Yesterday military, today port and seaside resort

The Calaisis is an area rich in tradition, landscape and history. Living in a city by the sea has something extra and inexplicable to it that often makes everyday life sweeter and with more contrasts: the wisdom of the skyline, the strength of the elements. The urban history of the city of Calais is very closely linked to the sea, and today it is on its large beach and in the seafront district that the destiny of a long-awaited renewal and change of image is being played out. Reverse the paradigm: radiate, become unique and showcase its qualities, confirm that Calais is a city to live in, to visit and to love. It is not for nothing that the etymology of the word Calais comes from the Celtic ‘Kal’ and the Saxon ‘keel’ which mean bay and mouth: terms that bring people together.
The Calais waterfront aims to unite three forces - culture, leisure and sport - and forge its identity to be recognised as a major living space on a national and international level, to be a symbol, a showcase for the city.

The beach: a living territory animated by the dragon passing through

Calais multiplie les initiatives pour asseoir son attractivité et conforter son statut de station balnéaire. La ville peut à ce titre s’appuyer sur des richesses qui sont autant d’atouts : beauté des paysages, espaces naturels préservés, plage de sable fin ou patrimoine historique. La réhabilitation de « Calais LA Plage » repose sur trois leviers fédérateurs. La dimension ludique pour une appropriation intergénérationnelle des lieux, le sport historiquement lié à la vie de la plage, et enfin la culture avec le théâtre urbain permanent de nos machinistes. 

Les promeneurs s’y retrouvent entre la digue longeant la plage, la jetée avançant dans la mer, le perré Risban longeant l’entrée du port, ou encore le tout nouveau belvédère surplombant le sable. Des zones de repos sont aussi aménagées, dont un vaste solarium. Pour les familles et les enfants des aires de jeux sont aussi à disposition, sans oublier la pratique sportive : appareils de fitness, aire de workout, city-stade… Calais LA Plage accueille aussi le plus grand skatepark des Hauts-de-France (4000 m2).

Calais - Opal Coast Tourist Office

Located next to the Richelieu Park, the Tourist Office offers many activities to do in Calais and its surroundings. It is located in the city center of Calais (12, boulevard Clémenceau) near the Calais-Ville train station and the Town Hall. The Office offers visits to facilities in the territory and a summer program of guided walking tours for individuals, in particular to discover the new "Calais La Plage".