Are you looking for the best program for a few days in the Somme Bay but don’t know where to start?
Don’t worry! We have prepared the ideal itinerary for two to three days in the Somme Bay so that you won’t miss any important landmarks or activities.
Introduction
The best things about the Somme Bay are:
- the ports
- the wildlife
- the unique biodiversity
If you want to experience all the best places and natural landscapes in just two or three days, it’s best to stay close to the bay and focus on the activities and landmarks located near the sea rather than going further inland.
To book the ideal accommodations for your stay, check out this article for a list of the many charming hotels and accommodations that we recommend in the region.
DAY 1
👉 Summary of the day: on the seafront and in the bay
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, the little train of the Somme Bay, and a guided hike across the bay
Map of DAY 1
Morning
For your first day at the Somme Bay, you should explore the city of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme.
Saint-Valery is one of three ports on the bay (along with Le Crotoy and Le Hourdel), and there are many places to visit. Here are a few important landmarks to see:
- The Promenade of the Quai Jeanne d’Arc runs alongside the marina and the canal until it reaches the beach.
- From the promenade, you can climb up some stairs to reach uptown, which offers a splendid view of the villas’ roofs and the bay. You can see Le Crotoy in the distance.
- Take some time to wander the streets of the old town and walk through the Jeanne d’Arc Gate. Do not hesitate to go down random little paved streets; it’s a good way to discover the old town.
- Located a little further from the city’s center, the Chapelle des Marins (the Sailor’s Chapel) is really unique and offers a beautiful view of the bay as you are even higher than you were while uptown.
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La Chapelle des Marins
If you need to take a break, there are restaurants around the marketplace and the quay. The earliest train from Saint-Valery to Le Crotoy usually departs around 2:30pm, so you have plenty of time to have lunch.
⏱️ Duration:
- Visiting Saint-Valery in the morning will take around three hours, plus a little time for lunch.
Afternoon
The little train of the Somme Bay is emblematic of the region. It’s not a classic tourist train; it’s a real train with locomotives and old wagons that have been renovated. Since the 1970s, the train has been maintained and continually renovated by the enthusiastic members of the Railway of the Somme Bay association.
The Saint-Valery train station is located on the quay of the marina, right next to the boats. If you arrive early, you might get to watch the turntable reposition the locomotive in the right direction for its departure.
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Saint Valery train station and the turntable
At 2:30pm, it’s time to board. You will be amazed by the quiet pace of the train as you journey through time while traversing the salt meadows and natural landscapes of the bay. You will also get to listen to the conductor’s anecdotes and stories as you travel.
Your destination: Le Crotoy. While this port on the bay is also nice to visit, we recommend that you hike across the bay from Le Crotoy to Saint-Valery with a certified guide. The guide will teach you everything there is to know about the wildlife of the bay.
Numerous guides are available to lead you across the bay from Le Crotoy to Saint-Valery, which is handy if you left your car in Saint-Valery in the morning.
⏱️ Duration:
- Commentated trip by train from Saint-Valery to Le Crotoy: 1 hour
- Hiking across the bay from Le Crotoy to Saint-Valery: around 3 hours
💰 Price:
- Commentated trip by train from Saint-Valery to Le Crotoy: €18 per adult, €13 per child (book your ticket)
- Hiking across the bay (book your hike, site in French): the prices vary depending on the guides and the options you choose, but are usually around €15 per person
💡 Our advice:
- Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather when you walk across the bay: there is a lot of sand and mud, and the weather can change very quickly.
- Depending on the tides and the train schedule, it is sometimes more practical to switch the order of the activities (hike first, then come back by train). Make sure to check the schedules of all the activities you wish to do.
DAY 2
👉 Summary of the day: the wildlife of the bay
Marquenterre Park, looking for seals from Pointe du Hourdel, Cayeux-sur-Mer
Map of DAY 2
Morning
The Somme Bay is known as a paradise for bids. Many species have made it their home, and many more stop here to rest for a few days during their migration.
Marquenterre Park is the ideal place for bird watching. Located at the northern tip of the bay in the middle of the Natural Reserve of the Somme Bay, the park is made of 200 hectares of nature, sandbanks, and water points around which the birds have made their nests.
The biggest advantage of Marquenterre Park is that you can spend as much time in it as you want. Several trails are available, the longest of which is six kilometers long. There are also shorter loops, which is handy if you come with young children.
You can use the thirteen ideally-located observation posts and the spy glasses set up by the park guides, whose keen eyes will help you spot the birds.
