"A bit more than a Ferry Port" a Calais Travel Page by chrishc

Calais is a busy town best known for its ferry port and crossings to England.

Recently home to a refugee camp and usually overlooked by anyone looking to spend time in France.

The town square is quite ugly with box like buildings surrounding it. However, it can be the site of a typically French market on Saturday mornings and there is an impressive bell tower in one corner.

Just round the corner are some excellent restaurants specialising in seafood where we have spent some happy hours.

If we are in a hurry it is always the "station cafe" for mussels and chips washed down with a beer, can't beat it.

Near the station is the town hall with it's impressive tower.

A little out from Calais is the Cite D'Europe (or Cite Europe depending which sign you see), shopping area, often swarming with bargain hunting Brits, but it is a good shopping area, access can be a bit slow by road during busy times.

We prefer the Auchan hypermarket which is on the other side of the motorway to Cite Europe and is a good place to stock up with beers and wines. Not to forget the cheese.

The town has some really good pieces of architecture although I think it suffers from some planners from the 50s and 60s who were fond of the square box design, these buildings now look depressing and dated.