It is a region that some find gloomy, associated with cold and greyness. However, Nord-Pas-de-Calais is a territory that abounds in wealth. Traditions that have stood the test of time, wrongly unknown landscapes, and widely recognized hospitality. This territory, which brings together the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, is now part of the Hauts de France region. The columnist of the show Et si on departait? on Europe 1, and author at Lonely Planet , Jean-Bernard Carillet, shares this Friday his tips for making the most of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, from the Opal Coast to the former mining basin, via Arras.
Leffrinckoucke beach, the most northerly in the country
If there is one beach that you should not miss, it is Leffrinckoucke. Located in Flanders, between Dunkirk and the border with Belgium, Leffinckoucke beach is the most northerly in France. Thanks to its several kilometers long, no risk of stepping on each other, physical distancing will be respected. In mid-August, the water, a verdigris color, is at 20 ° C. This beach is particularly popular with riders who can count on the northern spray to gallop with their hair in the wind.
But the beaches of the North are also the Côte d'Opale, between Calais and Berck-sur-Mer. In total, 120 kilometers separate these two cities. 120 kilometers of pretty beaches, including that of Le Touquet, very famous and often compared to the "Saint-Trop 'du Nord". The Opal Coast offers something for all tastes, but everyone will be seduced by the view from Cap Blanc Nez, a 134 m cliff overlooking the sea, facing England. It is even possible to walk along the cliffs. At the foot of Cap Blanc Nez, the small seaside resort of Wissant is well known to fans of funboarding (literally "fun board", variation of windsurfing, editor's note).
© PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ / CC BY-SA
Boulogne-sur-Mer, the first French fishing port
Further south, Boulogne-sur-Mer is a particularly striking town on the coast. As the leading French fishing port and a hub for fish processing on a European scale, people come here above all for the atmosphere. Colorful boats, atypical noise from hangars and unloading docks, visit to the auction in the early hours ... Boulogne-sur-Mer is a real "Wall Street" for fish.
An emblematic restaurant of the city, the Châtillon offers a decor inspired by the trawlers and is frequented by the sailors, dockers, fishmongers and netmen of the city. From 5 am, the place turns into a beehive, offering a Boulonnais breakfast made with smoked fish, mackerel with pepper, smoked salmon, soft herring fillets, a glass of white wine and some pastries for 13 euros .
And for those who love the sea even more, the Nausicaa aquarium features some 1,600 species of animals from all over the world, including sharks and manta rays. The large aquarium basin is crossed by an 18 m long tunnel. Visitors are therefore underwater.
© PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP
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The former mining area, the memory of the "black mouths"
Head for the country of Germinal , inland. In Loos-en-Gohelle, near Lens, a visit to the former mining area is worth the detour. Listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 2012, the mining basin offers a fine example of reconversion and safeguarding of a memory: those of the "black gueules".
There, it is possible to visit the mine shafts and the two slag heaps (mountains of tailings, editor's note). With their 186 meters high, they are the highest in Europe and offer a 360-degree panorama over the entire mining basin. Sometimes, events are organized there. In July, for example, ballet dancers performed a choreography at the top of the slag heaps.
© PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP
Arras and its Flemish baroque houses
In the north, there is Lille, the must-see, but also Arras, located in the Pas-de-Calais department. A surprising city. Beautiful on the outside, thanks to its Flemish Baroque style houses, but also on the inside ... Under the city, the bôves can be visited. These chalk quarries dating from the Middle Ages were used as cereal warehouses, storage for wine and beer. In 1917, they even sheltered the Allied troops.