©Nohcab Top 8 Family Activities for Fall and Winter
Are you looking for adventures for the autumn and winter holidays? Calais XXL takes you indoors and outdoors to enjoy the end-of-year lights and memorable experiences of the region! Pancakes and hot chocolate on the Digue de Calais, climbing the belfry of the Hôtel de Ville, poetic and pure emotions in the open air aboard the Dragon de Calais, here are several suggestions for activities to please children, share moments that will mark this end of the year for unforgettable family memories!
1 › Contemplate the winter sun aboard a dragon
As autumn and winter approach, the Calais seafront becomes an invigorating place for the whole family to stroll, where the colours offer a breathtaking spectacle. If the journey aboard the Dragon de Calais reveals its mischievous character in summer, winter offers strolls at sunset under the magnificent lights of the Opal Coast, which is intoxicated by the fresh salty air.
Whether you come to visit the great saurian, or you want to climb aboard it, dress warmly and let yourself be carried away by the poetry of a movement as if slowed down by the mildness of winter. At 10 meters high, even the lights of the ferries in the distance seem to dance in the wind! The final reward? A delicious hot chocolate with blue-dragon whipped cream for the whole family in the Compagnie du Dragon café-bar by the sea.
Discover the Dragon Company
©Fred Collier 2 › Conduct the investigation in the heart of the City of Lace
Located in the heart of the city, the City of Lace and Fashion offers a perfect experience if you are looking for the comfort of a warm visit to this immense part of local history. The museum tells the story of the city, its industry and, above all, that of the people and families who have shaped the identity of Calais. You will be able to immerse yourself at your own pace in the fascinating world of lace, which profoundly transformed the lives of the people of Calais in the 19th century. Objects, machines on display, photos and period documents will guide you through time!
Highlight of the show: the impressive room of lace machines on display, where ancestral know-how comes to life, and the first room, which transports you to the elegance of royal and aristocratic courts, at the time of queens and marquises. The exploration allows a discovery over an entire afternoon to enjoy special family time with educational booklets at your disposal, or quizzes or surveys to carry out together. All in a soothing atmosphere, where the subdued spaces protect the precious textile treasures. A highly recommended visit if the weather outside is getting the better of the little ones or to complete a fresh outing in the morning!
The City of Lace and Fashion
©Gwen Mint Yuima Nakazato
Temporary exhibition until January 5, 2025
Yuima Nakazuto's work is at the crossroads of innovation, tradition and high technology. The designer develops an ecological fashion inspired by the inventiveness of haute couture and age-old Japanese know-how.
Discover the exhibition
3 › Winter sliding, indoors and outdoors!
In Calais, we rush and slide on one of the largest outdoor skate parks in Europe: it is a favorite spot for riders in the region and beyond. And for the winter we have everything planned! Head to the city center, to enjoy a fully covered skate park of 2400 m2! Street area, BMX, bowl, scooters… the whole world of urban sliding is practiced there. Enough to continue to satisfy your passion and progress during the fall and winter, before returning to the Calais LA plage skate park when the good weather returns.
©Nohcab 
©Nohcab 4 › Walk and feast on the beach
Whatever the season, a walk along the Calais seafront is a must. The temperatures are cool, but the season is conducive to the bright winter sun: warmly covered, it's not a problem! A walk in cold and dry weather is even good for your health. And if your stomach is rumbling (or just for fun), there is always a way at Calais LA plage to enjoy a crepe or a waffle, with a hot chocolate of course!
On the salty side, on the seafront, fries are a party! Here the portions are generous and the potato is sublimated. Installed on one of the many benches or picnic tables facing the sea, fries are eaten with your fingers (be careful, they are hot). A simple and authentic pleasure to share with family.
The beaches of the Calais coast XXL
©Nohcab 5 › Climb to the top of the Belfry
Climbing the Belfry of Calais, whatever the season, remains a pleasant experience to share with the family. Summer and winter alike, the reward remains the same: a panoramic view of the city centre in the foreground, with the sea and the port in the background.
The brightness of the generous days in winter sun gives another reflection to the views hovering above the city. This is even more true in winter, when the days are short and the sun sets early in the west, towards the horizon where the cliffs of Cap Blanc Nez stand out.
Visit the Town Hall and the Belfry of Calais
©Nohcab 6 › Breathe the fresh air at Cap-Blanc-Nez
For a breathtaking view that is particularly striking in winter, head to Cap Blanc-Nez, which becomes a spectacular destination during the cooler months, when the crisp air accentuates the feeling of being at the "end of the world". The low season at Cap Blanc-Nez also offers a more intimate and peaceful experience, far from the summer crowds. The land seems to disappear to make way for the immensity of the sea, sometimes punctuated by an unexpected vision. As a reward for having chosen a quiet visit, Britain's white cliffs become visible more often thanks to the clarity of winter days.
©Nohcab Classified as a "Grand Site de France", this protected place allows visitors to enjoy the gentle paths in complete tranquility, with preserved nature which, in winter, reveals itself in a new light, wilder and more authentic. However, winter should not make us forget the importance of respecting safety instructions, whether at the top of the cliff, or the winds can be particularly powerful, or at the foot of Cap Blanc-Nez, where the tide and weather conditions can be surprising.
The cold brought by the seaside wind requires being well wrapped up, from head to toe. Classic and common sense in this season.
7 › Cooking with family like pros!
The season is also the time for cocooning and family activities in the comfort of your own home! And why not around the stove? In the centre of Calais, a guest house offers its gentle culinary workshops.
We admit that during the holidays, children are not necessarily thrilled at the idea of meeting a teacher. But here, Chef Laurent is a cooking teacher straight from a hotel school! A good idea to spend quality time with the family, learning "chef" tips... before sitting down to eat. Enough to enhance a stay, especially since Laurent and his wife's guest rooms are in the heart of Calais, opposite the Grand Théâtre.
The Secrets of the Lodges
©The Secret of the Lodges 8› Relax or Let Off Steam in an Indoor Park
Outdoor activity parks have been making a name for themselves in the city landscape for about twenty years. This is the case in Calais XXL, where there really is something for the whole family. A quick review of the 4 parks available in Calais and its surroundings:
Challenges and challenges
Norden Escape : This Escape Game takes investigators-explorers back to the harsh Viking era! Norden Escape also offers an immersive activity in virtual reality and also, this is rare enough to be highlighted, a quiz in the conditions of a television show.
Prison Island : you have to get out of a prison and its cells. A few puzzles to solve and challenges to take up will help you. Escape Game, action Game… Prison Island is another original adventure in Calais XXL.
©Norden Escape 
©Prison Island To jump and let off steam!
Calais Jump : Here, we announce the color! Move, jump, let off steam with 10 activities on 1600 m2! Among them, "Ninja warrior" courses, trampoline park, basketball dunk, which symbolize the invigorating and sporty atmosphere of the Calais Jump.
Cosmic Park : many games await children in a space of 2000 m2! For the little ones (0-4 years), a closed space of 170 m2 is entirely dedicated to them (mini ball pool, tunnels, bridges, mini-trampoline etc.). The older ones will go to the Funhouse with its giant slides, pontoons, Ninja course etc.
Dive into the list of all hobbies
©Cosmic Park 
©Calais Jump.