Other main towns: Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Lens, Liéven, Saint-Omer
France only gained control of Calais in 1558 after 200 years of English rule – only to lose it again in 1595 to the Spanish, who handed it back after two years.
For all three nations, the town, situated on the coast near the narrowest part of the English Channel, was strategically important.
Now also boasting the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, Calais’ significance has not diminished. It gave its name to the Pas-de-Calais department. However, despite being the largest town, it is not the prefecture. Instead, Arras, at the other end of the department, has that honour.
Pas-de-Calais is one of France’s most densely populated departments, but the spread of people is uneven, with many living in Calais and the surrounding area, and another concentration to the north of Arras where towns such as Lens and Liéven clustered around coal mines and heavy industry.
Down the coast from Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer is another large population centre, and remains France’s main fishing port.
It is reinventing itself, too, as a tourist destination and likes to be called ‘capitale de la Côte d'Opale after the stretch of spectacular chalk cliff coast found near it, which stretches down to the seaside resorts of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Berck.
Calais is the end of the A26 from Reims, but if you get off the A26 near Arras and join the A1, there is a clear route to Paris.
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The A16 autoroute, Paris-Côte d'Opale, also serves the department.
Although Eurostar trains no longer stop in Calais, there are TGV trains from here to Lille and Paris, as well as the Le Shuttle car service to the UK.
Most towns in the region have railway stations – there are 80 in the department, served by TER trains.
Property prices vary widely – seaview houses in resorts can go for a fortune, while small properties in former mining towns are available for considerably less.
The high population, however, means that prices at the lower end are higher than in some quieter, less populated parts of France.
Resort towns have a high proportion of second homes. Fashionable Le Touquet, where some of the country’s richest families have properties, has 75% of its accommodation listed as second homes.
All the following were available at the time of writing:
Under €50,000
This small brick-built house in Metz-en-Couture, south of Arras, was squeezed sideways to the road when it was built in 1930, and seems to have been partially renovated already.
It is described as having a “solid” structure, although there are signs of old water damage in some rooms where the wallpaper has already been stripped.
Under €50,000seloger
The lounge, which has glass doors opening onto the garden, has already been renovated with the original brick walls cleaned and pointed and, it seems, a new floor put down.
With 50m2 of living space and one bedroom, the house is small but it does have a 280m2 garden, now completely overgrown, and a brick garden shed.
This split-level maison bourgeoise individuelle is in the commune of Guînes, just 20km from the beach resort of Wissant.
It will need a lot of renovation, probably costing nearly as much as the €132,500 asking price.
Under €150,000seloger
But it certainly seems to have charm in a rakish, 1930s croquet-on-the-lawn style.
It has three bedrooms, 137m2 of living space and grounds of 1,016m2.
Its elevated position and large bay windows mean there should be potential for a light, airy living room, although at the moment it appears that overgrown trees take much of the light.
The living room has an original mosaic-tiled floor, but there is less attractive lino on other floors, while some rooms have bad water damage.
The notaires handling the sale warn of a DPE rating of G, the lowest.
Built in 1950, this large, seven-bedroom house has 390m2 of living space and grounds of 7,000m2, which include hundred-year-old trees.
It is in the seaside resort of Cucq, just to the south of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, and is protected by a small groundkeeper’s cottage and a curved driveway, meaning it is kept private from the road.
Over €1millionseloger
The kitchen is modern and the interior has local references, such as a cleaned and pointed brick interior wall.
