Malo Les Bains
The seaside resort of Malo les Bains, on the outskirts of Dunkerque, is THE place where locals from the Nord go as soon as the sun comes out. Its long sea front lined with pavement cafés and restaurants is perfect for a stroll followed by mussels, chips, a beer…and a waffle to finish !!!
Water sports at Malo les Bains
Its long sandy beach with colourful beach huts is perfect for board sports like sand yachting, kite surfing, paddle-boarding and so on. Walk along the beach to the Blockhaus de Leffrinckoucke, an amazing work of art !
1 hour from Lille, have a great family day out : fun and laughter guaranteed !
- Sand yachting : this is a sport that needs wind and space, so ideal for the beaches of the Nord. At low tide, there are 15km of beaches !
- Stand up paddle-boarding : it only takes a couple of hours to master both board and paddle !
- Kite surfing : space, wind and waves have made the beaches of the Nord one of the major kite surfing spots in Europe !
- Also catamaran and optimist sailing, kayaking…
- Sea wading : wading through the sea with the aid of a paddle.
So, if the weather suddenly changes in Malo-Les-Bains…
Enjoy wandering through the streets of Malo les Bains to admire the multi-coloured, architect-designed villas known as Malouines. Walk over the footbridge to the FRAC, the Dunkerque Museum of Modern Art where there is a superb panoramic view of Malo and the sea from the top floor.
Malo les Bains was also the scene of one of the largest military operations of the Second World War in 1940, Operation Dynamo, when 340,000 British and French soldiers were evacuated to England. A museum devoted to the operation which was immortalised in the film “Dunkirk” by Christopher Nolan.
And let’s not forget the Dunes de Flandres, a ‘Grand Site de France’, which run the length of the beach, great for playing hide-and-seek and also for observing wildlife !
Nearby…
Leaving Malo les Bains, stop off in Dunkerque, birthplace of the privateer Jean Bart and also the venue of a famous carnival which takes over the life of the town for two months of the year. Crowds of happy carnival goers and colourful, flower-bedecked floats move along the streets and beaches to the sound of singing !
A local ‘Malouine’ shares a secret…
« Native of Malo, I have been going to my lovely beach for sixty years, in winter when the beach is deserted to enjoy the beautiful morning light … and then in summer when it is bustling with life with beach cafés, lots of activities and no cars on the sea front... »
How to get to Malo les Bains ?
By road : from Lille on A25.
By rail : to Dunkerque
Discover the Nord department and its ‘absolute musts’ with Gites de France Nord : Lewarde Mining History Centre, Cassel, Lille, Roubaix and the Villa Cavrois, Val Joly"
