Boulogne is situated in the northeast corner of France near Calais.

But onward travel through France was slow and so, for a generation of Brits, this little fragment of France abutting the English Channel was the only portion of the country that they really knew.

The Nord / Pas-de-Calais region

But what a lovely corner of France it was… and still is today. Its charms are too easily overlooked by British travelers today, whose arrival in France is often all-too-hurried. They are too intent to rush on, keen to head south to the Dordogne or Provence. Insofar as they stop at all in the Calais or Boulogne region, it is usually only on the way home and then merely to load the car with the cheap wine that has become the Brits’ favorite import from France.

Viewed from the perspective of Paris, and even more so from the salons of the Riviera, the cities and ports of the far north of France are still seen as impossibly remote. It’s a sentiment nicely captured in the hugely successful film Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (“Welcome to the Sticks”). “North of Paris lie only the boondocks,” says our Avignon friend, going on to recount stories of pungent Maroilles cheese, cauliflowers and mining communities in terminal decline. Such are the prejudices of one too pampered by life in the sunny south.

Boulogne’s Old Town

Visiting Boulogne

So we told her that was nonsense and hopped on the next train to Boulogne, the one-time ferry port that once thrived on its links with Britain. The cross-Channel steamers have gone, now focusing their commercial efforts on Calais just 35 km up the coast. And, without the day trippers, that makes Boulogne all the more enjoyable.

The local tourism authorities still have a sharp eye on the British market, ever conscious that in terms of travel time Boulogne and Calais are closer to London than they are to Paris. “Real France, real close” run the ads prepared for the UK market.

Boulogne highlights

And this is real France, for Brits just a quick hop from London with Eurostar or a pleasant 90-minute cruise from Dover on P&O’s magnificent ferries.

Boulogne in particular is something special. We wandered the Gambetta Quai each morning, which boasts a superb fish market. And each evening we ate fresh fish in whatever manner Tony Lestienne favored that day. Lestienne is the most accomplished of chefs in a town with a rich culinary tradition. If you eat at the La Matelote restaurant, you are in for a treat. But if budgets are tight, head to the restaurant in the nearby Nausicáa Centre, where Monsieur Lestienne runs the in-house catering.

With its ramparts, walled Old Town and maze of narrow streets, Boulogne is pure France. And there are enough sights to detain you for three or four days.

The castle museum is a gem, with its oddly eclectic mix of exhibits. The range runs from a hall devoted to the funereal rites of Ancient Egypt through a stunning collection of Alaskan masks to delicately beautiful paintings of local Opale Coast beaches and dunescapes.

The big-draw sight in town is of course Nausicáa, an aquarium and environmental education center that lies on the northern fringes of town. It is justifiably celebrated.

Riding the coast: North to Calais

We left by bus, taking the morning local service up the coast to Calais. This is a roller coaster of a route that takes in cliffs and bays aplenty, the entire run enlivened by wonderful views of the white cliffs of the Kent coast just across the Channel. It is a good reminder that this is a corner of France whose fortunes have been forever shaped by its proximity to England.

Getting to Boulogne

From England, we strongly recommend the P&O ferry link from Dover to Calais. This is travel as it should be – relaxed, sedate and stylish. From Calais Port, it is an easy (if not exactly beautiful) hike into town to take one of the regular local trains from Calais Ville station to Boulogne.

Calais Ville station wins no prizes for grace or grandeur, but do take a few minutes to see Calais town hall, just south of the station. It is one of the most strikingly beautiful buildings in all of Flanders.

The rail route from Calais down to Boulogne runs inland, which means that you will only get occasional glimpses of the sea. So you might consider taking the none-too-frequent local bus service that departs from the Place d’Armes in Calais and hugs the coast all the way down to Boulogne. (Just note: No Sunday services on that bus route.)

From London St Pancras (and for that matter also from Brussels Midi), there are Eurostar trains direct to Calais Fréthun, in each case with a travel time of just one hour, where you can walk down to the very spartan local platform for the onward train to Boulogne. Calais to Boulogne takes just 30 minutes.

