PRACTICAL INFORMATION & ACCOMMODATION

Coming to Calais

At the heart of the Paris-London-Brussels triangle, Calais is served by a dense communications network. Discover the different ways to reach our territory easily, whether you travel by car, train, ferry, plane or coach!

By car

Calais XXL is ideally located with excellent motorway connections, making it easy to reach from various parts of Europe. Calais XXL is also an ideal base for groups and individuals combining visits to England, Belgium and Northern France.

Getting around & parking in Calais

By the A16 motorway

Connected to the Benelux network, to the northwest of France, and to the Paris region.

  • Brussels and Rouen 2:00,
  • Paris 3:00
  • Amsterdam, 4:00

By the A26 motorway

Connected to eastern France and the Paris region.

  • Lille, Arras, Artois, 1:00
  • Reims, Paris, 3:00

Boarding a ferry

Companies P&O Ferries, Irish Ferries et DFDS Seaways provide passenger vehicle crossings with departures 24/24. The crossing time to Dover is approximately 7 minutes.

Through the Channel Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel is an underwater rail tunnel linking Folkestone, in the south-east of the United Kingdom, and Coquelles, in the heart of the Calais XXL territory.

By borrowing the LeShuttle shuttles (formerly Eurotunnel), travellers can make a crossing with your own vehicle.

The Virginie tunnel boring machine visible in Coquelles with the English coast in its sights in the background. ©Nohcab

Car rental agencies, Taxis & VTC

Are you looking for a way to get around the destination? Beyond many means To travel in our 14 municipalities, here is the list of agencies offering rental in the area as well as taxi reservation information:

By bike!

Eurovelo Route 4

From Roscoff to kyiv, called the Vélomaritime on its French portion.

Eurovelo Route 5

From Rome to London, which includes the cycle route that links Coulogne to Guînes.

Eurovelo Route 12

Across Scandinavia, Germany, Benelux and Great Britain.

A family on a cycling trip along the Calais Canal and the Eurovéloroute. ©Nohcab

By train

The Calais conurbation has two main train stations, offering fast and efficient connections. The connection between Calais Ville and Calais Frethun TGV is by bus or regional train TER (Frethun is on the line between Calais Ville and Boulogne-sur-mer).

Find a ticket online

Calais Frethun

TGV
9 km from Calais city centre
Paris at 1:30
Lille 30 minutes away

Calais City

TER & TGV station
Located in the city center, opposite the town hall. Regular connections to Lille, Dunkirk and Boulogne-sur-Mer are available.

Walking

All roads lead to Calais, and this is truly the case! In fact, there are two Grande Randonnée (GR) routes:

Coastal path

GR120, from Bray-Dunes (North) to Le Tréport (Seine-Maritime)

Via Francigena

GR145, from Calais (Pas-de-Calais) to Jougne (Doubs)

View of the marked trails of Cap Blanc-Nez with the sea and the coastline on the right side and the meadows on the left. ©Nohcab
View of the coastline cut by the immense cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez and the paths that run along the coast. ©Nohcab

Boat

The port of Calais

The port of Calais (20 minutes walk, 7 minutes drive from the city centre) offers up to 50 crossings per day to Dover (England), making Calais an ideal starting point for excursions to or from Great Britain. With almost 10 million passengers, the car ferry port of Calais is the largest in continental Europe.

P&O Ferries, Irish Ferries and DFDS Seaways provide 24/24 departures. The crossing time to Dover is approximately 7 minutes.

Traveler's site of the Port of Calais
View of the main building of the ferry terminal of the port of Calais and its duty free. ©Nohcab

Calais Marina marina

The West Basin is the main basin of the Calais Marina. With 340 rings, many boaters have moored their boats there. The marina is ideally located near the beach, the city center and shops, which is an advantage for boaters and especially visitors stopping over in Calais!

Calais Marina Edeis