a brilliant short break destination if they carry on their journey without stopping off to explore this fascinating port city with a turbulent history – including annexation by the English between 1387 and 1558.
The Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode
One of Calais’ main sights is the Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode, a unique museum of lace and fashion housed in a 19th-century lace factory behind a contemporary façade, the design of which references both the sea’s waves and a traditional lace pattern.
Calais continues to produce lace for export around the globe, with almost 3,000 locals employed in the industry.
Displaying fashion items, costumes and industrial machinery including five working looms, the Cité Internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode can be reached by Calais’ Majest’in canal boat – fittingly, since the first lace-making machines were brought here across the water, by English smugglers. Regular fashion shows and workshops keep things lively.
Calais UNESCO-listed belfry
Another point of interest in Calais is the Hôtel de Ville or town hall with its magnificent UNESCO-listed belfry, built in the high Flemish and Renaissance style and soaring 75m over the city. It’s topped by a statue of Duke François de Guise, who recaptured the city from the English. Nearby, Notre-Dame cathedral combines Flemish, Gothic, Anglo-Norman and Tudor architectural elements.
The English siege of Calais, which lasted more than a year during the Hundred Years’ War, is commemorated in the city in the form of Les Bourgeois de Calais, one of the most famous of Rodin sculptures, situated in front of the Hôtel de Ville. The ‘burghers’ depicted are city leaders who surrendered themselves for execution in order that Edward III spare the people of the city.
Other things to do in Calais: the lighthouse, the Citadelle, the beach
Another key landmark comes in the the form of Calais’ working lighthouse, a listed historic monument in operation since 1848.
Meanwhile, the area west of the city is dominated by the moat-encircled Citadelle, first built in the 16th century on the site of a medieval castle but much altered over time – mostly by French military engineer Vauban.
Lastly, Calais’ best-kept secret is its fine beach, with soft sand, rows of pretty white beach huts, games and activities including mini-golf, volleyball and sand-yachting, and lots of restaurants and cafés at which to take in the sea air and watch the world go by.
Useful information
Tourist Board Information of Calais
12 Boulevard Georges Clemenceau
F- 62100 Calais
Tel: +33 3 21 96 62 40
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