And if you are in France and can overcome local prejudices about the far, far north, you’ll find great rail connections from Paris to Boulogne. We recommend the line via Amiens, used by classic old-style but very comfortable InterCité trains, which take about 2hrs 45mins for the journey.

There are also five-times-daily TGV services which speed from Paris to Boulogne in just over two hours. The route they take is less immediately appealing than the more traditional Amiens line, but you do get some nice views of the landscapes of Picardie and Flanders.

The post France: Visiting Boulogne and Calais appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The Eurolines network

The most convenient network of services for travelers looking to travel around Europe by coach is coordinated by Eurolines. This is not one company but a strong alliance of coach operators who coordinates their timetables and provide integrated ticketing for international journeys across Europe. This gives a continent-wide brand for marketing purposes and allows passengers to plan complicated itineraries that criss-cross Europe.

There are of course many long distance coach services in Europe that are not part of the Eurolines network. For example the Czech company Student Agency runs some two dozen routes from their hub in Prague. PolskiBus has a network of eight routes from Warsaw, the fledglng company’s growing network now also serving Vienna, Berlin, Bratislava and Prague. There are many itineraries where these non-Eurolines operators precisely fill a gap, but for its Europe-wide reach to over 500 cities, Eurolines has no serious rival.

Useful long-distance links

Eurolines does offer some intriguingly long routes. For example, service 350 operates thrice weekly direct from Amsterdam to Lisbon (“Lisboa” in Portuguese), a 36-hour journey that connects two cities some 1,500 miles apart. Even longer direct routes link cities in western Germany with provincial centers in the Russian Federation.

Good for shorter hops too

The Eurolines network thus often steps in with a convenient direct link on a routing that would require several changes of train. With Eurolines, you can board a bus in Switzerland and travel directly to Macedonia or Moldova.

But such long hauls may not be for everyone. And we find that Eurolines-affiliated services are also perfect for shorter hops, particularly in those parts of Europe where rail services are sparse. For example, comfortable long-distance coaches, most of them operating under the Eurolines umbrella, are far better than trains for journeys between the capitals of the Baltic States: Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.

And there are times where it is just fun to travel by road for a change. There are several Eurolines coaches each day from London to Paris and other French cities. While most Eurolines schedules from London to France use the Eurotunel vehicle shuttle service, some are routed via the P&O Ferries link from Dover to Calais – always a great way to cross the Channel. And with return fares for the London to Paris run starting at just £39, the coach option can make good sense for budget travelers.

Book online

Bookings can be made online for most journeys, usually on the website of the Eurolines affiliate in your country of departure. But that does NOT mean that you need to know which particular company flies the Eurolines flag in each country. The organization maintains an excellent web portal, where you can click on the country of departure to be redirected to the relevant national site.

Here are some sample travel times (with the travel time of the fastest direct train shown for comparison):

• Brussels to Zürich: 9h 45m by Eurolines (train 8h 19m)
• Berlin to Prague: 4h 30m by Eurolines (train 4h 30m)
• Zagreb to Munich: 8h by Eurolines (train 8h 25m)
• Copenhagen to Stockholm: 9h 45m by Eurolines (train 4h 20m)
• Paris to Amsterdam: 8h by Eurolines (train 3h 19m)
• Vienna to Budapest: 2h 55m by Eurolines (train 2h 55m)

National partners

Although Eurolines coach services are principally intended for international journeys, in many countries you can also use Eurolines services for domestic journeys that cross no international borders. And many of the participating companies in the Eurolines family also have comprehensive national networks which allow you to switch seamlessly from international to national services.

For example the UK participant in Eurolines is National Express. And you can use the National Express website to book a through journey from many provincial spots around Britain to the continent. A single ticket (for example Manchester to Paris) covers travel on a National Express coach to London where you connect onto an onward Eurolines service for the continent.

More on Eurolines

Now that we’ve introduced Eurolines coach journeys, it’s time to take a little closer at their fares. Read our next post on Eurolines passes, with some tips on getting the best deals, and see how a coach pass can allow you to roam at will across Europe on Eurolines services.

Rail pass options

Interested in seeing a full list of rail pass options? Visit our booking partner, Rail Europe, to compare rates, destinations covered and see their latest promotions.

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