When people talk about Hauts-de-France and northern France, preconceptions tend to surface, with images of monotonous landscapes and austere red-brick towns. However, all you need to do is go camping in the Nord or Pas-de-Calais to change your mind. If you imagine the landscapes to be boring, take a trip to the Opal Coast to admire CAP BLANC-NEZ and CAP GRIS-NEZ, spectacular cliffs facing the English Channel. And don’t forget to make a detour to the BAIE DE SOMME, a paradise for migratory birds. As for austere cities, LILLE and its old streets, the sumptuous Grand’ Place in ARRAS and the cathedral in AMIENS will quickly make you forget them. And when it comes to culture, the NORD has nothing to envy anyone, with museums dedicated to Flemish painters and, above all, the LOUVRE in LENS, which houses part of the collections of its Parisian counterpart. All these sites will make your camping holiday in Hauts-de-France a fascinating experience.
Camping vacations by the sea in Hauts-de-France
The Hauts-de-France region boasts an exceptional 200 km of coastline. With its long sandy beaches fringed by dunes, this coastline is ideal for sand yachting. It is punctuated by sites of outstanding beauty, starting with the Grand Site des 2 Caps, comprising Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez, high cliffs facing the English Channel. The panoramic views are superb, and there are many wonderful walks to be enjoyed. The beach at Wissant, between the two capes, is one of the most beautiful in the region and one of the most beautiful in France. Victor Hugo called it “one of the most beautiful landscapes”. Further south, the Baie de Somme awaits you. A paradise for birdwatchers, whether experts or amateurs, the Baie de Somme offers landscapes whose colors change with the hours and the seasons. In this protected natural area, cliffs, sand, dunes and marshes follow one another, while sea and sky merge into one. It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise, whether you’re an expert or an amateur. The 200-hectare Parc Naturel du Marquenterre is a stopover for migratory birds. A 2 km or 4 km trail punctuated by observation posts allows you to admire a wide variety of birds.
If you prefer the underwater world to the skies above, from your seaside campsite in Hauts-de-France you can visit Nausicaa, Europe’s largest aquarium. Located in Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Opal Coast, it is home to no fewer than 58,000 animals and invites you to take a real dive into the deep sea. However, nature is not limited to the coastline. The Audomarois marshes, on the outskirts of Saint-Omer, are a gigantic labyrinth of water and greenery covering 3,700 hectares. They can be visited by flat-bottomed boat.
An exceptional heritage
The Hauts-de-France region boasts a unique heritage. Halfway between Paris and the Netherlands, this region has benefited from a variety of cultural influences, which can be seen in the narrow Flemish houses of Vieux-Lille or the superb Grand’Place in Arras. In this lowland region, man has built his own mountains. Amiens, for example, boasts France’s largest cathedral. Built from 1220 onwards, this Gothic cathedral is one of the jewels of medieval architecture in France. But it’s not the only one. The region boasts several other Gothic cathedrals of note, such as Soissons and Beauvais. But cathedrals are not the only treasures of Hauts-de-France. During your camping vacation in the Oise region, you’ll have the chance to discover the Château de Chantilly, one of the most beautiful châteaux in France, with its park and stables. Hauts-de-France has always been a land of artists. There are many museums throughout the region that pay tribute to them. The Louvre Museum in Lens, for example, has relocated some of its collections to the Pas-de-Calais. But Hauts-de-France’s heritage is not just artistic. The region was strongly influenced by industrialization in the 20th century. Mining was the mainstay of life in the region for over a century, as witnessed by the former Wallers-Aremberg mining site, made famous by the Paris-Roubaix race.
Camping in Hauts-de-France, a land of remembrance
More than any other region, Hauts-de-France was marked by the First World War. The Somme was the site of the biggest battle of 1914-1918. As a result, its territory is dotted with numerous military cemeteries, often for Common Wealth soldiers, and memorial sites. If you’re interested in this era, be sure to visit the Historial de la Grande Guerre in Péronne during your camping holiday in the Hauts-de-France, a museum that looks back not only on the conflict, but also on all its repercussions on the cultural and social life of the early 20ᵉ century. In Arras, the Wellington quarry plunges you 20 meters underground to relive the epic story of British soldiers who launched a surprise attack against the Germans in Arras.
Our campsites in Hauts-de-France
A selection of campsites with pitches for caravans, tents and motorhomes in Hauts-de-France.
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