We knew of Boulogne-sur-Mer because on trips from the US to England years ago, it’s where we would arrive by ferry whenever we could “sneak” across the channel to get a taste of France. Once the Channel Tunnel opened, however, taking a train directly from London to Paris in a little over 2 hours, and maybe back that same evening, just made more sense. In those days, whether by ferry and train or later just by train, our destination was always the capital, so that coastal part of the country, known as Pas-de-Calais, remained unexplored by us. Now that we live here, there was time to go back to see what we had been missing in the port city and in the surrounding area.

When we lived in Atlanta, a favorite place to take visitors was Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest when it opened in 2005. Despite the crowds, there was a certain tranquility when you could watch the marine life effortlessly glide gracefully through the water. Conveniently for us, Europe’s largest public aquarium, Nausicaá Centre National de la Mer (today’s featured photo), is located right on the waterfront in Boulogne-sur-Mer, near the beach and port. With diversity as their objective, in addition to a variety of colorful schools of fish we saw sharks, manta rays, sea lions, penguins, and a special “Destination Abyss” exhibit exploring deep-sea wonders. Tranquility throughout.

While we were now at sea level, all of the other historic sites we wanted to see were located well above us in the fortified Upper Town (Ville Haute) that’s still completely encircled by well-preserved 13th-century ramparts. On the way, we walked by the 200-year-old Maison de la Beurière that is now a museum showing the harsh life of those who made their life from the sea. From there, the 101-meter high dome of the 19th-century basilica was a good landmark to lead us to the treasure that lay below. The crypt, one of the largest in France, is an enormous underground cave system dating to Roman times, with murals, and ancient artifacts.

Steps from there we were standing in front of the château that, like the Basilica, was built on Roman foundations, having been a powerful medieval stronghold for the Counts of Boulogne before its conversion into a museum in the 20th century. 

To finish off the tour we went to see all that remains from a 12th century castle, its keep, that became a bell tower (photo in first paragraph) and has now been incorporated into city hall. Essentially across the street was Hôtel Desandrouin, also called Palais Impérial, from the late 1770s. Although built as a private mansion it gained “imperial” status after Napoleon stayed there multiple times and made it the headquarters for the Grande Armée in 1803.

Given that it was only a 6-minute train ride to Wimereux, known as an “elegant seaside resort, perfect for those looking for a relaxing beach holiday and beautiful architecture” we easily decided to go there for a look around. The only photos of the town that we had seen were taken during winter storms when waves from the North Sea were splashing above the protective seawall. Even in those, however, the charm of the seafront was still evident and that’s exactly what we found as we strolled along the boardwalk and on the streets behind admiring the villas.

Next time, more day trips out including to the Carcassonne of the North.