The Hauts-de-France are plural. Discover some of this mosaic during a land and sea trip between the Opal Coast and the mining basin. On the program: 4,000 years of art and history and an exceptional nature.

From Boulogne-sur-Mer to Hardelot castle

Boulogne-sur-Mer 's rich heritage is priceless. In its fortified center which crowns the city, hundreds of years of history are inscribed in space through emblematic buildings. In this architectural heart, two visits are essential: the basilica and especially its crypt, and the castle-museum. The history of Christianity is exposed in the depths of the basilica Notre-Dame de Boulogne. Its crypt is unique in France for its size and the richness of its frescoes. Two steps away, the fortified city hides other treasures. In 1825, a museum was installed in the walls of a 13th century castle classified as a historical monument. To visit it is to travel from Antiquity to the 19th century and from the Impressionist workshops to the farthest reaches of Alaska.

Twelve kilometers further south, heading towards Hardelot-Plage, let's stop in Condette, at the Hardelot castle, and continue the visit of past times... from the Middle Ages to the yéyé years. Medieval, the building seems to have always looked towards England. Object of struggle during the Hundred Years' War, symbolic place of the dazzling rivalry between François I and Henri VIII, the fortress was destroyed during the XVIIth century. It was only in the 19th century that English owners restored it in a neo-Tudor style. Among others, the castle passed into the hands of John Whitley, the founder of the seaside resort of Hardelot. Since then, it has been a more peaceful embodiment of the eternal bond between the two nations. Under the leadership of the Department of Pas-de-Calais, which has completely rehabilitated it, it has become the Cultural Center of the Entente Cordiale. This beautiful building can be visited on its own or with a guide. Thanks to its history and its magnificent setting, Hardelot Castle has become for many years the place where a very rich cultural life has flourished. This one appears throughout the year by a varied programming, which includes as well exhibitions as spectacles.

From stone to earth... and to the sea

Radiating around the castle, the gardens evoke the same cross-border spirit. Like the castle, they allow visitors to travel between centuries. Works of art, the gardens of the castle begin with the full moat, which leads our steps towards an English park, of Tudor inspiration, romantic and abundant. Beyond, it is the regional natural reserve of the marshes of Condette. A place of great biological diversity, this area of wetlands has been formed over time and by human activity. Multiple trails have been set up from the Hardelot castle to allow you to walk around. Depending on the season, you may see an ashy heron, or you may notice a royal osmund in the peaty wood. And it doesn't stop there. The natural wealth of this Opal Coast is endless. Much further north, there is still the site of the Two Capes to see. Come back on your steps, towards Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The Opal Coast is home to the unmissable Nausicaa

Land of culture, history and art, the Opal Coast is also a coastline. Invited from the Gambetta quay to the Napoleon basin, the sea takes back its rights on the land of men, which has always welcomed them at the time of fishing. For it is through this activity born in the mists of time that everything began. Artisanal at first, fishing on frail skiffs has become a powerful industry. It has made Boulogne a renowned fishing port and the leading European center for the processing of seafood products. The Nausicaa center was not established there by chance. The National Sea Center invites you to discover the high seas with an exceptional basin of 10,000 cubic meters that takes the public to meet the high seas with its resources, its wonders and its fragility. To be done, especially with children, who will love the attractions such as feeding the animals or the immersion in the middle of sharks. Animations are permanently organized and this fabulous Center does not hesitate to reveal its unusual backstage. You will join the 600,000 or so visitors who stop by each year, seduced by this visit that is both entertaining and educational.

Lens, a heartbeat

The name Lens evokes many images for those who hear it. Perhaps you will remember the jubilant crowd in the stands of the Bollaert stadium? Perhaps scenes from the film Germinal will come to mind? The name of the Louvre will also float to the forefront of your thoughts. More prosaically, you might have the irresistible urge to order a good beer! Lens is all this and much more. Lens is the flagship city of an industry, the mining industry, in the vicinity of a territory marked by the Great War. Lens naturally invites you to historical and human introspection. It is quite naturally on a former mining site that the Louvre-Lens Museum was established.

This is Lens, shaped by nearly two centuries of coal mining and by the First World War, which destroyed 90% of the city. The concentration of military cemeteries in the area is exceptional: just think of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, where 42,000 French soldiers who died in the First World War are buried. Not far away, at Vimy, great history was also written, for it was there that the Canadian nation was founded. As the British cross the Channel, thousands of Canadians cross the Atlantic each year to perpetuate the memory of their ancestors who died here. Emotion too in this mining basin classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. Something stirs in the stomachs of visitors to the sight of the slag heaps and the old mine shafts, whether or not they had an ancestor somewhere in the past who plunged into the 100,000 kilometers of galleries. The consecration of their work is to be found there, in the Louvre-Lens Museum, which has been installed on a pithead.

The Louvre-Lens Museum, from Homer to the workers of the depths

The Louvre-Lens Museum, a glass building located on the edge of a former coal mine, invites visitors to discover 4,000 years of history. The Galerie du Temps is the heart of the museum. Here, visitors can trace the course of history from 3,500 BC to 1850. The 205 works on display, which are not compartmentalized and which blend geographical areas and cultures in a vast symphony, allow visitors to measure the great artistic and technical creativity of mankind. The Louvre-Lens is also a gallery of temporary exhibitions, two per year, which highlight artists, focus on a symbol or an idea, or shed light on a period or a place.

And why not extend the visit into the night... In the same spirit of respect and regeneration of the industrial mining heritage, a 4-star hotel has taken up residence in several of the Cité 9's "corons". The Louvre-Lens hotel, very close to the museum, welcomes its guests in a unique atmosphere, which sublimates the old materials such as oak, raw blue stone and the metal of the old railroads.

And between two visits, let's taste the flavor of things. Let's sit around a table, in the home of an atypical host, and share a beer/cheese aperitif, products that are symbols of the region. Let's treat ourselves to a tasting board and go around the local producers, roasters, brewers, chocolate makers... for so many moments of culinary and human encounters. You have to open your eyes wide in the mining basin: nothing is less flat than this country. The slag heaps of the "gueules noires" have become green paradises dedicated to fauna and flora. Climb the 11/19 with the CPIE, an association of enthusiasts. Climbing, trails, ULM, all means are good to discover the surroundings of Lens. Don't forget to admire the landscape!

You want to discover more about Hauts-de-France? Here is our Top 15 of the most beautiful villages in the North of France !

Smart info

How to get there. Boulogne-sur-Mer and Lens are 130 kilometers apart. 1h45 of road via the RN 42 and the A26. Hardelot castle is located 18 minutes from Boulogne-sur-Mer via the RD 119.

Find your flight at the best price - Compare

Rent your car at the best price - Compare

Useful. To prepare at best your escapade.

OFFICE DE TOURISME DE LENS-LIÉVIN - More information on the website

CITY OF BOULOGNE-SUR-MER - More information on the website

CHÂTEAU D'HARDELOT - More information on the site

MUSEUM OF LOUVRE-LENS - More information on the website

Book your accommodation at the best conditions - Compare

Find a cultural or sport activity - Find

Get a quote for a customized trip with a local agency - Request a free quote