Wellbeing Magazines’s guide to what to eat, where to stay and what to do in ‘the happiest town in France’

Le Touquet is like an old friend to me, writes Vanessa Munnings, blogger at www.thesunlounger.co.uk, but every time I visit (and I have been doing so for about 20 years), our friendship grows deeper and stronger, and this friend never fails to surprise me.

Where is Le Touquet-Paris-Plage?

This gem of a seaside town is situated approximately 45 minutes by car from the Channel Tunnel, on the Cote D’Opale in northern France. Just exit Le Shuttle, turn right, in the direction of Boulogne-sur-Mer, and you’ll see the Le Touquet exit in no time at all.

There is one ‘peage’ en route, but it only costs a few Euros and French roads, while you have to pay to use them, are largely fast and efficient. Only once have we been held up, but that was when the ‘yellow vests’ were protesting and they let us through the toll without having to pay. Vive la revolucion!

What’s Le Touquet like?

I visit Le Touquet at least four times a year and, every time, I find out something new about the darling place, which feels like home to me.

It’s been called the Monaco of northern France by the French themselves and, driving through the pine forest as you approach the town centre, you’ll see the affluent thatched mansions and understand why. Yes, it’s a playground for rich Parisians who have holiday homes here and property here is EXPENSIVE! But I disagree with this moniker.

The wealth is evident, but it doesn’t have that uber-rich, non-inclusive vibe which is so evident in Monaco or elsewhere on the Cote D’Azur. It simply isn’t snobby. Hands down, it’s the happiest place I’ve ever been. Visiting is like a tonic for the soul. You can’t leave feeling miserable; just reluctant that you have to go.

I say this as someone who, on the way back from dinner one evening, happened upon a road closed outside a neighbourhood tabac/newsagent/bar, and a middle-aged monsieur sporting a sequined jacket, playing French songs on his keyboard and the whole road alive with dancing locals. 

We all linked arms with the locals outside Le Quento, put our school French to best use and danced into the small hours, making many friends in the process. It’s that kind of place.

HG Wells, Noel Coward, Sean Connery, Alan Sugar, PG Wodehouse, Serge Gainsborough, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are all said to have fallen for the charms of Le Touquet – and the wife of president Macron has a home here. You’ll see the armed guards patrolling near their place, which is located above an estate agent.

What is there to do in Le Touquet?

There’s a top class golf course and a world-famous equestrian centre, plus a casino and museum. 

The beach – a soft pink vast swathe of sand which stretches as far as the eye can see – is fringed with dunes. Even in the height of summer, with all of the activities that the French are so adept at providing (boules, volleyball, children’s play areas), it never feels crowded.

There’s a tourist ‘train’ which leaves from the top of the steps by the carousel regularly and takes you around all the sights. The commentary is in French, but it’s worth it, whether you speak French or not. 

There is a great market at the end of Rue de Metz every Saturday and a farmers’ market in Quentovic every Sunday morning, where you can have a chilled glass of white and the freshest oysters, while watching a petanque match, or maybe joining in.

Before you book, check what’s on in Le Touquet, as there is often live music in the streets, which adds to the charm of this lovely place.

I come here for the food, drink, atmosphere and bit of shopping. Shops are good and varied – and not too exclusive. Chanel and Givenchy are not present in the town and rumour has it that the current mayor doesn’t want there to be, either. 

Expect reasonably-priced boutiques and a few household names, as well. as galleries and interior shops.

We come before Christmas, to stock up on wine and tins of duck confit at Cite Europe just by the tunnel exit in Calais. Despite Brexit, you can still bring 18 litres of wine into the UK. After filing your boot with wine, you can hot foot it to Le Touquet in time for lunch.

We come in the summer to sip wine with our toes in the sand and enjoy the soirees at Le Quento. I come with girl pals for a raucous catch up and also annually on my daughter’s birthday, as has become family tradition. I can’t get enough of the place.

What kind of people go to Le Touquet?

Although the town is largely visited by the French, due to its close proximity to the UK, you’ll find groups of British golfers, car enthusiasts and the like, in the town. There is a mix of ages, but it’s not a Puerto Banus – full of young would-be jet setters. It welcomes all ages.

