Just across the Channel, don’t be a fish out of water in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Join in with the locals at their pick of markets, restaurants, beaches and festivals.
Enjoy a nautical nature-watch on the coast of Northern France at Europe’s largest aquarium
If we were to ask a panel of French folks to name one thing they associate with Boulogne-sur-Mer, you can bet your bottom Euro that “Fish!” would be the resounding reply. In fact, it would seem Boulogne deserves its ‘sur-mer’ more than most: it’s home to the Nausicaá aquarium, a word that will seem hopelessly inadequate when you leave feeling like you’ve been on an awe-inspiring journey to the depths of the world’s oceans!
Yet whilst UNESCO-recognised Nausicaá is making quite the splash on the world stage, it’s far from the only fishy focus around here: Boulogne – so easy to get to if you’re travelling by car to France (25 minutes from Eurotunnel or 35 from the Calais ferry) is actually France’s biggest fishing port, responsible for landing a great deal of what ends up in French bellies.
Three ways to dip into Boulogne’s maritime heritage: enjoy a market or festival, then head off Boulogne’s beaten track for a taste of the seafood cuisine scene
1. Northern France’s brand of food-fest: hook up with the locals at Fête de la Gainée
Collaboration and community is the name of the game at Boulogne’s Fête de la Gainée, a weekend quayside festival taking place every spring. Huge teams of volunteers get stuck in to the weekend’s principle objective: preparing and cooking-up an industrial-size quantity of la Gainée, a local dish usually consisting of cod, mackerel, mussels, gurnard and vegetables. Highlights include the veg-peeling competition, the fish-filleting demonstrations and of course, the tasting en masse!
2. Shop like a local at one of the typical French markets
Fisher folk convene for trading at 4:30am but thankfully not all local markets take place at such ungodly hours. There’s a daily fish market on Quai Gambetta where the catch du jour expectantly eyeballs local shoppers, and fresh seafood like crab, lobster, langoustines et al piles up high. For everything else, the typically French market (every imaginable French ingredient including healthy local produce) takes place around Place Dalton on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
3. Eat like a local: seek out Boulogne-sur-Mer’s seafood savoir-faire at Le Chatillon
You might be wondering where the fishermen themselves would choose to eat. Wonder no longer – it’s at Le Chatillon, a popular and good-value restaurant a little off the beaten track in Boulogne’s industrial heart. Feeding local sailors and dock workers since 1950 (and with an owner who was a fishmonger for 35 years) its reputation for fish and seafood speaks for itself. From whelks to scallops and oysters and from mackerel to herring and skate, you can’t get any fresher than this!
Where else can I eat like a local? Boulogne-sur-Mer has everything from finest frites to Michelin stars!
There’s a sweeping scale of food options here from the ubiquitous chip (each takeaway baraque or van on the quayside laying claim to the finest frites - it’s a serious business in Northern France you know) right through to Michelin-starred restaurant La Matelote opposite Nausicaá. Let chef’s Monkfish medallion with crystallized chicory tickle your tastebuds!
For everything in-between, head to the heart of café-culture around Place Dalton where locals watch the world go by from the terraces and enjoy regional dishes like le Welsh. Typically it’s made by pouring melted cheese over toasted bread and ham - often topped with a fried egg - yet there are five different takes on the Welsh at Place Dalton’s Table de Nicolas restaurant.
Fromage facts: France boasts 1,200 varieties of cheese… and Boulogne boasts the smelliest!
In Boulogne and beyond, everyone knows the name Philippe Olivier, the fromage emporium belonging to a family who have been cheese-mongering since 1907. Serious cheesers need look (or rather smell) no further than the Vieux Boulogne variety as it’s recently been named the world’s smelliest cheese! Couple with a Bière à Frometon beer for the perfect dégustation (tasting).
A hidden place to visit in Boulogne’s old town: we’re going underground
Vieux Boulogne has another meaning around here, as there’s an old part of town – the cobbled Haute Ville - that you must add to your list of places to visit in France. It’s the picture-postcard part of town surrounded by high ramparts that you can walk around in 20 minutes or so. Walk the ramparts, rest up at one of the cafés on Place de Godefroy de Bouillon, then go off the beaten track – in a vertical way anyway – to the crypt beneath the Basilica, a mysterious maze of underground chambers offering great insight into sacred art and roman influence.
Where’s best for beaches? Head to sandy suburb Wimereux and the locals’ special spot: the Pointe aux Oies
There’s a lovely sandy beach in Boulogne-sur-Mer (Nausicaá is right on it) but locals also head just out of town to sandy suburb Wimereux to enjoy an apéritif or put the world to rights outside their whitewashed beach huts. A stroll past the pretty seaside villas on the digue (promenade) is such a popular thing to do, that ‘se faire une digue’ (to do the digue) has become a local verb in its own right! Allow time too to drop in to on-trend gift and homewares store ‘La Folle Adresse’ in the town itself.
While you’re here, head just one kilometre further north to take a stroll around the Pointe aux Oies, a stunning natural spot on the coast where you can park up, admire the ‘Dunes de Slack’ and forage for mussels on the beach.
If you’re eating in Wimereux, our trusty locals recommend you seek out L’Art des Mets both for its quality cuisine and panoramic views or Les Bains de Minuit (it translates as ‘Midnight swims’ for the record) for its hipster vibe and tapas menu.
Our pick of hotels and B&Bs in and around Boulogne-sur-Mer
Combine visiting Boulogne with down-to-earth rural charm at Le Clos de Tournes in Echinghen. Caroline and François - having both worked in the fishing industry - have plenty of local knowledge and anecdotes to share! They offer both chambre d’hôte (B&B) and gîte accommodation.
If you’d prefer a more central address, B&B L’Enclos de l’Evêché is a special place to stay at the heart of Boulogne’s walled town. For a luxury weekend break, search up stylish Hôtel La Matelote.
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For more information, get in touch with the tourist board information of Boulogne-sur-mer
Parvis de Nausicaä
BP 187 - F-62203 Boulogne-sur-Mer cedex
Tel: +33 3 21 10 88 10
Tel: +33 3 21 10 88 10
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