Day Trips To Europe France

The Sacre Coeur in Paris

France

Just 23 miles off the Kent coast, France is the easiest of our European neighbours to reach by train, plane or automobile.

It offers a vast range of contrasting landscapes, and a rich architectural heritage that includes a treasure trove for lovers of Roman architecture.

Add to this a nation that takes its food and wine very seriously - France has over 260 types of cheese and 450 wine appellations - and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a good time.

It’s also a great destination for days out in the car. Folkestone to Calais is just 35 minutes by Eurotunnel, and Dover to Calais is 75 to 90 minutes by ferry.

Calais is in the Le Nord and Picardy region and you could either spend the day exploring the countryside or head for some of the region’s picturesque cities, towns and villages.

St-Omer, Wimereux and Boulogue-sur-Mer are all under 30 minutes away; and Lille, Le Touquet and Arras can be reached in less than an hour.

Calais is also handy for exploring Belgium; the border is only 30 minutes away and in just over an hour you could be exploring the beautiful streets and canals of Bruges.

The currency is the Euro and to find out how many you get to the pound, click here.

Learning the language - if you'd like to brush up on your French, or you'd just like to learn some basic phrases, you might find these sites useful.

BBC Languages - multimedia courses for beginners and the more advanced.

Fodors - a range of useful phrases with audio and written pronunciation guides.

Ielanguages - basic to more advanced French with pronunciation guides.

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