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Boulogne offer Nausicaa Centre National de la Mer, Europe’s largest sea experience museum. Experience aqua world as it contains both aquariums and has more than 6,000 fish of more than 300 different species. Visitors can get a view of an underground aquarium which is included in the aquariums and look at fish through portholes, a tropical lagoon and the only jellyfish aquarium in France and England. If you want to know more about marine life, you can avail of the marine library at the museum and enrich yourself. Visit the Notre Dame de Boulogne medieval Cathedral which was built between 1827 and 1875. The Cathedral is famous as a popular site of pilgrimage and is 101 meter high dominating the city. Inspired by both classical and renaissance styles, it bears many similarities to St Paul’s Cathedral. There is a crypt in the Cathedral which is 128 meters long in total, and is believed to be the longest in France. The body of Jose de San Martin the South American liberator was buried in a chapel of the crypt.
You can shop in the main shopping streets such as Grande Rue, Rue Thiers, Rue Victor Hugo, Rue Nationale and the narrow, cobbled streets of the Old Town. You can buy popular items such as wines, spirits, tobacco, and French foodstuffs including cheese, meat products, cakes, pastries and bread and foiegras, chocolate, olives, oils, jams, mustard, and filter coffee. You can get hand made chocolates in Chocolaterie de Beussent in rue Thiers, wines in Le Chais in rue des Deux Ponts, cheese in Philippe Olivier in rue Thiers, delicatessen in Hediard in rue Porte Neuve.
Known as Bononia to the Romans, Boulogne was the major port connecting the rest of the empire to Britain. Boulogne is also known as the City of the Sea and the City of Arts and History because of its rich and varied heritage that dates back over 2000 years. Boulogne is well known for Notre Dame Cathedral, a medieval Cathedral which is 101 meter high. Set on a beautiful stretch of coastline, the city’s white cliff compete with Dover’s surrounded by a background of rolling hills. The Nausicaa Centre National de la Mer is famous for its giant aquariums which will appeal to the younger lot. Boulogne is a popular destination not only because of its beautiful beaches and rich history, but it has a good selection of shops, especially specialist shops which are best for picking up gifts and souvenirs of the North of France.
One can arrive at Boulogne by land. From Folkestone to Calais the journey via Eurotunnel, it is approximately a 20 minute drive. However, by ferry it will take only 1 hour and 15 minutes from Dover to Calais. From Dover to Calais the Seacat takes only 50 minutes to reach Boulogne. From London Waterloo the journey via Eurostar takes about 2 hour 20 minutes and from Ashford, Kent, 1 hour 30 minutes, changing at Calais Frethun for Boulogne. If you travel by coaches from London Victoria to Boulogne, it will take approximately 5 hours.
Make your stay memorable by selecting Boulogne hotels as your choice of accommodation. The Jardins de Paris Boulogne is equally suitable for both leisure and corporate travelers as it is ideally located about 15 minutes from the famous Champs-Elysees Avenue and 20 minutes from the Latin Quarter and the Opera area. Enjoy the world-class facilities offered at the hotel. Located 10 min from the Nausicaa marine centre and 5 km from the beaches and casino of Boulogne, the Ibis Boulogne sur Mer Vieille Ville hotel is the best choice as it is near by many restaurants. For business travelers, the hotel provides Wifi broadband Internet access.
If you have come to Boulogne, Brasserie Hamiot restaurant is the right place to dine. You will be served some of the finest French food and will enjoy the service and the ambience of the place. For cake and pastry lovers, Patissier Fred is a good option to stop by to bite a piece of cake and pastry. Patissier Fred is located on Place Dalton from where you will get a very beautiful view of the place while sipping a cup of coffee. Osteria de’Poeti Restaurant may be a good place to try the Bolonese classics such as lasagna, tortelloni in brodo (in stock) and tagliatelle al ragu (meat sauce), and it also offers fine wine.
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