A century before budget flights made the Med easy, well-heeled Brits crossed the Channel for a smart French seaside resort an hour south of Calais. Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, on the Opal Coast in Pas-de-Calais, earned its nickname 'London by the Sea' after English businessman John Whitley turned it into a playground of opulent villas and hotels in the 1920s and '30s. British high society and royals followed — Queen Elizabeth II visited as a child, and the local airport now carries her name. The old-fashioned glamour is still the point, but the town works just as well for an ordinary weekend of beach, bikes and pastries.
The headline attraction is the beach itself: nearly seven miles of fine sand running from Canche Bay Nature Park down to Stella-Plage, free to use, with a lifeguarded swimming zone in season. The wide, breezy flats are ideal for sand-yachting, and newcomers can book a taster session with local operator Centre Nautique de la Manche Bertrand Lambert. If you'd rather stay on two wheels, a network of bike paths threads the seafront, wooded avenues and a large pine forest — a low-key six-mile loop takes in the landmark Casino Barrière, the dunes and a wildlife observatory.
Golfers get the strongest excuse to linger. Le Touquet Golf Resort has three courses: La Forêt, an 18-holer through the pines dating to 1904; La Mer, the signature rolling-dunes links with Channel views; and Le Manoir, a friendly nine-holer for beginners.
The compact, gridded town centre is walkable, lined with Belle Époque villas and anchored by Rue Saint-Jean's boutiques and cafés. Food stops worth pencilling in: Au Chat Bleu, a chocolatier trading since 1912, and Aux Mignardises, a popular crêperie that makes its own ice cream. The Marché Couvert, an Art Deco semicircular market hall from 1932, sells fresh fish, cheeses, meats and regional produce on Thursday and Saturday mornings year-round, plus Monday mornings in summer. Look for the Ratte du Touquet, a small local potato prized for its nutty, chestnut-like flavour.
Practicalities are simple. Parisians can reach Le Touquet in under three hours by train plus a short bus ride, while UK travellers can drive up from Calais in about an hour after a Channel crossing, or take the Eurostar via Paris. That mix of easy access, proper French food and a genteel resort atmosphere explains why the town has stayed a British favourite for generations — and why it suits anyone wanting a low-effort continental escape that doesn't feel like a compromise.