French people and mainland Europeans in general are very welcoming to young families and there are a lot of them on the beach, but it’s so vast, you never feel as if you are surrounded by screaming kids.

Where to eat in Le Touquet?

Rue de Metz is the main thoroughfare in the town, although it’s not the only street, so do stray off it and explore. That said, it is packed with bistros and other eateries, as is Rue St Jean, which leads down to the beach and to the iconic carousel and mini Eiffel Tower faux sand sculpture.

Here are some of my current/all-time favourites:

Opaline: best for brunch

When a friend asked for a glass of prosecco with her brunch at Opaline, she was very politely told they only serve champagne. If that’s not enough to make you love a place, what is? Music to my ears.

I always have the sublime Opaline brunch (€32) which includes orange juice, a hot drink, pastry, boiled egg with soldiers, avocado or hummus toast, 18 month old Comte cheese, smoked salmon or bacon and a sweet pastry of your choice, which I generally take away with me.

Avocado toast with pomegranate, feta, zatar and pea shoots is €14.5o and a glass of Veuve Clicquot €12.50.

It’s one of those places where you have a strong urge to take photos of your food, as it is obscenely pretty. If you can, have brunch from one of the deckchairs in the garden. 

The staff speak excellent English, but are patient with those like me, who get braver with their French language skills after the first glass of champagne.

La Base Nord: best for cocktails/dinner with a view

Dine on the roomy terrace in the summer for sublime sunsets over the Baie de la Conche or in the buzzing, cosy, cutesy interior throughout the rest of the year. Whichever choice you make, it will be a good one.

The planche de la baie (€19), comprising cod balls, fish ‘rillettes’, salmon carpaccio, tempura prawns and samphire, is not to be missed.

Le Matisse: best for people watching

In the heart of the town is Le Matisse, a Touquettoise institution.

Enjoy delicious moules frites, the former being the pride of the region, on the terrace year round (they have an awning and patio heaters), sipping on Aperol Spritz and watching the well-heeled French shop for daily baguettes in the bakery opposite, kissing friends as they meet and carrying pocket-sized pooches under arm.

This place is often heaving, so I recommend booking. On our last visit, we sat inside and YMCA was blaring at full blast, so the interior might not be right for a romantic dinner for two. But if you like flaming flares in your bottles and to sing as you eat, don’t miss it.

Moules frites sets you back around €20.

Perard – best for seafood

This emblematic establishment is everything you want a French seafood restaurant to be. Sadly, I have developed a lobster allergy, so now I pass slowly and look through the windows longingly, daring not to go in, just in case. A brush with a lobster had me in an ambulance, so I can’t risk even breathing in the air.

Traditional, fresh and proud are three words I would use to describe this restaurant, which is rated one of the top seafood eateries in France. The decor is old-school and the fruit de mer is piled high.

Macron has a regular table and Alan Sugar and Tony Blair have apparently been seen here.

The assiette, loaded with crab, langoustines, oysters, whelks, prawns and shrimps is €41 per person. A three-course set menu of fish soup, catch of the day and creme brulee will set you back €34.

Enjoy it, even if I can’t.

Does Le Touquet cater for vegans?

Not massively so, I am afraid. In most restaurants, all that was on the menu for my plant-based diet daughter was a poke bowl, which she got a little bored with. 

There are some restaurants which cater for vegans, such as L’espadrille on Rue de Londres and Took Took on Boulevard du Dr Jules Pouget, but we struggle to find a typical French bistro/brasserie where we are all happy.

I also got some raised eyebrows, a tut and a head shake when I asked in one restaurant if they catered for vegans, albeit in my best French!

Where to drink in Le Touquet

There are a million and one lovely, welcoming bars in Le Touquet, so take your time and enjoy as many of them as you can. 

Le Sport Plage: best for the beach

Starting off as a hole in the wall with a few red plastic chairs at the bottom of the steps to the beach (look for the carousel and you can’t go wrong), this seasonal bar has Ibiza vibes in the summer, drinks service from your sun lounger, guest DJs and a nice menu.

