The famend wine and spirits warehouses Calais Vins and Olivier Vins in Calais, among the many largest and finest wine shops in France have a free day journey supply from Dover to Calais. Fill your boot with some glorious wines – and spend the day discovering the fascinating city of Calais simply 26 miles from the UK’s shores.
Load up with some actually good wines, beers, spirits and extra – and get a wonderful deal, plus have an amazing day trip.
One of the best wine shops in France
You’ll discover an enormous vary of wines, beers (for which the north of France is legendary) and spirits at Calais Vins and Olivier Vins. The workers within the retailer are specialists who can advise you on an unlimited vary of merchandise. Well-known wines corresponding to Chablis, Sancerre, Fleurie, Pomard, Nuits St Georges, Saint Emilion, Saint Julien, Pomerol, Médoc, Côtes du Rhone, Côtes Rotie, Vacqueyras and Gigondas are all in inventory. And you may select from merchandise from lots of the best-known producers, corresponding to Jaboulet, Guigal, Louis Latour, Joseph Drouhin and Gérard Bertrand. With French costs – that are a lot decrease than within the UK, and with the ability to declare again 15% VAT (see under), you’ll make nice financial savings.
What to see and do in Calais on a day journey
In recent times Calais has undergone a change, not only a place to ‘undergo’ if you arrive on the port or Eurotunnel, it’s now a cool place with a very revamped seaside space. The lengthy sandy seaside is nice for stress-free, with sandcastle contests, out of doors movie screenings, concert events, meals village, pop up bars and kiosks, vibrant seaside huts and a pier with a viewing level to look at the ferries come and go, it’s a sight price testing. And it’s the place you’ll spot Calais’s should see – a roving dragon!
The monumental Calais dragon ambles alongside the seafront, respiration hearth, spitting water, flaring its wings and batting its lengthy eyelids because it provides rides across the city. Even when it’s not in motion, you’ll be able to go to its ‘lair’ near the seaside. From October 2025, you’ll additionally be capable to experience on the again of an enormous mechanical lizard.
Take a brief drive around the coast and also you’ll spot the White Cliffs of Dover on a transparent day and uncover lovely little fishing villages the place it feels as if time has stood nonetheless.
Or hop on a ship and take a canal tour – it’s not a widely known attraction however it’s a good way to find the world. It’s also possible to rent a motorbike, or hop on the Balad’in free shuttle bus which presents connections to 13 native cities. Our tip is to easily wander. It’s not an enormous metropolis and simply walkable and there’s heaps to see.
Tradition and historical past in Calais
Calais is legendary for its custom of lacemaking, imported to town by staff from Nottingham within the early 19th century. Many of those lace-makers decamped with their machines to make and promote their work on this a part of France. The city’s Cité Dentelle Mode museum of lace and trend brings the heritage of lace making to life with conventional Jacquard lace machines that also work. There are quite a few exhibition galleries, designed by the identical crew who created Jean-Paul Gaultier’s HQ, and annually a superb exhibition highlights designers, high fashion and trend; previous reveals have included Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy and Balenciaga.
This space of France has a lot of UNESCO listed belfries and the Calais Belfry is among the many best. From its tall perch, you’ll have magnificent views of the city and the Channel.
The belfry is subsequent to the palatial city corridor, which was accomplished in 1925. The outside combines Flemish and Renaissance architectural types, whereas the Artwork Deco inside options wrought iron, marble and stained glass. It’s right here that Charles de Gaulle married an area woman.
In entrance of the city corridor is an excellent sculpture by Auguste Rodin. The Burghers of Calais which commemorates an occasion within the 100 Years Battle during which town was beneath siege by the English who supplied to spare the individuals if six of its leaders would volunteer to give up themselves to the English King. Six rich burghers – bourgeois – stepped ahead, keen to die to save lots of the remaining however had been in actual fact spared because the King’s spouse begged for his or her mercy. There’s a effective arts museum (admission is free) within the city with a wonderful Rodin part.
Calais was at all times on the entrance line when France was beneath menace, and the city’s structure displays its prime place. The citadel was initially constructed within the 16th century, on the location of a medieval fortress, earlier than being rebuilt by Vauban on the orders of Louis XIV. Now it’s a stunning house to discover on foot or by bike.
Calais was occupied early on within the Second World Battle and the Museum 39-45 makes use of one of many longest Nazi bunkers in Europe. It commemorates the city’s monumental losses and the bravery of its residents throughout this turbulent interval of historical past.
The place to eat out in Calais
Overlooking the port of Calais, Oh! Mouettes specialises in contemporary fish and seafood that’s unloaded from the boats proper in entrance of the restaurant. Within the coronary heart of the city itself, the Café de Paris presents a style of Calais’s gastronomic heritage and really French dishes with a twist like snail puff pastry and garlic cream and their signature dish Flemish type Beef fondant beef cooked in beer with gingerbread. Brasserie de la Mer specialises in lavish seafood dishes, with loads of out of doors seating in effective climate – excellent for an extended lazy lunch. Bistro Histoire Ancienne, on the rue Royale, presents an excellent conventional menu with vegetarian choices (and irresistible deserts).
