Le Touquet is the French resort town one used to pop over to in one’s own darling little plane, so you could have a proper slap up French lunch and a dalliance at the casino. And that goes for both well to do Brits and Frenchmen. The casino is still here, along with a wonderful collection of architecturally varied, and striking, mansions, which spread out from the town — some of which have now been turned to some of the best places to stay in Le Touquet, in our opinion. And the long, sandy stretch of golden beach with its elegant promenade too.
Le Touquet today isn’t as glamorous as it was in the twenties, when it was a favourite of Noel Coward, Winston Churchill and PG Woodhouse, but it’s still a pretty resort with a great culinary scene, good shopping, and brilliant horse riding opportunities. It’s very popular with families now too.
Le Touquet is very young in comparison to Calais, which is only an hour away, and, as a result, it doesn’t really have any sites of historic interest. It does have a promenade lined with candy-coloured beach huts, a lighthouse you can sometimes see the cliffs of Dover from, and a waterpark though. And some seriously elegant Art Deco architecture. At the heart of the resort is the Rue Saint-Jean, a street lined with shops of every shape and colour: high-end boutiques, patisseries, bakeries, chocolatiers, cafes, bars and casinos; nearby, the Marche Couvert - a covered market - provides freshly-caught seafood and the famous local waffles.
Don't forget that the best places to stay in Le Touquet are always busy during the peak summer season. So if you want to guarantee a room in the best hotels, do yourself a favour and book well ahead.