There are several chiringuito-style bars along the boardwalk, but this is my favourite. Hire a sunbed for €20 a day in the summer and look out over the vast expanse of sand. I recommend the Minuty!

Le Globetrotter: best for late night revelry

An Irish bar or sports bar is somewhere I routinely avoid abroad, but not this one. Le Globetrotter is decidedly French and is the place to be if you want to mingle and soak up the party atmosphere.

Yes, it is full of middle-aged blokes on golfing weekends, but I have also had a conversation with a local lady in here about measures on the roads to prevent frogs getting squished and learned how to give commands in French to a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, to make him do tricks.

Situated next door to Le Matisse, there is sport on the TVs, but I never pay it any attention. Enjoy le craic!

Le Quento: best for mixing with the locals

Is it a tabac? Is it a newsagent? Is it a bar? It’s all of those thing and more.

Walk by in the morning and you’ll see elderly locals enjoying a small breakfast beer or glass of wine on the terrace (just the one). Pop in during the afternoon and it’s not uncommon for someone to pass round the Tupperware container of homemade Madeleines.

I simply love this place, but I’m not saying any more, as I don’t want to spoil it.

Where to stay in Le Touquet

Hotels and holiday homes for all budgets abound in Le Touquet. It is all about location. I have settled for the Quentovic part of town, which is situated midway between La Base Nord and Rue de Metz, making it quiet in the evenings but only 10 mins either way.

If you find yourself a distance from the centre, there are plenty of places to hire bikes in town. The tourist information centre can help.

Novotel Thalassa Le Touquet: best for sea views

Literally built into the dunes, book a room with a bed facing the sea and wake up to opal hues, crashing waves and the occasional, distant kite surfer. It’s built to withstand the sea air and whilst not a stunning building on the approach, it is so on the inside, with a breakfast to be marvelled at.

It is a 10-15 minute walk into the centre of town, but wander along the boardwalk and take in the salty air/some of the beach bars as you do so. 

Rooms with car park views start at about £214, but are cheaper if you become an Accor member and book directly.

If it’s full/too expensive, it has an adjoining Ibis (unlike any other I have seen) with the same views.

Air bnb/VRBO: best for flexibility

Search on either platform and you will find a plethora of accommodation – from cutesy cottages, to holiday apartments with great views and whole houses in the pine forest.

Location is important, so always check how far you are from the centre of town (using Rue de Metz as a waypoint). Be aware that in high season, properties in the centre of town might be more noisy and that parking can be expensive (we normally pay €25. for 2 days). Several holiday homes have private parking spaces, so look for those if it’s vital to you.

Hotel Red Fox: best for budget stays & the centre of town

A three-star hotel in the thick of it, steps away from bars and restaurants. Ask for the annexe, where rooms feel bigger. Expect some noise. Rooms start around the €130 mark per night.

How to spend 48 hours in Le Touquet:

Day one:

• Get a morning crossing from Folkestone on Le Shuttle (book a short stay – it’s cheaper)
• Stock up on wine at Carrefour at Cite Europe (closes at lunchtime on Sunday)
• Hot foot it for a light lunch at Matisse, followed by a bit of shopping, then find a deckchair and watch the kite surfers on the beach
• Check out Macron’s place
• Dinner at La Base Nord (booking essential), stopping at Le Quento en route
• Nightcap at Le Globetrotter

Day two:

• Brunch at Opaline, then head to the market for a mooch
• If you have room, grab a crepe at Le Mignardises on Rue de Saint Jean
• Tourist train around town or hire bikes and explore
• Dinner at Perard (booking essential)
• Back to Le Globetrotter to meet the friends you chatted to last night

Day three: 

• Grab a croissant for breakfast and baguette for lunch at one of the many bakeries and then head to the farmers’ market in Quentovic
• If you have time, the mini golf in front of the beach is fun, then back to Calais for Le Shuttle home
• If in doubt, get in touch with the tourist information centre in town

You read more reviews from Vanessa at www.thesunlounger and follow her on Instagram here and Facebook here