When you like chips – you’re in for a deal with in Calais. Close to the Dragon’s lair, the Friterie des Nations has been frying the very best chips ever for 50 years – they’re a legend in these components and their twice fried fries are memorable. They make as much as 440 lbs of chips a day in excessive season. Feast on a bag of chips as you benefit from the view over the channel and ogle a hearth respiration dragon – you received’t get that have anyplace else!
Calais was beneath English management for greater than 200 years within the Center Ages and the ties between England and France are nonetheless robust. You possibly can deal with your self to a ‘pudding’ in native bakeries – a dessert that owes quite a bit to the standard British Christmas pudding. Sure, actually! However we suggest you don’t miss the scrumptious French muffins that France is legendary for, together with the native favorite – the ‘Calais’ – a mixture of nutty meringue, almonds and low flavoured icing – totally scrumptious.
And swap grocery store searching for farmers markets the place you’ll discover scrumptious native, seasonal produce, and indulge within the well-known native cheeses at La Maison du Fromage et des Vins (1 rue André Gerschel) the place procuring features a dégustation (tasting) of native cheeses together with the Fleur d’Audresselles, creamy artisan-made Dôme de Boulogne – one other historic metropolis simply 20 minutes from Calais and Sable de Wissant and Fruité du Cap Griz-Nez which has a beer-washed rind and a memorable odour, very similar to Maroilles, it’s pungent cousin from the Nord!
Apero hour – Calais type
When you’re after a drink and a convivial ambiance, attempt Calaisfornia, a ‘idea retailer’ with a bar, whereas Le Groove seaside bar shares wines from Calais Vins. Previous-school Café de Minck overlooks the ocean entrance and presents a spread of craft beers in addition to wine. Attempt the native ‘aperitif’ – picon-bière – native beer with a touch of Picon bitters, invented within the early 1800s, this orange flavoured liqueur provides a style of je ne sais quois!
Declare your free day journey to Calais
Whenever you go to the wine-calais.co.uk web site, you simply want so as to add €300 price of wine, beer or spirits to your basket, specify which retailer you want to acquire from, along with the free day journey, to your on-line procuring basket. Whenever you take a look at, you pay a €60 deposit to substantiate your order, which is simply debited out of your card in the event you don’t acquire your wine.
As soon as your order is acquired, you’ll obtain an e mail with a reserving quantity with which you’ll be able to affirm your reserving with P&O. Pop to Calais Vins or Olivier Vins if you arrive in France to pay for and decide up your scrumptious French wines.
Go to the supply web page for extra particulars.
Scale back the price of your purchases in France by reclaiming VAT
UK residents shopping for wine in France can reclaim 15 per cent of the VAT on alcohol purchases of €100 or extra (in a single retailer). This is applicable if the alcohol is for private use, packaging is undamaged and accessible to customs and you probably have been in France for lower than six months. Calais Vins work in partnership with two totally different firms to assist make this reclamation course of so simple as potential. Your refund ought to arrive inside just a few days of your UK return.
International Blue
To make use of this service, simply acquire your tax-free type from Calais Vins if you store. Scan the bar code on the shape on the kiosks situated on the PABLO terminal within the ferry port (in the principle constructing after you go by customs) or within the passenger constructing in the event you’re travelling with Eurotunnel.
Skiptax
Obtain the free app and scan your passport to make use of this service. Store as regular after which scan your receipt. Once more, scan the bar code generated by Skiptax on the departure terminal. You must obtain your refund inside 48 hours.
How a lot wine can I carry into the UK?
Every grownup travelling to the UK from Europe can carry a private allowance of alcohol again with them. This allowance contains 18 litres (24 regular bottles) of nonetheless wine, 42 litres of beer and a further allowance for spirits, glowing wine, cider or fortified wine.
Discover out extra
To browse the choice of wine and beer on supply and make your choice, go to the Wine-Calais.co.uk web site and e book your free day journey to Calais, see the supply web page for extra particulars.
Helpful information:
Calais Vins is situated simply off the A16 motorway, exit at junction 44 ‘Calais St Pierre’. A couple of minutes’ drive from the port of Calais and the Eurotunnel terminal.Open day by day from 09.00am to 07.00pm. On Sundays and French financial institution holidays from 10.00am to 06.00pm. Simple and free parking in entrance of the store. wine-calais.co.uk
Olivier Vins et Compagnie (beforehand generally known as Franglais), CD215, 62185 Fréthun. Off the A16 motorway, exit at junction 40 ‘Gare TGV’. A couple of minutes’ drive from the Eurotunnel terminal and the port of Calais.Open day by day from 09.00am to 07.00pm. On Sundays and French financial institution holidays from 10.00am to 06.00pm. Simple and free parking in entrance of the store.
