This is a place in Hauts-de-France that you must see at least once in your life

Between seaside villages, fine sandy beaches and nature reserve, this is the most charming site from the Hauts-de-France region.

From the Channel to the North Sea, the Hauts-de-France coastline is full of fabulous natural sites over more than 190 kilometers. Among its dune cords, cliffs and fine sand beaches, the The region is home to one of the most beautiful bays in the world, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is the largest estuary in the North of France. Its 7200 hectares will delight nature lovers with its diversity with a scenery that changes with each tide, fabulous colors and remarkable fauna and flora. The landscapes will certainly remind you, for those who have been there, of the scenery of Mont-Saint-Michel. Here, it's the same phenomenon, the sea enters the bay faster than it can leave. Long beaches of fine sand, colorful huts, wild moors, endless dunes, gigantic cliffs, the Bay of Somme is a gem with a thousand landscapes and shades of light!

Geographically located between Saint Quentin en Tourmont and the Pointe du Hourdel in Hauts-de-France, the Bay of Somme oscillates between land and water. We take the time to discover its bodies of water, its marshes, its dunes and salt meadows where the sheep graze and we let ourselves be enchanted by the small fishing towns that surround the bay: Le Crotoy, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Mers-les-Bains and its magnificent Belle Epoque villas or Cayeux-sur-Mer.

After enjoying delicious mussels and chips, set aside a good half day to visit the Marquenterre Ornithological Park. Birds stop in this little natural paradise to the delight of visitors: herons, storks, egrets, ducks, coots, moorhens and hundreds of other species offer an indescribable spectacle. Guides are available provision to explain the lifestyles of the birds and mammals living in the park.

If the Bay of Somme is a mecca for ornithology, it is also where we find the largest colony of harbor seal pups in France. Although they are present all year round (so bring your binoculars to admire them!), they give birth in July, the best time to observe them. Fishing is also an activity lighthouse of the bay: grey shrimp, scallops, sole, ray, monkfish, not to mention the cockle and mussel collectors! The mudflats that you will see between Saint Valéry and Le Crotoy allow you to harvest samphire, a kind of soft gherkin with branches, delicious in salads, which also feed the local birds.

Ideal for recharging your batteries far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Bay of Somme is a true haven of nature and tranquility which can be visited at any time of the year, offering different faces according to the seasons! Ready to go ? We cannot recommend enough that you book a getaway aboard the Somme Bay railway. This little steam train runs between Le Crotoy, Noyelles-sur-Mer, Saint-Valéry-en-Somme and Cayeux-sur-mer.