We usually go over to Calais for a shopping trip once or twice a year. This time we took Le Shuttle (very good value using Tesco vouchers) and drove down the A16 to Boulogne which is less than half an hour from the French terminal. There’s a major shopping centre just to the east of Boulogne on the N42 known as Zone Commerciale Côte d’Opale with an enormous Auchan hypermarket at its centre (plus many other major French stores.) We chose to stay at the hotelF1 immediately opposite in the Parc d’Activités de l’Inquétrie. This is a pretty basic hotel but clean and really convenient for an overnight stay near Boulogne if shopping is your primary objective. It’s terrific value at €22 a night for a triple room (plus another €3.50 each for a simple but adequate buffet breakfast.) Total cost – just over £20! If, like us, you take 2 days for the trip, then you’ve get plenty of time to wander around the centre of Boulogne too. If you want a change from your usual booze run to Calais, this is a good alternative option.
