Calais, Ferries and Ferry Crossings

Welcome to the Calais (France) section of FerryCrossings.org, the site for information about major UK and continental ports and the ferries between them. Our site includes an introduction to a number of ports and feature pages about the various crossing ways, lanes and routes and companies operating between them to help you plan your journey and discover interesting travel destinations along the way. You can even compare prices and save money on your ferry tickets with ads from selected major ferry lines.

Port of Calais, France

Calais. Calais is a large town in northern France and overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest stretch of water in the English Channel, between England and mainland Europe. On a clear day Dover's white cliffs appear on the horizon and can be seen from Calais, 21 miles away. Calais was once a possession of England's Crown and its loss in 1558 was a terrible blow to Queen Mary in the closing months of her reign. The town had originally fallen into the hands of the English King Edward lll in 1347 after a long and terrible siege which brought the city to the edge of starvation. Angry at the town's refusal to surrender for so long the king intended to execute all the inhabitants but retracted this decision and demanded that 6 of the town's leading citizens should sacrifice themselves instead. This they did, and came out of the city barefoot and with ropes around their necks. Their lives were spared after the successful pleas of Edward's Queen, Philippa of Hainault. The sculptor Auguste Rodin was commissioned in 1888 to sculpt a fitting monument to this act of self sacrifice. The original sculpture is in Calais but a casting of this remarkable sculpture was purchased by the British Government in 1911 and is in the Victoria Tower Gardens, close to the Houses of Parliament in London.
Following the city's capture, by King Edward, Calais was settled and governed by Englishmen for the next two centuries and the customs revenues levied on the tin, lead, cloth and wool that passed through the port were a substantial part of England's income. The governorship of Calais was an extremely important position and at one time Dick Whittington, was both Lord Mayor of London and Mayor of the Staple.

During the first World War Calais was an important port for supplies of both arms and men owing to its proximity to both England and the battlefields of northern France. During World War 2 Calais suffered badly before it fell to the German army after the Siege of Calais in May 1940. In German hands the town was heavily fortified as a defensive measure in case of Allied invasion. It was also the site from which flying bombs were launched against England and long range railway guns bombarded the southeastern corner of England. Calais suffered heavy bombing, leaving it in ruins, in 1944 as the Allies attempted to convince the German Command that an invasion attempt would take place in that area and distract attention from Normandy, the planned invasion point.

Although Calais is frequently dismissed as just a stopping off point for a ferry crossing from England, it has much more to offer than is at first obvious. Firstly, it is a popular place for short cross channel shopping trips and has numerous outlets for any number of goods. If you choose to spend a little more time in Calais then you could explore a little and find some of the old monuments and buildings that actually survived the wars. For instance the impressive 15th century neo-Flemish Style Town Hall, on which work began in 1911 but was interrupted by the 1914 - 1918 war. It was finished in 1925 and, with its 75 metre high belfry, is a wonderful sight. The icing on this particular cake is Rodin's 'Burghers of Calais' standing in front of the Town Hall. Not far away is the Church of Notre Dame, dating back to the 13th century, and the Richelieu Garden and War Memorial in honour of the dead of the two World Wars. The grandiose Calais Theatre was built at the same time as the Town Hall and close by it is the 1910 monument ot Joseph Jacquard whose invention of the loom named after him facilitated the development of the lace that contributed to Calais' wealth and fame. One of the oldenst monuments in Calais is the Watchtower, 35 metres tall and, in the 13th century at the centre of a mediaeval castle. It served to keep watch for hostile shipping and also as a beacon warning approaching boats of the port's position. It's use as a lighthouse was lost when the Calais Lighthouse was built in the mid 19th century, throwing regular beams of light that could be seen from 20 miles away. In the beautiful Park of St. Pierre is the Museum of the Second World War, housed in what was once a long German bunker designed to protect the telephone exchange of the harbour command. Let's not forget that Calais isn't just a port and ferry terminal - it has a large harbour and yacht basin and also beautiful sandy beaches within easy reach and with plenty of opportunities for walking, sailing and fishing. It can also be a great centre from which to explore the real delights of the surrounding countryside.