An Insider's Guide to Montreuil-sur-Mer
As Montreuil locals « Les Montreuillois » we are frequently asked for recommendations: where to eat, drink and shop, what to do, see and hear.
So we decided to create a platform for exactly that, an online destination gastronomique, to help you discover the best of the foodie destination we are lucky enough to call home.
Carolyn Boyd writes in The Guardian: « The northern region of Hauts-de-France has been named European Capital of Gastronomy 2023 for its enticing food experiences. Among the many initiatives are a route de la bière between the many craft breweries, cheese tastings, markets, food festivals, tours and workshops … »
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After a successful candidacy process (see the book) Hauts-de-France (Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Somme) was officially awarded European Region of Gastronomy 2023 at a ceremony in Le Touquet. It is the first region in France to receive such an accolade from IGCAT, a non-profit organisation established in 2012, which promotes regional food, culture, arts, natural assets and sustainable tourism throughout the world.
An international jury of IGCAT Experts visited the region and acknowledged its remarkable commitment to sustainability, the excellent quality of gastronomy based on the use of local products and wide participation in the bidding process.
President of IGCAT Dr. Diane Dodd congratulated Hauts-de-France for winning and awarded a European Region of Gastronomy certificate.
“I have been deeply impressed by the number of chefs who work sustainably on principle, as well as the variety of gastronomy-related visitor experiences that create opportunities for new jobs in sustainable food and culture tourism markets. Hauts-de-France has always been known for its agricultural strengths but now it is also recognised for its cultural and gastronomy assets.”
Besides positioning the region as an internationally-recognised gastronomic destination, Hauts-de-France intends to use the title European Region of Gastronomy 2023 to develop a programme of initiatives and projects aimed at promoting the well-being of residents and visitors.
An open call has been launched on the official website, where regional participants can submit projects, initiatives and events to be included into the region’s official 2023 programme.
About Hauts-de-France
From Dunkirk to Chantilly and from Lille to the Somme Bay, nature guides, mediators, forestry therapists and other wellness professionals offer their solutions to escape from everyday life, while producers and chefs put local, homemade and seasonal produce on the menu, with all the generosity of the “people of the North.” Hauts-de-France has one of the most beautiful coastlines in France, with protected natural environment, listed sites, parks, gardens, forests and countryside. Cities with a rich built and cultural heritage are being revegetated. The diverse territories that make up the region make it a highly-valued and rewarding tourist destination.
In 1837, Victor Hugo visited Montreuil-sur-Mer. Later he would set most of the first part of his most famous novel Les Misérables in the city. Each year, 500 volunteers don the costumes of characters from the novel for this sound and light show.
Fiction and reality mingle, history and dreams overlap in the mysterious setting of the citadel.
Reservations : 03 21 06 72 45 | www.lesmiserables-montreuil.com
London, MARCH 19 2022
British newspaper FT Weekend featured a Postcard from Montreuil-sur-Mer (requires Subscription), written by journalist Carolyn Boyd.
Le journal britannique FT Weekend a présenté une carte postale de Montreuil-sur-Mer (nécessite un abonnement), écrite par la journaliste Carolyn Boyd.
« It’s a drizzly night in early spring but the warmth emanating from the Grand Place bistro on the square in Montreuil-sur-Mer, an hour’s drive south of Calais, would defrost even the coldest bones. Between the stripped-back brick walls, locals at the small tables are chatting, laughing and eating regional classics, such as moules-frites or Le Welsh (the north’s cheese-laden answer to a croque-monsieur) and, in a nod to the area’s friendship with the UK, fish and chips. I tuck into the hot mussels, the steam fogging my glasses and salty chips stinging my lips, giddy with glee at being back in France… »
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Montreuil-sur-Mer features in a poll of Guardian readers’ favourite French destinations.
Montreuil-sur-Mer figure dans un sondage des destinations françaises préférées des lecteurs du journal Guardian.
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Montreuil-sur-Mer is one of the recommended destinations in this guide to holidaying in France published by The Times, London.
Journalist Lucy Shrimpton argues that France’s northern coast has so much to offer in this article in France magazine.
