Calais has been a favourite destination for the British for more than a century and while some may say it can be a bit grey when the drizzle is falling, its shops and restaurants still bring a smile to even the most seasoned visitor.

“We came, we ate, we shopped” could be the rallying cry of the average tripper to the town. Undoubtedly the food is fantastic value compared with the UK and filling the boot of the car at one of the many hypermarkets can save a small fortune. For fine foods, the restaurants along Rue Royale and Rue de La Mer can readily please most palates. Seafood is, of course, a speciality (including Calais sole!) but the little known regional cheeses including Le Cour d'Arras, Le Rollot and Le Vieux Boulogne are also worth tasting.

Calais has been besieged and overrun many times, notably in 1347 by the English when six of the town’s burghers offered themselves in exchange for the starving inhabitants. Rodin’s statue in front of the town hall reminds Calaisians daily of their chequered past.

	Arras tunnels

Invaders from across the Channel still roam the streets but there are still many undiscovered corners largely untouched by the day-trippers. Place d’Armes has kept a traditional mix of boutiques and boasts the fine Bar à Vins for specialist wines. On Wednesdays and Saturday mornings the square is taken over by the market. The local museum devoted to lace, whose origins can be traced to Nottingham, is on Rue Richelieu. If the weather stays kind the sandy beach makes a nice stroll.

Serious shoppers mainly make a dash for the trolleys at Cité Europe – the huge hypermarket complex near Eurotunnel’s terminal – with its Tesco Vin Plus and Carrefour superstore. A little less well known is the Auchan complex in the village of Coquelles which also includes a Sainsburys store.

Boulogne has kept much of its charm as a fishing port despite losing out to Calais as the main ferry port. The old walled town with the château and the colossal dome of the cathedral is worth exploring on foot, although many of the restaurants may have more British customers than French.

	Sealions at Nausicaa

The shops along Rue Thiers, Grand Rue and Rue Victor Hugo are worth browsing for anything from fine leather bags to glassware. For an afternoon or Sunday morning head for Nausicaa, France’s National Sea Centre on Boulevard Ste Breuve which is open all year. Glass tunnels with sea-lions swimming all around and the touch tank keep visitors wide-eyed.

In warm weather there are catamarans and windsurf boards for hire as well as sandyachts and even chars à voile (windsurfing on wheels).

East along the coast from Boulogne is Wimereux, popular at the beginning of the 20th century with the well-to-do from both sides of the Channel. Its individualistic architecture merits a stroll through the backstreets and the L’Atlantic hotel and restaurant on the seafront (where Hitler gazed towards the white cliffs) and the wine merchant Mille Vignes are worth a visit. For golf fans, nearby Hardelot has two 18 hole courses.

	La Tour St Bertin, St Omer

Sleepier than many expect for a regional capital, Arras is one of the most beautiful towns in northern France. Its 17th and 18th facades encircling the two massive main squares are architectural gems – all the more astonishing in that the stone that they are carved from was dug from beneath the town. The resulting 32kms of subterranean passages were once an underground city, frequented by the inhabitants in cold weather and the vast chambers used as banqueting halls after dark.

Fighting above ground during the first and second world wars saw the tunnels used as shelters and the guided tours starting from the town hall evoke an era of life without light. There are markets on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings.

Before the mines were closed Béthune was the place to be seen. Robbed of its industrial wealth the town remains a wealthy centre with plenty to keep the shopaholic amused. Nearby Lens is probably most famous for its football stadium.

	Wooden houses in Wimereux

Having the official nickname Paris-Plage neatly sums up Le Touquet. It rapidly overtook Dieppe as the favoured summer spot for wealthy Parisians in the early 20th century and has never lost it. Hansel and Gretel style country villas spread from the town centre along the tree-lined avenues hinting that Le Touquet caters for the wealthiest of (part-time) residents.

Riding, tennis, sand yachting and golf are all readily available and there is a plush casino for after hours entertainment. The indoor and outdoor swimming complex Aqualud on the beach is always popular - being heated all year round with wave machines and water slides. The shopping is typically Parisian – eccentric and expensive – although the market on Saturday mornings is of interest. For serious fans of powered two-wheelers, the Enduro 24 hour motorcycle scramble across the dunes in February is a major treat.

A short run inland from Le Touquet is the picturesque walled town of Montreuil sur Mer. Standing proud on the hill, Montreuil was where Victor Hugo based part of Les Misérables and looking down many of the tiny paved streets, it’s easy to imagine the place has not changed that much. The market is on Saturday mornings.

	La Côte d'Opale

St Omer is perhaps best known for its gothic basilica (it was once a cathedral) and, although the town is often bypassed, it is remarkable for the large number of 17th and 18th century townhouses. The surrounding area hardly warrants its nickname “Venice of the North” but the network of canals is still surprising.