Montreuil sur mer is a sub-prefecture in the Pas de Calais department in Hauts de France region. It is located on the Canche river, not far from Étaples. The sea, however, is now some distance away. It is surrounded by medieval ramparts, part of the reinforcement work of the famed French military engineer Vauban from his fortification of Northern France in the 17th Century. Montreuil was the setting for much of the early part of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. There is a fantastic range of sporting activities to participate in and cultural locations to visit. The town has all the amenities and services you would expect including bakeries, pharmacies, markets, doctors, hospitals. It is just 30 min away from the ferries of Boulogne sur Mer, and 90 minutes from Beauvais airport with low cost flights from the UK
Access
Montreuil is about 1 hour from Calais by car. The nearest airports are Amiens (1 hour) and Beauvais (1 hour 40mins). The nearest train station is a ten minute walk from the town, but if you travel 15 km to Etaples, there is a station Etaples-Le Touquet with links to Paris, Brussels and London.
Activities
There are two must-see museums in Montreuil; The Roger Rodière Museum and the ‘Musée de l’espoir de Franck et Mary Wooster’. Other cultural sites include ‘L’abbatiale Saint- Saulve’, ‘La Citadelle’ et ‘La Chapelle de l’Hotel-Dieu.’ La Vallee de la Course is one of the most beautiful of the valleys and is considered to be a fisherman’s paradise. Why not hire a bike and discover the area on one of the four cycle loops around the town? For sports enthusiasts, local activities include kayaking, swimming, cycling, horse-riding and many more.
Food and drink
The cuisine in this region has a mixture of French and Flemish influences. Beer is the most popular drink in the area and is often used in cooking. Many dishes also use chicory, as the north of France is the world’s leading producer. Fish and shellfish from the North Sea are very popular, especially herring, mussels and shrimps, whilst freshwater fish include trout, pike, carp and eels. Cheeses produced in the North have a strong, pungent taste and include Maroilles AOC, one of France’s oldest cheeses apparently invented by a monk in the 10th century.
The most popular drink is beer with four main types produced in the north: blonde (a light, lager type beer low in alcohol), blanche (a pale, wheat malt beer with a cloudy appearance and malty taste), brune (a dark, bitter beer made with roasted malt) and ambrée ale made with toasted malt).
The ‘Wine Society’ has now moved from Desvres to the Courtyard behind Hotel Hermitage.
Restaurants
- Les Hauts de Montreuil, 19-23 Rue Pierre Ledent, 62170 Tel: 03 21 81 95 92
- Chateau de Montreuil, 4 Chaussee des Capucins, 62170 Tel: 03 21 81 53 04
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you find a property in Montreuil sur Mer. All of our agents in Pas-de-Calais are registered French real estate agents and speak fluent and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: flat, gite, B&B, villa, castle or mansion, we will do our best to find a property in Montreuil sur Mer matching your requirements.