Travel to Northern France – Episode 985

Hear about travel to Northern France (and a day in Flanders) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Craig Anderson about his trip into the historic towns and sites of the Pas-de-Calais region.

Why should you go to Northern France?

Craig describes an itinerary that includes the Hundred Years’ War, the Napoleonic Wars, WWI, and WWII history, historic monasteries, gothic cathedrals, chalk cliffs, and wonderful old walled towns.

Craig’s Recommended Northern France / Flanders Itinerary

Overview:
Base yourself in northern France (Craig used Boulogne-sur-Mer) with a rental car, explore outward in loops, and start by pairing the trip with nearby Belgian WWI sites. 

Day 1 — Ypres & Flanders Fields (Belgium)

• Guided tour with Flanders Battlefield Tours
• Visit:
  • Essex Farm Cemetery (site of In Flanders Fields)
  • WWI memorials and cemeteries
  • Gas attack memorial sites
  • Ypres town and Cloth Hall museum area
• Optional stop en route:
  • St. Sixtus’ Abbey (famous Trappist beer)
• Evening arrival in Dunkirk

Day 2 — Dunkirk → Calais → Opal Coast

• Dunkirk:
  • Beaches of the evacuation
  • Operation Dynamo museum
• Drive to Calais
  • Historic town sights and coast
  • Via Francigena trailhead marker
• Continue along the coast:
  • Cap Gris-Nez
  • Cap Blanc-Nez
• Overnight in Boulogne-sur-Mer base

Day 3 — Around Boulogne-sur-Mer

• Column of the Grande Armée (Napoleon staging site)
• Choose one:
  • Le Val Ygot V1 launch site (WWII bunker/museum), or
  • Battle of Agincourt:
    • Museum visit
    • Walk battlefield

Day 4 — Montreuil-sur-Mer

• Explore ramparts and medieval core
• Churches and historic squares
• Literary links to Victor Hugo
• Try regional food (Welsh rarebit, etc.)

Day 5 — Boulogne-sur-Mer Old Town

• Walk walled medieval center
• Château museum
• Basilica of Notre-Dame, Boulogne
• Explore the UNESCO belfry (Rie) and historic streets

Day 6 — Boulogne-sur-Mer Seafront

• Harbor and modern town
• Seafood restaurants and museums
• Coastal promenade

Day 7 — Amiens & Abbeville

• Day trip south:
  • Amiens Cathedral (UNESCO Gothic landmark)
• Return stop:
  • Abbeville
    • Abbey/monastery and historic town

Big-Picture Structure (Craig’s logic)

• Use one base and a car
• Blend Belgian WWI sites with northern France WWII and medieval history
• Follow the coast for scenery and context
• Mix battlefield history, architecture, and food culture

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Show Notes

Pas-de-Calais
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Flanders Battlefield Tours
Ypres’ Essex Farm Cemetery
Ypres
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields Museum
St. Sixtus’ Abbey
Travel to Flanders in Belgium (Podcast) – Amateur Traveler
Dunkirk
Dunkirk evacuation
Dunkirk war museum
Calais
Via Francigena
Cap Gris-Nez
Cap Blanc-Nez
Column of the Grande Armée
Le Val Ygot V1 launch site
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt Museum – Mary Anne’s France
Montreuil-sur-Mer
Welsh rarebit
Basilica of Notre-Dame, Boulogne
Amiens
Amiens Cathedral
Abbeville

Community

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