Grand-Fort-Philippe: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Grand-Fort-Philippe reveals its distinctive character through a rich blend of maritime history, coastal landscapes and local life. Museums, natural areas, trails and a local speciality give the town a variety of facets, while its connection to the sea always remains apparent.

Anyone wishing to find or rent a holiday apartment in Grand-Fort-Philippe can include this type of accommodation in their own travel plans.

Culture

The Maison du Sauvetage is a museum about the voluntary sea-rescue missions in which people risked their lives to save others from the 19th century onwards. The Maison de la Mer covers the Icelandic cod fishery and tells its story through ship models and old objects. During this fishery, the men set out between February and April and did not return until September. The town centre consists mainly of fishermen’s houses from this period of expansion.

The “Du Son sur les Flots” festival is a three-day event dedicated to maritime culture, featuring a seafood banquet, historic sailing ships, demonstrations and concerts.

Nature

In Grand-Fort-Philippe, the Parc de l’Estran is an eight-hectare area of preserved nature and salt marshland where sea holly, glasswort and wild orchids grow; the GR 120 long-distance coastal trail runs through it.

In the area surrounding the town, visitors can explore the Platier d’Oye nature reserve along three routes: the 0.7-km Sentier de la flaque aux oies, the 3.6-km Sentier du Polder Ouest, of which 1.5 km is accessible to people with reduced mobility, and the 2.8-km coastal trail.

Coast and Culinary Delights

Grand-Fort-Philippe beach features fishermen’s houses, a broad foreshore and a canal. Cululute is a speciality of Grand-Fort-Philippe: a semolina brioche cooked in a cloth and served with warm rum sauce.

During the school holidays, Dunkerque Tourisme offers a guided culinary tour in Grand-Fort-Philippe.

Local Life

A weekly market takes place in the centre of Grand-Fort-Philippe every Monday morning. The Canote connects Petit-Fort-Philippe with Grand-Fort-Philippe. It can accommodate six bicycles, four pushchairs or two wheelchairs. A Véloroute greenway provides environmentally friendly connections for pedestrians and cyclists in Grand-Fort-Philippe.

Other places: Lesquin, Aubry, Haverskerque, Ramousies, Fourmies, Armbouts-Cappel, Estreux, Caudry.

For the higher-level travel overview: Nord.