Hotels Calais
Geography of Calais
    
Calais is situated in northern France, in Picardy, on the Straits of Dover. An
industrial centre with a great variety of manufactures, it has been a major commercial
seaport and a centre for communications with England since the Middle Ages. The
city is also a major ferry and hovercraft port, due to its location near the site
of the Channel Tunnel.
Obviously Calais attracts hordes of British day-trippers seeking to purchase
bagfuls of continental produce or, more often than not, crates of cheap beer.
The chief function of the Channel ports in this part of France (Calais and Boulogne)
is to provide an inexpensive, efficient route between Britain and France. However,
in recent years serious competition has been provided by the Channel Tunnel,
which emerges at Fréthun, 5kms southwest of Calais.
To get the feeling you have really found the storybook France, with its charming
towns and undulating hillsides, drive along the old route nationale (N1), which
follows the coast all the way from Dunkerque to Abbeville before heading inland
to Paris. It is infinitely preferable to the autoroute.
You'll find an abundance of fascinating sights while travelling this road,
including: the cathedrals at Amiens and Beauvais; the hilltop town of Montreuil
with its Vauban fortress; the remains of Hitler's Atlantic Wall along the bracing
Côte d'Opale; and the Marquenterre bird sanctuary at the mouth of the
River Somme.
Selection of hotels in this region:
Ibis Calais Car Ferry | | Cottage Hotel | | Metropol Hotel | | Le George V Hotel | | Suitehotel Calais Coquelles | | Copthorne Hotel Coquelles - Calais | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
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