PRACTICAL INFORMATION & ACCOMMODATION

XXL Mobility

To facilitate travel and parking, Calais XXL offers a variety of means of transport and parking solutions to meet everyone's needs. As a bonus, the urban transport network is free for everyone!

The free public transport network Imag'in

The urban area's public transport network consists of 13 lines accessible free of charge which serve the municipalities of Sangatte, Blériot-Plage, Coquelles, Coulogne, Guînes, Marck, Fréthun, Les Attaques, Hames-Boucres and Nielles-lès-Calais. The service is suitable for Sundays, public holidays, and for Friday and Saturday evenings.

Access to Calais public transport network buses is free for everyone! For more information on timetables and lines, visit the Imag'in — Calais Opale Bus network website:

The Imag'in network

Excursion to Cap Blanc Nez aboard the Div'In panoramic double-decker bus

From the city center to Cap Blanc Nez, a journey rich in history and landscapes is offered to you on board an open-top double-decker bus in good weather.

In summer, the Div'in, a double-decker bus, takes you to Cap Blanc-Nez via line 5 of the Imag'in network and departing from the multimodal centre at Calais-Ville Station. Designed as a separate line of the network, it extends to the cape depending on the season. To check the service, go to the Imag'in network website.

Discover the seasonal line
A family gazes out to sea on the horizon during a getaway aboard the Div'in, a double-decker bus. ©Nohcab
The double-decker bus of the Imag'in network, stopping at Cap Blanc-Nez with a visiting family. ©Nohcab

Balad'in: The city center mini-shuttle.

In addition to the urban network, Balad'in offers you a more detailed service to the heart of the city.

Take advantage of the Balad'in, a free shuttle from Monday to Saturday (9am to 19pm) connecting the north (fishing port) and the south (Boulevard Lafayette) of Calais, with departures every 10-15 minutes. In addition, the Balad'in also serves the Car Ferry Terminal! A quick and easy way to travel around the city center of Calais from one end to the other!

The self-service bicycle network: Vél'in

The Vel'In service is a self-service bicycle rental system with more than 70 resorts throughout the urban area. To use this service, subscribe online, or use your phone on the bicycle docking stations, recognizable by their blue color. Vél'in includes 60 minutes of free travel. Beyond this, races will be billed at €2 for each additional 60 minutes.

The Majest'in River Shuttle

The Calais Majest'in, a panoramic river shuttle, transports you on the waters of the Calais Canal!

Connecting Calais Nord to Coulogne via the Calais Canal. The Majest'in offers a 30-minute journey with stops near the Notre-Dame Church, the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode, and Place Crève-cœur. Five stations are located near the main districts and monuments of Calais for an original visit along the water.

For an even more complete trip, take your bike on board and let yourself glide along the Calais Canal, an original way to discover the region by combining boat and bike during a ride! It is also possible to take bicycles or scooters on board to join the Euro Véloroute from Coulogne.

Walks will resume in February 2025.

Everything you need to know about the Majest'in
The shuttle on the Calais Canal, facing the modern part of the entrance building of the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode. ©Imag'in
Randovélo

Opal Bike Services

Opal Bike Services is the association serving all cyclists in the urban area, offering rental of various types of bicycles (mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, road bikes, tandems, etc.) as well as all accessories (locks, helmets, repair kits, etc.). It also offers repair services and participatory workshops.

Cape Blanc-Nez

2 Caps by bike

2 Caps by Bike offers the rental of electric mountain bikes with guide for tour packages according to your desires and the seasons.

Motorhome parking areas

For motorhome owners, Calais XXL offers various parking and service areas:

  • In Calais : A parking area is available near the seafront, less than 10 minutes walk away. 106 spaces with automatic access, €14,60 per night (low season €16,60 high season). Rue d'Asfeld, 62100 Calais. 
  • To Marck : A municipal paid area with waste disposal and water services, near the Ferme des Aigrettes. €8 per night. Allée. de la Découverte, 62730 Marck.

Repairs & Stores

Need repairs for your campervan? Here are two specialist shops in Calais:

Parking in Calais XXL

Most parking spaces are free in Calais.
The city of Calais has nearly 50 000 places of parking spaces available in the city, only 415 are paid spaces. Paid parking is mainly located on the main roads in the city center.

Free parking

To make your visit to the city easier, there are large free parking areas spread throughout Calais:

Downtown : Place du Soldat Inconnu (town hall), Quai du Rhin (next to Calais Ville station).
Calais North : Boulevard of the Allies, Boulevard of the Resistance, Esplanade Jacques Vendroux (along the citadel of Calais).
Calais Beach.
The other towns in the Calais conurbation (Escalles, Fréthun, Hames-Boucres, Les Attaques, Nielles-les-Calais, Blériot Plage-Sangatte, Coulogne, Marck, Coquelles) have exclusively free parking.

Just in case, take advantage of your parking to recharge your electric car!: https://fr.chargemap.com/

Paid parking

455 paid parking spaces in the City Centre. All parking spaces benefit from a free half-hour of parking (ticket available by pressing the green button on the parking meter) and are free on weekends from Saturday 12 noon and on public holidays. Parking is therefore payable on the relevant lanes on the following days and times: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 14 p.m. to 18 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Prices: €1 = 1 hour, €1,50 = 1 hours, €30 = 2 hours

Free parking for a limited period

– Parking limited to 1 hour (with parking disc)

There are 42 parking spaces with a time limit of 1 hour, identifiable by the blue markings. They are regulated from 9am to 12pm and from 14pm to 18pm from Monday to Friday and from 9am to 12pm on Saturday. Users must use a parking disc that complies with European standards.

– Parking limited to 30 minutes

The regulations for these spaces apply from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 14 p.m. to 18 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. A system with light terminals is in place in the Calais-Nord district, for 30-minute parking zones.

Exception: The 2 spaces in front of the IBIS hotel on rue Royale are regulated until 21 p.m.

“Heart of Life”, the covered parking lot in the city center

This shopping center located in the city center (Boulevard Jacquard) has a parking lot on 2 levels 720 covered places in a space guarded and bright. The “Cœur de vie” shopping center being of recent construction, access to Handicapped is easy both in the shopping mall and in the parking lot.

Good plan! At “Heart of life”, 1:30 pm parking is offered without obligation to purchase. www.calaiscoeurdevie.com

Please note: parking closed on Sundays.

Just in case, take advantage of your parking to recharge your electric car ! 

Where to Park in Calais XXL