hi there im considering to drive from london to france for the day and visit a nice beach on the north coast for a few hours. have heard le touquet and bolougne are nice but would like a personal opinions. also would appreicate any advice on driving as will be my first time driving in europe. are the road signs easy to understand like when searching for sea or beach fronts or parking spaces? and what is parking like, is it easy to find spots?
thanks in advance.
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actually to be honest it doesnt just have to be nice beaches. a nice french town would be nice to visit if weather isnt appealing enough to be on the beach. suggestions for either would be great thanks
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If this is first time you have driven on the right hand side of the road it would probably be advisable to go to the nearest option Boulogne, about 30 - 40 minutes drive, rather than Le Touquet.
Road signs in France are frequent, clear and relatively easy to understand.
You could take the motorway A16(E402) to Boulogne, turning off at Jct 32 (Boulogne-Centre/Wimereux-Sud). Take the second exit heading towards Wimereux-Sud (D96). This brings you to the coastal road D940. Go left towards Boulogne and as you enter the town the beach (La Plage) and parking are available.
A short walk passing the Quay and fish market bring you to bars, restaurants and shops.
Parking is relatively easy in Boulogne depending on the time of year - we%26#39;ve never had any problems.
This is starting to sound like a travelogue!
The coast road back to Calais (D940) is fairly quiet and there are sea side villages such as Wimereux, Ambleteuse, Audresselles and Wissant all with good long beaches and eating establishments.
The Tunnel and Ferry ports are extremely well signposted as you return to Calais.
Just remember that when you drive in France the driver should be %26#39;in the gutter%26#39; and the front seat passenger is the one in the middle of the road in a permanent panic mode.
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Re the parking spaces, it depends what time of year and what day of the week you are planning to go. Sunday is a popular day for the locals to go to the beach, and parking will be a bit more difficult.
If your visit coincides with the French school holidays (beginning of July to mid August), you can expect competition for the parking spaces. During May there are several French bank holidays, which make long weekends, and are also likely to be busy: 1 May, 8 May, and Ascension Day (Thurs 21 May).
In any town or popular seaside resort, you will have to put money in a machine for parking, so make sure you have some euros in coins. Maybe you could get some on the boat during the crossing; presumably the places you get your euros from in the UK will only give you notes rather than coins.
Payment will either be in a meter for individual bays(as in the UK), or %26quot;pay and display%26quot;, in which case you will see mention of %26quot;horadateur%26quot;.
Re driving %26quot;on the other side of the road%26quot;, be especially careful when setting off after a stop at the beach, or for petrol, or for anything else. That is the moment when unconsciously you might go on the wrong side. Also, driving down a one-way street can make you forget what side the oncoming traffic will be on. Be especially vigilant as you emerge from one onto a two-way street.
In Northern France you often find at junctions that their road rules give priority to traffic coming from your right. So always keep a lookout to the right, and be prepared to stop if you cannot see a solid white line painted on the other (emerging from the right) road. The other traffic will not expect to slow down!
Wimereux is a very pleasant resort to visit, and conveniently located between Calais and Boulogne so not too far to drive from either. There is no parking on the seafront (it is pedestrianised), so just seize your chance in one of the side-roads that lie to the west of the main road through the centre.
Road signs for one-way streets etc are almost identical to ours.
Buy a good map, so you know where you are heading. French roads tend to be signposted with the name of a large town which may be some way distant. So when you come off the ferry/tunnel, you may see signs to Lille, or even Paris.
If you do not venture farther south than Boulogne, you will find most of the motorways are free. But if you take the A26 motorway towards St-Omer, or go farther south than Boulogne on the A16, then you can expect to pay a toll.
As said above, the D940 coast road between Calais and Boulogne, via Wimereux and Sangatte, is very picturesque, and well worth taking. It is sometimes signposted %26quot;Les Deux Caps%26quot; (it takes you past the two famous capes of Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez).
I wouldn%26#39;t bother with Le Touquet on this first trip. It%26#39;s very complicated to find your way around the town and to the seafront if you have not been there before, and there are often traffic jams in the summer on the route in from Etaples. Keep that for your next trip.
When you are heading back to the tunnel on the A 16, you need to look for signs to %26quot;Tunnel sous La Manche%26quot;; for the Calais ferry follow %26quot;car ferry%26quot; signs.
You must take your vehicle%26#39;s registration and insurance documents with you (originals, not photocopies), and also the driving licences of anyone who is likely to drive the car. It is an offence in France not to have these with you.
Have a great trip!
Angela
northernfrance-within90minutesofcalais.co.uk
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