Seascape of the opal coast of Cap Blanc Nez.

© Bjorn Beheydt/Shutterstock

Cap Blanc-Nez

Côte d’Opale


Southwest of Calais, just past Sangatte, the coastal dunes give way to cliffs that culminate in windswept, 134m-high Cap Blanc-Nez, which affords breathtaking views of the Bay of Wissant, the port of Calais, the Flemish countryside (pockmarked by Allied bomb craters, such as those on the slopes of Mont d'Hubert) and the distant chalk cliffs of Kent. A grey stone obelisk honours the WWI Dover Patrol. Paths lead to a number of massive WWII German bunkers.

Free parking makes this a handy spot to begin a day hike.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Côte d’Opale attractions

1. Blériot Plage

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This broad, gently sloping sandy beach stretching for 8km is safe for swimming and gets packed in summer.

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3. Plage de Calais

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4. Musée Mémoire 1939–1945

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5. Burghers of Calais

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6. Hôtel de Ville

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7. Cap Gris-Nez

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Topped by a lighthouse and a radar station that keeps track of the hundreds of ships that pass by here each day, the 49m-high cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez are…