CAMPING GUIDE 2023


Café culture is thriving in Arras in the Pas-de- Calais department


HAUTS-DE-FRANCE Up north, your reward is a rich and diverse array of cultural


hotspots, historic towns and villages and plenty of family-friendly days out.


La Piscine Museum of Art and Industry in the Art Deco baths at Roubaix 138 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Feb/Mar 2023


For many Channel-hopping visitors to France, Hauts-de- France (the country’s large administrative region which was formed in 2014 when Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy, including their departments Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais and Somme, were offi cially merged) is the initial entry point when travelling from the UK by ferry (from Dover) or via the Eurotunnel. But don’t just drive on through and head south – this big, bountiful region is packed with fi ne cultural offerings, great Channel beaches, superb shopping options and many lovely city


break destinations. It is home to an impressive array of museums and attractions, the undisputed star of which is the sublime Louvre-Lens – the regional sister of Paris’s fl agship museum. The Great War left many scars on the people and landscapes of the region and visitors can pay their respects at a huge range of museums and memorials. Don’t miss the amazing Wellington Quarry in Arras, the Somme battlefi elds and much more besides. The region’s capital, Lille (birthplace of Charles de Gaulle – you can visit his childhood home), is as good as it gets for a city break. Browse its fi ne arts museums, the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille and enjoy people- watching on its huge main central square. A short drive up the road takes you to Roubaix, with its notable museum housed in former


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