Things to see and do Calais

Located in the Saint-Pierre district, the historic heart of Calais lace, the Cité de la dentelle et de la mode has been fitted out in an authentic factory, typical of the 1870s. The collections are divided into six galleries where the know-how and techniques, the economic and social history, the uses but also the most contemporary aspects of lace (fashion, design, applied arts...) are evoked. All the manufacturing secrets are revealed to the visitor.

The place is ideal: Fort Risban is originally a fortified island erected to lock the port of Calais and to prevent any attack from the enemy. It was taken over by the English in the 14th century who built the Lancaster tower still visible today in the munitions ware house. Then the French won against the Spanish here in the 16th century and the Germans made this place a link of the Atlantic wall during the Second World War. The walls of the fort have recently been renovated and are an outpost of the history of the engagements and invasions that shook the city.

This is the right plan for those who want to visit and enjoy the city. The Visit Pass for Calais offers you grouped entry to the main museums: the International City of Lace and Fashion, the Fine Arts Museum, the 39-45 Remembrance Museum and the Belfry. The pass will also allow you to benefit from reductions at the Iceo swimming pool complex, the Hemmes-de-Marck sand yacht and leisure centre and the lighthouse. The pass is valid for one year from the date of purchase and is not nominative.

If you wish to visit green spaces, this old gravel pit, refurbished in 2003, is ideal. It offers a splendid stroll where you can come in contact with colvert ducks, swans and a wide variety of birds; fauna and flora keep increasing thanks to the renovation made on site. Fishermen also come here to fish. The 25,000 m² lake was re-stocked with various species of fishes: carps, pikes, eels, pike perches, koï carps, etc. "Les pêqueux d'Saint-Roch", "les Mascottes de Saint-Roch" and "les guides nature de Saint-Roch du Calaisis" are associations that animate the site.