Le Touquet or Berck: Which Resort Should You Choose for Your Holiday?

Le Touquet or Berck? The two resorts sit on the same stretch of coast, 18 km apart, with Stella-Plage and Merlimont in between. Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is a chic garden town built in the forest; Berck-sur-Mer is a larger seaside town shaped by its fishing past and its history of sea-air cures. Here is our honest comparison to help you choose your base, or enjoy both.

Le Touquet and Berck: the comparison at a glance

Two very different stories

Berck, from fishing to sea cures

Berck was first a fishing village. In the mid-19th century, a widow nicknamed “Marianne Toute Seule” began bathing sick children in the sea, and the town discovered a medical vocation. In 1869, Empress Eugénie opened the maritime hospital, soon followed by other institutions. Berck became a major centre for treatment by sea and sea air, a health vocation it keeps today with several hospitals. Its light also attracted painters, including Édouard Manet and Eugène Boudin.

Le Touquet, the Roaring Twenties resort

Le Touquet was born in 1882 as a housing development among pine-planted dunes, before attracting British visitors and then fashionable Parisian society between the wars. Its Anglo-Norman and Art Deco villas, its golf courses and its grand hotels tell this story, which is detailed in our article on the history of Le Touquet.

Beaches and nature: the Authie bay versus the Canche bay

Both resorts have a large fine sandy beach, flat and very wide at low tide, ideal for walking, playing or sand yachting. In Berck, a long promenade runs along the seafront; in Le Touquet, the beach stretches for more than 12 km and stays wide even at high tide.

The real difference lies in the bays. South of Berck, the Authie bay is home to colonies of harbour seals and grey seals, which rest on the sandbanks at low tide. It is one of the best seal-watching spots on the coast. North of Le Touquet, the Canche bay is above all a major site for birds, with seals seen more occasionally. In both cases, keep at least 300 m between you and the animals and bring binoculars. To find out more, read our guide to wildlife around Le Touquet.

• To maximise your chances of seeing seals: Berck and the Authie bay have the edge.
• To walk or cycle in the shade of the pines: Le Touquet and its forest have the edge.

Atmosphere, budget and everyday life

Berck is a town of nearly 13,000 people, the largest on this part of the coast. You will find a shopping centre, fish and seafood restaurants, a casino, a museum devoted to marine painting and fishing, and a down-to-earth, family atmosphere. Accommodation is varied and generally considered more affordable than in the most sought-after resorts.

Le Touquet, which is smaller, has a more chic atmosphere: shops and restaurants on rue Saint-Jean, covered market, villas among the pines, grand hotels. Prices are higher on average, in return for a very well-kept setting and a dense choice of leisure activities. Our tips for enjoying Le Touquet on a budget help keep spending under control.

Both towns live all year round, which makes them good off-season destinations, unlike some smaller resorts on the coast.

Events and leisure: kites, sand yachting and golf

• Kites in Berck: every year in April, for about nine days, the international kite festival (Rencontres internationales de cerfs-volants) brings hundreds of kite flyers from all over the world to the beach. Held since the late 1980s, it draws very large crowds; book early.
• Enduropale in Le Touquet: every winter, this motorbike and quad race on the sand is the resort's most popular event.
• Sand yachting: both resorts are well-known spots, with several centres offering beginner sessions.
• Golf: a clear advantage for Le Touquet, with three courses including La Mer, a links among the dunes.
• Lighthouse: Berck and Le Touquet each have their own; Berck's dates from 1961, while Le Touquet's brick lighthouse can be visited at certain times of year.

In between: Stella-Plage and Merlimont

Between Le Touquet and Berck, the beach continues almost without a break, lined by two smaller resorts that are often chosen by families.

Stella-Plage

Stella-Plage is a seaside district of the municipality of Cucq, about 5 km south of Le Touquet's centre. Launched just before the First World War and officially opened in 1923, it is a family resort set in the dunes, whose beach is a direct continuation of Le Touquet's. Quiet atmosphere, villas, plenty of sand: you can cycle there from Le Touquet.

Merlimont

A little further south, Merlimont has about 3 km of west-facing fine sandy beach, known for its sunsets, and some of the highest dunes in the area, close to 50 m. It is also home to Parc Bagatelle, one of the oldest amusement parks in France, opened in 1955: a very popular outing with children. More ideas are gathered in Le Touquet with kids.

So, Le Touquet or Berck?

Our view, depending on your profile:

1. You dream of seeing seals or giant kites: Berck, for the Authie bay and its April festival.
2. You are looking for a cheaper stay: Berck or the small neighbouring resorts.
3. You want to do everything on foot or by bike, between beach, forest and shops: Le Touquet.
4. You play golf or love seaside architecture: Le Touquet.
5. You have young children: both work; Stella-Plage and Merlimont are good, quiet compromises.

As for access, both towns are about 2 hours 45 minutes' drive from Paris via the A16 and have a TGV station nearby: Étaples-Le Touquet on one side, Rang-du-Fliers–Verton–Berck on the other. As they are only 25 minutes apart, nothing stops you from staying in one and spending a day in the other.

Charles's tip: to see the seals from Le Touquet, check the tide times and arrive in Berck one to two hours before low tide. Walk towards the Authie bay, south of the town, with binoculars, keeping well away from the sandbanks. On the way back, stop on Merlimont beach for the sunset.

And if you choose Le Touquet, our apartments at Villa Mon Étoile, 300 m from the beach, sleep up to 8 people when you book Hélios and Cassiopée together. Also torn between Le Touquet and the northern part of the coast? Read our comparison Le Touquet or Hardelot.