The best views in Le Touquet: panoramas and sunsets

The best views in Le Touquet are from the top of the Canche lighthouse, the seafront promenade, the north point overlooking the Canche bay and the dunes. Because the beach faces west, the resort also offers sunsets over the Channel all year round. Here is where to go, at what time, and what you can see from each viewpoint.

The top of the Canche lighthouse

This is the resort's only true high viewpoint. The lighthouse, designed by Louis Quételart and completed in the early 1950s, is 57 m tall; 274 steps lead up to the gallery. The panorama takes in:

• the grid of streets and the villa roofs nestled in the pine forest;
• the seafront and the main beach;
• the Canche estuary, its sandbanks and Étaples on the opposite bank;
• on a clear day, the coast to the north and south.

Climbs are only offered at certain times, most often at weekends and during the school holidays, and sometimes by reservation: check the dates with the tourist office. Choose a day of clear blue sky after a rainy spell, when the air is at its most transparent.

The seafront promenade and place du Centenaire

The seafront promenade offers an open view over the Channel and a beach that stretches for several hundred metres at low tide. Place du Centenaire, at the end of rue Saint-Jean, is the evening meeting point: Alain Godon's Tour Paris-Plage stands out against the sky, and the beach bars, usually open from Easter to autumn, have terraces facing the open sea. For a quieter view, walk south along the promenade: the town fades away and only the horizon remains.

From the beach itself

At low tide, walk out to the water's edge: turn around and you'll see the resort's entire frontage, with the lighthouse rising above the pines in the background. This is the postcard view, one you don't get from the promenade. Just watch out for the incoming tide, which moves fast across these vast flat expanses, and for the channels that fill up first.

The north point and the Canche bay

North of the beach, the clifftop road (route en corniche), reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, runs along the dune to the Pointe du Touquet. The landscape changes completely: estuary, mudflats, the Canche channel and, opposite, the dunes of Camiers and the port of Étaples. This natural site is protected and forms part of the Canche Bay National Nature Reserve.

The observation hide

At the end of the corniche, a bird-watching hide overlooks the bay. At low tide you can see migrating birds and often harbour seals lying on the sandbanks. The "boucle de la corniche", a 3 km loop taking about 1 hour 30 on foot, links the sailing centre, the observation hide and the end of the seafront.

The Canche bay sailing centre also offers a fine view over the estuary, with no effort required.

The dunes and the forest

Wilder still, the dunes can be explored on foot along waymarked paths: the "boucle de la pinède" (pine-wood loop, about 1 km) and the "boucle de la dune" (dune loop, about 2 km) cross the white marram-grass dune, then the wooded dune. From the top of the ridges you take in the sea on one side and the forest on the other. Stay on the paths: dune vegetation is fragile and protects the coastline. To go further, our article where to go walking in Le Touquet details the routes.

Where and when to watch the sunset

Le Touquet beach faces west: the sun sets over the sea all year round. In summer it disappears more to the north-west, towards the Canche bay; in winter, more to the south-west. The times below are approximate for the middle of each month (French local time, one hour ahead of the UK):

At low tide the wet sand acts as a mirror and doubles the colours of the sky: this is the most photogenic moment. Check the tourist office's tide page to make the two coincide.

Charles's tip: get to the promenade twenty minutes before sunset and stay a quarter of an hour afterwards: the best colours often appear once the sun has dipped below the horizon. Bring a jacket even in summer, as the wind cools quickly in the evening.

The light of the Opal Coast, season by season

If these views are so captivating, it's also thanks to the light. It was a Le Touquet painter, Édouard Lévêque, who coined the name "Côte d'Opale" (Opal Coast) in 1911, comparing the sea's shifting reflections to those of this milky stone. Before him, the painters of the Étaples school were already coming here for these skies; their canvases are on display at the Le Touquet museum.

• Spring: often very clear air after showers, ideal for the lighthouse and long views along the coast.
• Summer: late sunsets in the north-west and long evenings on the promenade.
• Autumn: heavy, contrasting skies, very photogenic, and spring tides that uncover huge stretches of sand.
• Winter: low sun all day, an almost deserted beach, and sunsets from late afternoon.

A few photography tips

In the morning, stand on the promenade with your back to the town: the sun lights the beach and the seafront façades head-on. In the evening, frame the Tour Paris-Plage or the sand yachts in silhouette against the sky. At the north point, a small telephoto lens or binoculars are useful for the seals, which should be watched from afar and never approached.

Our viewpoints at a glance

From Villa Mon Étoile, on rue d'Étaples, the promenade is about a 5-minute walk away and the lighthouse about ten: ideal for heading out on the spur of the moment as soon as the sky clears. Discover our apartments, then read what to see in Le Touquet and our guide to the weather in Le Touquet to pick the right day.