From Lille to the Opal coast, wonders of the north

This former swimming pool has been converted into a beautiful museum. You can walk along the corridors between the Master paintings. The painting, Cock fight in Flanders, which was painted by the Belgian artist Rémy Cogghe in 1889, can be found here!

It's a huge market! You can find anything there: from toilet cubicles to Master paintings… It's a great place to go when you want to meet up and enjoy mussels and French fries. Real mountains of shells rise along the pavements at the end of the event. It's also an excuse to have a party!

Built between the XIth and XVIIth centuries in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands, these belfries still dominate the scenery. In Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque styles, they once performed multiple functions: watch towers, prisons, safes, etc. They are still a symbol of this region and were classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. Some of the most famous are: Béthune, Bergues, Calais, Arras and Armentières.

The Audomarois marshlands extend over more than 3,700 hectares and 700 km of waterways (of which 170 km are navigable). The monks who settled here were the first to cultivated these fertile soils. Today, forty market gardeners still produce beautiful vegetables here. Emphasising the relationship between the land and its people, the marshlands were recently awarded the 'Man and Biosphere' label by UNESCO.

Nausicaá is an incredible centre dedicated to the sea which is located between the beach and the city port. The site has assembled some 40 aquariums and terrariums since 1991 and is home to nearly 36,000 marine species (the giant shark tank is amazing!). Films and wonderful displays for all generations are shown. But there is no age limit when it comes to touching the rays or spotted dogfish…

Philippe Olivier was chosen as the best cheese maker in France in 1996 and comes from a long line of cheese makers. His family has been collecting, producing and selling cheeses since 1907! Favouring small producers, his raw milk cheeses are carefully matured in his cellars in Boulogne-sur-Mer. So how could you possibly leave his shop without buying some Maroilles, Avesnes or Cambrai boulette, Crayeux de Roncq or Sire de Créquy?

You can come and breathe in the atmosphere and buy your fish as early as 8 am. Many little stalls sell the day's catch there. Scallops, sole, turbot, cod and flounder for a little weekend in Le Touquet… The sea fishing aquarium-museum is also nearby. It is a little-known yet quality tourist attraction.