La journaliste Lucy Shrimpton soutient que la côte nord de la France a beaucoup à offrir dans cet article du magazine France.
completefrance.com
Brexit has not resulted in any appreciable changes for UK travellers.
As soon as deemed safe by the UK Government, tourists can visit us with a few differences:
VISA: No visa is required. A passport will suffice for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
DRIVING LICENCE: A European Driving Licence is now needed. Available for £5.50 at UK Post Offices.
TRAVEL INSURANCE/HEALTH: Britons are no longer covered by the European Health Insurance Card (though existing cards remain valid until they expire).
Travel Insurance is not obligatory, but highly advised.
PETS: The animal will need a UK Pet Passport. European Pet Passports are no longer valid for EU arrivals from the UK.
The pet must be microchipped and have a vaccination certificate issued by a vet 21 days before travel.
It’s advisable to make an appointment with your vet four months beforehand, to ensure compliance with the regulations.
Read more
Come and see us when you can!
A l’occasion de ce deuxième confinement, nous vous proposons les bonnes adresses de vente à emporter. Nos Chefs
vous concocteront vos plats préférés à déguster chez vous, afin que vous viviez cette période peu ordinaire dans
les meilleurs conditions.
The Belgian blog June visited Montreuil earlier this summer.
You will want to put some places in your pocket and take them home with you to cherish them. Montreuil-sur-Mer is such a city where time seems to stand still.
And the way in which you can discover this northern French town is quite special. How about a bike ride, a delicious lunch at a special place followed by a city visit? We think these are the ideal ingredients for a day off, just across the border.
The starting point for such a day off is Le Touquet, a fashionable seaside resort on the Opal Coast with casinos and hotels in stately buildings. From there, the cycling tour departs to the interior.
To Montreuil-sur-Mer, about 16 kilometers away, for a dinner in a unique location: in the gardens of the citadel. Here they call it “diner insolite”, an idea that arose during a dinner party between friends during the lockdown period in France. Each of them is active in the tourism sector and together they were looking for a way to entertain the many Belgians and British who come to Pas-de-Calais every year. The result is a nice mix of good food, cycling and discovering the region.
Sommige plekjes wil je in je broekzak steken en meenemen naar huis om ze te blijven koesteren. Montreuil-sur-Mer is zo’n stad waar de tijd lijkt stil te staan. En de manier waarop je dit Noord-Franse plaatsje kan ontdekken is dan ook best bijzonder. Wat denk je van een fietstocht, een heerlijke lunch op een speciale plek gevolgd door een stadsbezoek? Ons lijken dat de ideale ingrediënten voor een vrije dag, net over de grens.
Het vertrekpunt voor zo’n vrije dag is Le Touquet, een ietwat mondaine badplaats aan de Opaalkust met casino’s en hotels in statige gebouwen. Vandaaruit vertrekt de geplande fietstocht naar het binnenland. Naar Montreuil-sur-Mer, zo’n 16 kilometer verderop voor een etentje op een unieke locatie: in de tuinen van de citadel. Hier noemen ze het “diner insolite”, een idee dat ontstond tijdens een etentje tussen vrienden tijdens de lockdownperiode in Frankrijk. Elk van hen is actief in de toeristische sector en samen zochten ze een manier om de vele Belgen en Britten die jaarlijks naar Pas-de-Calais afzakken te entertainen. Het resultaat is een mooie mix van lekker eten, fietsen en de streek ontdekken.
Montreuil-sur-Mer: Frans-Belgische gastronomie aan de Opaalkust
(Diner Insolite: a lasting experience)
Cycling and gastronomic enjoyment are in the DNA of our Belgians and they have understood that well in Pas de Calais. It gave Tim and Fabienne from Club Energie Vélo the idea to fuse these notorious Belgian delicacies into a Diner Insolite. We cycle with them from the fashionable Le Touquet to the old fortified town of Montreuil-sur-Mer, where chef Guillaume Duvivier occasionally exchanges the chic interior of his Clos des Capucins for the historic backdrop of the Montreuil citadel.
