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Voykit pocket guide · France
Calais
One night, or a ferry-day stop: see the Rodin bronzes, the lace museum and the beach, then move on. Two nights only if you shop or cross to Dover.
Calais is a working port 32 km from Dover, not a resort. Most travellers pass through on a ferry or Le Shuttle crossing; the town itself needs one full day for the town hall and Rodin's Burghers, the lace museum, the war bunker and the seafront. It is a practical base for the Côte d'Opale and a cheap alcohol-and-tobacco stop for UK visitors.
- Country
- France
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wind, rain, short days)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–75 excl. bed · Mid €75–130 excl. bed · High €130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.50–3 |
| Moules-frites or a Welsh | €13–20 |
| Chips from a friterie | €3–5 |
| Beer: bar / supermarket | €5–8 / €1–2 |
| Bus ride | About €1 |
| Lace museum entry | €8–10 (check) |
| War museum (Musée Mémoire 39-45) | Adults €8, children €6, infants free |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CQF · Calais–Dunkerque Airport
- Marck, 7 km east of the centre; light aircraft only, customs on requestMarck, 4.3 mi east of the centre; light aircraft only, customs on request
- LIL · Lille Airport
- About 1 h 30 min by road; the nearest large airport
Typical fares
- Dover → Calais ferry, car with up to 9
- from about £39 single, about 1 h 30 min
- Le Shuttle Folkestone → Coquelles, car
- about 35 min, fares vary by time
- SNCF Calais-Ville → Lille
- about 1 h 30 min
Get around
The centre is walkable: town hall to the beach is about 15 min on foot. Buses run every 30 min during the day, cost about €1 and are paid to the driver; bus 5 serves Cité Europe and the hypermarkets, bus 6 goes to Calais-Fréthun station. Taxis wait at Calais-Ville station and the ferry terminal.
See and do
Known for
- Rodin's Les Bourgeois de Calais
- Calais lace and the Cité de la Dentelle
- Cross-Channel ferry and Le Shuttle port
- Côte d'Opale beaches and Cap Blanc Nez
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cap Blanc Nez and Cap Gris Nez | Bus from the theatre or station along the coast road, or 20–30 min by car | About 1 h |
| Dunkirk | SNCF from Calais-Ville, or DFDS ferry from Dover | About 45 min by train |
| Saint-Omer | SNCF from Calais-Ville, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Le Touquet | Car or train via Étaples | About 1 h |
| Lille | SNCF from Calais-Ville, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h |
| Dover | P&O ferry from Calais port, about 1 h 30 min | About 3 h with check-in |
Sleep
- Centre-ville (around Place d'Armes and the town hall)
- Walk to the Burghers, the lace museum and Calais-Ville station; most restaurants and bars.
- Seafront and Bassin Ouest
- Beach, jetty and the yacht harbour; 15 min walk or a short bus ride from the centre.
- Cité Europe / Coquelles
- Chain hotels and the shopping centre next to the Channel Tunnel terminal; car-first, bus 5 to town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| How much is it? | C'est combien ?say kom-BYEN |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH |
| Can I pay by card? | Je peux payer par carte ?zhuh puh pay-YAY par KART |
| Where is the toilet? | Où sont les toilettes ?oo son lay twa-LET |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- Foot passengers on the Dover ferry are limited: only P&O takes them, and only about twice a day — check before booking.
- Check-in is 30 min before departure for vehicles and 90 min for foot passengers.
- Eurostar no longer stops at Calais-Fréthun: reach Calais by SNCF from Lille, Paris or Boulogne.
- Notre-Dame church is often closed for restoration; the exterior is always visible.
- Cité Europe shops close on Sundays and sell no tobacco.
Calais is generally safe in the centre by day; the port and migrant-camp areas on the outskirts are not places to wander at night, and petty theft happens around the terminal car parks.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Calais yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Rodin's Les Bourgeois de Calais
- Calais lace and the Cité de la Dentelle
- Cross-Channel ferry and Le Shuttle port
- Côte d'Opale beaches and Cap Blanc Nez
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ville de Calais: www.calais.fr/
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Calais: mba.calais.fr/en
- Musée Mémoire 39-45: musee-3945.com/en
- Cité Europe: www.citeeurope.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Calais, revision 5338020 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5338020
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Calais
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No US or UK embassy in Calais; the US embassy is in Paris and the UK consulate-general in Paris. Greece keeps a consulate at 12 Boulevard des Alliés.
Ferry check-in: 30 min for vehicles, 90 min for foot passengers. Foot passengers on P&O only, about twice a day — check.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/calais). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.