Sport in Le Touquet: golf, horse riding, tennis, sand yachting and board sports

Sport in Le Touquet is about much more than the beach: within a 4 km radius the resort brings together a 45-hole golf resort, an equestrian park that hosts international competitions, one of the largest clay-court tennis centres in France and two water-sports centres. It was Pierre de Coubertin, the resort's director of sport in the early 20th century, who gave it the nickname "Paradise of Sports". Here is where to practise each discipline.

Le Touquet's sports facilities at a glance

Pierre de Coubertin, who ran the resort's sports from 1903 to 1905, opened a sports ground with tennis courts at that time. The first golf course opened in 1904, as did the racecourse, and the first sand yachts appeared on the beach in 1911.

Golf and horse riding, the two historic sports

Golf: three courses between dunes and pine forest

Le Touquet Golf Resort offers La Mer, an 18-hole links laid out in 1931 by Harry Colt and Charles H. Alison, La Forêt, an 18-hole course opened in 1904 deep in the pines, and Le Manoir, a 9-hole course perfect for beginners. The sandy soil means you can play all year round; a partly covered driving range and a clubhouse complete the set-up. All the details, plus the nearby courses at Hardelot and Belle Dune, are in our guide to golf in Le Touquet.

Horse riding: from ponies to international show jumping

The equestrian park, on the edge of the Canche bay, offers pony rides for little ones, lessons and courses for all levels, and rides in the forest, the dunes and on the beach depending on the tide. It also hosts more than 50 days of competition a year, including the Touquet Classic, an international CSI 3* show-jumping event held every May, free for spectators. The neighbouring racecourse holds a few race meetings in summer. See our article where to go horse riding in Le Touquet.

Tennis, padel and a pool at the Pierre de Coubertin centre

The Pierre de Coubertin tennis centre, on the rond-point des Sports, describes itself as the leading clay-court tennis centre in France. It has:

• 18 outdoor clay courts, 3 all-weather clay courts and 5 covered, heated courts;
• padel courts and, more recently, a covered racket-sports hall with padel, pickleball and badminton;
• a 900-seat centre court;
• an outdoor pool heated to 28 °C, a restaurant and a shop.

Courts can be booked by the hour all year round, and courses for children and adults run every school holiday. Every summer, in early August, the centre court hosts a major international junior tournament, at a centre the town presents as the place where champions such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray made their early appearances.

Sand yachting, sailing and board sports

The great 7 km beach is the playground for sand yachting, the resort's signature sport since the exploits of Bertrand Lambert, five-time world champion. At the south end of the beach, the water-sports centre named after him offers sand yachting and, from April to October, surfing, paddleboarding, kitesurfing, eFoil and sea walking with qualified instructors. To the north, the Canche bay sailing centre teaches sailing on Optimists, catamarans and dinghies, rents out kayaks and paddleboards and runs guided trips in the estuary, where you sometimes come across seals.

• Sand yachting, sailing, kayaking: guide to water sports in Le Touquet
• Surfing: where to surf on the Opal Coast
• Kitesurfing: kitesurfing spots on the Opal Coast

Cycling, running and sporting events

Le Touquet is easy to get around by bike: cycle paths, forest tracks and the seafront promenade connect all the facilities without a car. The forest, waymarked with numbered posts bearing the caddie emblem, is also ideal for jogging and orienteering. Several providers also run supervised activities for families and groups.

For spectators, the big winter event is the Enduropale, a motorbike and quad race on the beach and dunes, created in 1975 and held every winter. Spring brings the Touquet Classic at the equestrian park, summer the tennis tournaments and regattas. The dates of each edition are published on the tourist office website.

Charles's tip: hire bikes for your whole stay. The golf resort, equestrian park, tennis centre and both water-sports bases are all less than 15 minutes' cycling from the centre, and you'll avoid hunting for a parking space in high summer.

Which sport for which age?

Le Touquet holds the Famille Plus label, and most facilities welcome children from a very young age. A quick guide to planning the holidays:

• Under 6: led pony rides at the equestrian park, pedalos in the Canche bay with parents, cycling on the cycle paths.
• 6 to 8: the Moussaillons club at the sailing school, baby-pony sessions then first riding lessons, tennis taster sessions during holiday courses.
• 8 to 12: sand-yachting, Optimist or catamaran courses, surf lessons (from 7), an introduction to golf on Le Manoir.
• Teenagers: sand-yachting taster session from 12, kitesurfing depending on build, padel and tennis, horse rides on the beach.
• Adults: sea walking from 16, golf on all three courses, eFoil, stand-up paddleboarding in the estuary.

During the school holidays courses fill up fast: the golden rule is to book your activities at the same time as your accommodation. The board-sports schools adapt their programme to the weather and often offer an alternative activity if the sea is too rough or there's no wind.

When to come and where to stay for an active holiday

Golf, indoor tennis and horse riding can be enjoyed all year round. Supervised water sports are concentrated between April and October, with courses during the school holidays that are best booked well in advance. Spring and early autumn are often the best times: fewer people, steady wind for board sports and pleasant temperatures for exercise.

Staying in the town centre, you can reach everything by bike. From Villa Mon Étoile, on rue d'Étaples, the beach is about a 5-minute walk away and the equestrian park just over a kilometre; for a group of sporty friends, the two apartments together form a rental for 8 people.