Fietsen en gastronomisch genieten, het zit ons Belgen in het DNA en dat hebben ze in Pas de Calais goed begrepen. Het bracht Tim en Fabienne van Club Energie Vélo op het idee om deze notoire Belgische zaligheden te versmelten tot een Diner Insolite. Wij fietsen met hen van het mondaine Le Touquet naar het oude vestigingsstadje Montreuil-sur-Mer waar chef Guillaume Duvivier het chique interieur van z’n Clos des Capucins occasioneel verruilt voor het historische decor van de Montreuilse citadel.
Anthony Peregrine, Travel writer for The Daily Telegraph assembled three round-trips by car in France to enjoy once travel from the UK is freely permitted.
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« Contemplating post-lockdown holidays other than in Britain is accounted treachery in some quarters. This is extreme. Naturally, if I lived in Britain, I’d see the case for Dorset, the Dales or the Cairngorms in 2020. But I’d also see the case for abroad, where no-one’s heard of Matt Hancock, Simon Cowell or Wetherspoons. We may neither wish, nor be able, to go far – but abroad starts just over the Channel. And ferries and tunnel permitting, we’ll be safe in our own cars. If that sounds like you, here are three off-the- peg week-long trips you might consider. They involve no excessive driving and, in two cases, contain serious patriotic elements.
From Calais
Day 3
« On to Montreuil and Tim Matthew’s Maison 76, as noble a B&B as this region affords (maison76.com (https://maison76.com); B&B doubles £155). Dine at Alexandre Gauthier’s Anecdote (anecdote- restaurant.com (http://anecdote-restaurant.com); mains from £22)…
Day 4
« Visit Montreuil. Ramparts and a citadel recall that the place was once important, the equestrian statue of Haig that it was also British GHQ, 1916-18. The little town retains an elevated aspect. »
This weekend marks the launch of a new collaboration between La Destination Gastronomique, Club Energie Velo and the Maison du Tourism & du Patrimoine in Montreuil sur Mer.
"Pique-Nique Chic" highlights restaurateurs and food traders able to provide you with fresh and high-quality products to create your own chic picnic that you can enjoy in and around the medieval town of Montreuil-sur-Mer.
You'll find these areas highlighted on a card provided with your purchases.
(In compliance with health safety regulations)
Social distancing measures
The April edition of Living France Magazine has highlighted Montreul-sur-Mer's thriving Saturday market. The town is well known for its restaurants, shops, food, wine, hotels and notably for the hospitality of its people.
In the heart of the region just 40 minutes from Calais, this walled medieval village (2ème village préfère des français 2016) looks forward to once again welcoming visitors in the coming months.
Many thanks to journalist Lucy Shrimpton at Living France Magazine.
For more information please contact
http://www.lesmiserables-montreuil.com
In 1837, Victor Hugo visited Montreuil-sur-Mer. A few years later, he set the fortified city as the location of the first part of his most famous novel Les Misérables.
Each year, 500 volunteers perform scenes from the novel in a sound and light show. Fiction and reality mix in the atmospheric and mysterious setting of Montreuil-sur-Mer's historic Citadel.
The eight performances will take place on July 31st and on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th August 2020.
Montreuil has been selected for the third consecutive year by the Times of London in its 2020 travel guide as one of the 50 French destinations of choice for British holidaymakers.
Writing in the January 11th issue, journalist Carolyn Boyd says that the town and surrounding region are great for those travelling as a family.
She highlights Montreuil's culinary skills and the welcoming environment for families as an ideal base for discovering the magnificent Opal Coast.
Marion Sauvebois finds joy following in the footsteps of Les Misérables author Victor Hugo through the picture-perfect town which inspired his most famous work in the magazine "France Today" (en anglais)
Stéphane Thebaut and the French TV channel TV5 visited Montreuil-sur-Mer for the programme "Nos Maisons Ont Une Histoire" (Our Houses Have a History)
See the video: https://destination.pictures/nos-maisons-ont-une-historie
The second annual festival for all the senses took place in Montreuil-sur-Mer, France. From early until late, the town became a theatre of food, wine and music.
See photo gallery
Photos: © Christian Plard, Tim Matthews, Paddy Daly, Philippe Lippens, E Rivelon
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