Where to drive to from Calais?

[cherrycherriess]

Looking at a mini break, myself, dh and two dc 13 & (nearly) 4.

I don’t like flying at the moment (I really hope to get over this new fear!) so for the meantime, looking at somewhere we could drive to.

Only for a few days, max 5 maybe. I have only ever driven to Paris from the shuttle.

Any recommendations? Somewhere cool, with maybe some outdoor swimming?

We're thinking of doing the same this year, but we plan to visit D-day landing sites and museums and a night in Bruge. My dc are 11 and 13, and are very interested in this.

Alsace is gorgeous

Just came on to say Bruges which someone else has already suggested. You don't have to stay in France, you can go along the coastline into Belgium and maybe even the Netherlands.

We really liked Le touquet, and there's an excellent aquarium in Boulogne sur mer on the way down.

We’ve done Bruges, Le Touquet and Boulogne from Calais - all nice and very easy drives

Another vote for Le Touquet - it’s a charming place, with an amazing beach. And a very straightforward, short drive from Calais.

Netherlands is an easy drive, you can be in Amsterdam in under five hours and Bruges is on the route so can be a stop on the way.

For a short drive, Le Touquet. For a longer drive, Honfleur and Deauville in Normandy. Inland you could do Rouen and there are some nice places along the Seine. I wouldn't venture as far as Amsterdam. We drove to the Netherlands last year and it was a lot busier and more stressful than driving in France.

Wimereux. De panne

Lille

If you are driving in France, Netherlands or Belgium check out their ULEZ regulations on their government websites.
You need a sticker or to preregister for some French cities and also for some in Belgium and Netherlands.
All are free or very cheap and can be ordered in advance. Make sure you use the official government sites as there are lots of scam sites that make a profit by charging you to apply....
The system is efficient but allow a couple of weeks for postage to the UK

We did 2 nights and 1 night in Bruges and stopped off at Dunkirk on the way with two young DC. Was a great trip and didn’t feel too long driving

Sort your phone out before you go.

There's a CP at De Haan which one of the nicer coastal towns in Belgium. There's a tram that runs up and down the coast. The beaches are immense. https://www.belgiancoast.co.uk/ Lots of activities for kids - sealife centre, Plopsaland, visits to Bruges or Ypres. Driving a bit further i love Zeeland in the NL. Have a look at roompot.com. Neeltje Jans deltapark, Go-ape places, boats trips to go seal watching, some lovely towns and villages and big sandy beaches again.

Good point - it’s called Crit’Air and although it doesn’t apply everywhere, it’s better to have than not. (And it’s only something like €4 or €5.)