Outdoor activities in Le Touquet: cycling, forest, dunes and wide open spaces

Between the Channel, the Canche estuary and a pine forest wrapped around the town, Le Touquet is an ideal playground for anyone who loves being active outdoors. Almost everything is flat, distances are short, and in a single day you can combine a bike ride in the forest, a walk in the dunes and a sand-yachting session on the beach.

Here are the outdoor activities to prioritise, with practical pointers to plan your outings.

Cycling, the best way to discover Le Touquet

Le Touquet is perfect for cycling: almost no hills, cycle tracks separated from the road in the forest, and a town where parking is far easier on two wheels than by car. The tourist office counts more than 100 km of paths and tracks in the commune, and the town has been awarded the "Ville à vélo du Tour de France" (Tour de France cycling town) label.

Two loops suggested by the tourist office

Both routes can be ridden at an easy pace in an hour or two with stops, and suit children who already ride on their own. Several hire shops in town offer standard bikes, e-bikes, child seats and trailers; on the seafront promenade you can also hire rosalies, the pedal cars that families love.

Riding further on the Vélomaritime

Le Touquet is a stage on the Vélomaritime, the French section of EuroVelo 4, which follows the Channel coast. Two sections start from the resort:

• Southbound, Le Touquet – Berck: about 17 km via Stella-Plage (Cucq) and Merlimont, with very little climbing, partly on cycle track and partly on shared roads.
• Northbound, Le Touquet – Boulogne-sur-Mer: about 34 km via Étaples, Neufchâtel-Hardelot and Condette, with tracks alongside the D940 and then a lovely traffic-free stretch towards Hardelot.

For a day out, the return trip to Hardelot or to Berck is realistic on e-bikes. Detailed route sheets for each stage are published on France Vélo Tourisme.

Hiking in the forest and the dunes

The resort was built just over a century ago on pine-covered dunes. This heritage shows everywhere: the municipal forest surrounds the residential districts, and to the south lie the Mayville dunes, a large protected natural area between Le Touquet and Stella-Plage. Some wooded dunes rise above 30 metres, giving a few unexpected climbs on a coast known for being flat.

Where to walk

• The municipal forest: sandy paths under the pines, ideal in hot or windy weather, as you are sheltered there.
• The Canche Bay Nature Park: three waymarked loops of 1 to 3 km starting from the Canche bay sailing centre (pine wood, dune, clifftop road).
• The Mayville dunes: landscapes of grey dunes, ponds and sea-buckthorn thickets, to be explored only on the paths.

Walking on sand is more tiring than you might think: wear good shoes and bring water. Details of the walks are in our article where to walk in Le Touquet.

On horseback, on the beach or in the forest

Horse riding is part of Le Touquet's identity. The equestrian park, one of France's major show-jumping venues, has 300 permanent stables, several outdoor and indoor arenas and, above all, some 45 km of bridleways through the forest and the dunes. The resort's riding centres offer accompanied rides for all levels, in the forest or on the beach depending on the season and the tides.

To find out where to ride and at what age to start, see our guide where to go horse riding in Le Touquet.

Golf and tennis among the pines

The outdoors in Le Touquet also means the resort's "classic" sports, played in a natural setting. The golf club has three courses: the Mer (Sea) course, laid out in the dunes and regularly ranked among the best in Europe, the Forêt (Forest) course under the pines, and a shorter course, handy for beginners. A driving range with 20 covered bays lets you practise even in uncertain weather, and clubs, trolleys and buggies can be hired on site.

The Pierre de Coubertin tennis centre, on the edge of the forest, has 18 outdoor clay courts, indoor and all-weather courts, as well as padel courts. Both venues welcome holidaymakers for single sessions or courses. To choose your course and find out about access conditions, read our guide to golf in Le Touquet.

On the beach and on the water

At low tide, the beach reveals a vast expanse of sand, perfect for sand yachting, Le Touquet's signature sport. The Bertrand Lambert Channel sailing centre, at the southern end of the beach, offers taster sessions and courses, generally from age 8, as well as paddleboarding, surfing, kitesurfing and sea walking. To the north, the more sheltered Canche bay sailing centre rents kayaks, paddleboards, catamarans and dinghies, and welcomes children on Optimists.

All the options are covered in our article on water sports in Le Touquet.

Preparing for your outdoor outings

The Opal Coast climate is mild but changeable. A few reflexes help avoid unpleasant surprises:

1. Check the tides before any activity on the beach or in the bay: they decide sand yachting, swimming and seal watching.
2. Check the wind direction: on a bike, set off into the wind and come back with it behind you.
3. Wear layers: a light windproof jacket, even in summer.
4. Respect protected areas: stay on the paths in the dunes, and do not approach animals.

The forest, for example, is home to the red squirrel, which the town now protects with rope bridges installed above some of the avenues. To find out all about the animals to look out for, read our article on Le Touquet's wildlife.

Charles's tip: hire bikes for your whole stay rather than by the day. In Le Touquet you cycle to the market, the beach and the restaurant, and you end up leaving the car in the garage until you leave. From Villa Mon Étoile, the forest and the seafront promenade are just a few minutes' pedalling away.