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Musée Transmanche
(Cross-Channel Museum)
Mont d'Hubert, Escalles
Tel: 00 33 321 85 57 42

Take the coast road (La Route des Caps) south of Calais towards Sangatte and Wissant. This museum occupies a stunning site above Cap Blanc Nez (White Nose Cape) and shows the many plans, from the sublime to the ridiculous, developed by man to create a permanent link between Britain and France. There are exhibitions on using warships to cross the Channel; Thomas de Gamond, the father of the tunnel; the three early attempts to dig a tunnel; the composition of the seabed which tunnellers had to contend with.
Open: Tuesday-Saturday 10am to 6pm, April 1 to September 31. Open every day in July and August. Closed October 1-March 31.
Admission: Adult €3.81 child €3.05 under 6 free.

Centre d'information Eurotunnel
(Eurotunnel Information Centre)
Coquelles. Tel: 00 33 321 00 60 01

A permanent exhibition on the Chunnel link between England and France, with videos, models, photographs
and a laser show.
Open: Daily. October 1 to April 30, 10am to 6pm. May 1
to September 30, 10am to 7pm.
Admission: To be confirmed

Musée de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale
(Museum of the Second World War)
2 rue des Garennes, Ambleteuse. Tel: 00 33 321 87 33 01

Ambleteuse is on the coast north of Boulogne and can be reached from Calais by taking the A16/E402 motorway to the Marquise exit. This modern museum
describes the history of the Second World War, from the invasion of Poland in
1939 to the surrender of Japan in 1945.
  There are more than 100 life-size models of soldiers from different armies, as well as re-creations of campaigns and scenes from the day-to-day lives of
combatants. Visitors can see reconstructions of the war in Russia and North
Africa, the D-Day invasions and life in Paris during the occupation. There are also documentaries on the invasion of Normandy, the conflict in Provence and the liberation of Paris.
Open: Daily from April 1 to October 15, 9.30am to 7pm. Other months at weekends only, but closed in December and January.
Admission: Adults €4.50, children €2.70, children under 8 free.

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Musée du Mur de l'Atlantique
(Museum of the Atlantic Wall)
Cap Gris Nez 62179 Audinghen
Tel: 00 33 321 32 97 33
   
Take the coast road (La Route des Caps) south of Calais through Sangatte and Wissant. Audinghen is just before the turn-off for Cap Gris Nez, starting point for many a Channel swimmer.
The museum is situated in a Second World War blockhouse with collections of weapons, uniforms and military equipment, including vehicles, of the period. There are also the only 2280mm guns in the world, weighing 220 tonnes and 35 metres long.
Open: Daily February 1-March 31 and October1-November 30 9am-noon and 2pm-6pm; April 1-September 30 9am-7pm
Admission: Adults €5.33, children €2.29 (8-14 years). Children under 8 free.

Musée de la Deuxieme
Guerre Mondiale
(Museum of the Second World War)
Parc St-Pierre, 62100 Calais.
Tel: (0033) 321 34 21 57

A former German Navy command post situated in the park opposite the town hall, the museum's 20 rooms now hold uniforms, weapons, documents and many other orginal items from the Second World War.
It tells what happened in the Pas de Calais during the Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944 - and what could have happened to the British people and the whole world if their "fighting spirit" had been overcome.
Open: February 15-March 31 daily except Tuesdays 11am-5pm; April and September daily 11am-5.30pm; May 1-August 31 daily 10am-6pm; October 1-November 15 daily except Tuesdays Noon-5pm
Admission: Adults €4.50, children under 14 €3.80.
Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) €12

Base V3 de Mimoyecques
Landrethun-le-Nord
Marquise
Tel: 00 33 321 87 10 34

Situated north of the village of Marquise, off the Calais-Boulogne motorway (A16, E402), this former base for German secret weapons has now become an international monument to those who sacrificed their lives in the war.
  The London Gun was to be found in these enormous bunkers, a massive artillery piece that Hitler intended to use to destroy London from the Pas-de-Calais region of France.
Open: 2pm to 6pm, April 1 to June 30 and September 1-November 30. July and August 10am to 7pm. Sundays and public holidays 10am to 7pm.
Admission: to be confirmed

Fort Vauban
62164 Ambleteuse
Tel: (0033) 321 32 61 88

Situated on the coast road between Calais and Boulogne, this massive sea fort was built by Vauban between 1685 and 1690 to repel invaders. One hundred years later Napoleon reinforced the fortifications, using it as a camp for his army, and during the Second World War the Nazis occupied it.  
Open: April 1-June 30 and September 1- November 11 Sundays and public holidays only 3pm-7pm. July 1-August 31 open Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 3pm-7pm. Closed November 12-March 31
Admission: to be confirmed

La Maison
du Papier
(The House of Paper)
Rue Bernard Chochoy, Esquerdes
Tel: 00 33 321 95 45 25

Situated off Exit 3 of the A26 (E15) motorway. La Maison du Papier is a museum that focuses on the fascinating history of paper and the way it is made by hand.
The story begins in China, where paper was invented, and takes you along the mythical Highway of Paper to Europe where the production process was developed and refined in workshops and studios.
Visitors to the Maison du Papier can even make their own sheets of paper and there is a shop selling unusual paper products.
Open: Daily except Saturday 9am-12.30pm and 2pm-6.30pm. Closed November 15-February 15
Admission: Adults, €3.81. Children 5-15 €2.29. Under 5s free.

Musée des Beaux-Arts
et de la Dentelle
(Museum of Fine Arts and Lace-making)
25 rue Richelieu
Calais
Tel: 00 33 321 46 48 40
THE series of rooms in this museum tell the story of Calais' past, including its famous industry of lace-making, with beautiful examples of lacework and how it is used in clothing and the fashion industry. There are collections of paintings
by the Flemish and Dutch schools, as well as an exhibition illustrating the development of sculpture from the 19th century to the present, with works by Rodin (right), Derain and Picasso.
Open: from 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 5.30pm. Closed on Tuesdays and public holidays. On Saturday open from 10am-noon and 2pm-6.30pm and on Sunday from 2pm to 6.30pm.
Admission: Adults €2.29 Child €1.52

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Out and about
around Calais
DONE all your shopping? Got a few hours to spare? Then why not visit those parts of the Calais region that lots of Britons never reach?  

Saint-Joseph Village de l'Artisan Roi
(Craft Village of St Joseph)
Le Marais, 1er Banc, Guines. Tel: 00 33 321 82 45 45

Guines is situated due south of Calais, about seven miles down the D127 road through Coulogne. The craft village lies in the nature reserve of the Guines marshland, one of the most beautiful parts of the Pas-de-Calais region. Here you will find craftsmen working just as they did at the beginning of the century, including a glazier, furniture-maker, baker and even an innkeeper. Temporary exhibitions and special activities are organised throughout the year, with workshops for children a popular attraction. There is a shop and refreshment facilities.
 Guided tours are available and the facilities are accessible for wheelchairs.
Open: June 15-September 15, 10am-6pm
Admission: to be confirmed