⏱️ Duration:
- Visit to Marquenterre Park: around 3 hours, but it depends on the trail you choose and whether or not you stop at every observation post
💰 Price:
- Visit to Marquenterre Park (book your ticket, site in French): €10.50 per adult
Afternoon
To see more of the animals that live in the bay, we suggest visiting Pointe du Hourdel at the southern tip of the bay.
Le Hourdel is famous for its lighthouse and its pebble beach, which is the best place in the bay to watch seals from the land. The largest seal colony in France lives in the Somme Bay, and several guides will help you go out and meet them (from a distance – you don’t want to disturb them!).
You can also observe the seals from the pebble beach with binoculars, then go for a walk (either by yourself or with a guide, site in French) in Le Hourdel. Several guides offer tours that cover a few kilometers of Le Hourdel so that you can see the seals and visit the town and its sandbanks.
After a long day of walking, you’ll probably need a break and a few quiet activities that allow you to rest. Le Hourdel belongs to the municipality of Cayeux-sur-Mer, a town located just a little further south.
We recommend having dinner in one of the city’s many restaurants before going for a stroll along the beach promenade called le Chemin des Planches.
The beach of Cayeux-sur-Mer is famous for its 493 beach cabins, which are frequent subjects for both professional and amateur photographers. It is also the best place to see a beautiful sunset over the bay.
⏱️ Duration:
- Distance by car from Marquenterre Park to Le Hourdel: 30km, or around 40 min by car
- La Pointe du Hourdel: around 2 hours, possibly more if you hire a guide
- Cayeux-sur-Mer: at the end of afternoon and the evening, we recommend taking around 2 hours to eat dinner and watch the sunset
💰 Price:
- Book a guide to watch the seals in Le Hourdel (site in French): €15 per adult, €7 per child
💡 Our advice:
- Again, dress appropriately for the weather, especially if you decide to hike around Le Hourdel.
DAY 3
👉 Summary of the day: between land and sea
The Somme Bay House, a boat trip in the bay, and sand yachting
Map of DAY 3
Morning
For your third day in the Somme Bay, we thought it would be nice to start the day with a peaceful activity. The Somme Bay House is a great museum that will help you see the bay in a new light. The museum is interactive and very instructive. You will learn about the species that live in the bay, the flora, and the history of the bay and its inhabitants.
The museum is divided into six themed rooms, each of which seeks to educate, raise awareness, and protect the biodiversity of the bay.
The museum’s shop promotes various local products such as the bay’s food specialties, history books, and even novels about the region.
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After visiting the museum, it’s time to visit the bay itself. Discovering the bay on foot is one thing, but discovering it from the sea gives you a whole new perspective.
Boat trips are organized from the marina of Saint-Valery by the captains known as Forest Father and Son. Their boat, the Commandant Charcot, can accommodate up to 98 passengers. The view of the villas of Saint-Valery is splendid and, as a former fisherman, Captain Forest (the father) always takes delight in sharing anecdotes about the bay.
⏱️ Duration:
- Visit to the Somme Bay House: around 1 hour and 30 min
- Traveling from the Somme Bay House to Saint-Valery: 7km, around 10 min by car
- Boat ride in the bay: 40 min at sea
💰 Price:
- Museum ticket (book your ticket): €9 per adult, €6.70 per child
- Boat trip: €12 per person (you can buy tickets at the counter located on the quay of the marina)
💡 Our advice:
- The Somme Bay House is a museum, and it’s understandable if you don’t want to spend your time indoors when the bay offers so many outdoor activities. However, the museum really is a nice experience and makes a good replacement in case an outdoor activity is unexpectedly cancelled due to bad weather.
Afternoon
After a calm morning, a bit of a thrill is in order to end your stay in the Somme Bay.
Between Le Crotoy and Fort-Mahon is a 25-kilometer beach. When the tide is low, it’s an ideal place for all kinds of sporting activities, especially sand yachting.
Don’t worry if you are a beginner – most sand yachting schools offer a few hours of initiation lessons. If you feel more adventurous, you can also go on a sand yachting hike!
Most of the establishments are located near Fort-Mahon and Quend-Plage at the western end of the Somme Bay.
⏱️ Duration:
- Distance from Saint-Valery to Fort-Mahon Plage: 30 km, around 30 to 35 minutes by car
- Sand yachting: the time spent depends on the school you book with, but is usually two to three hours
💰 Price:
- Sand yachting: around €40 per adult, but again, it depends on the school you choose.
Here are a few sand yachting schools we recommend: Aeris School (site in French), Eolia School (site in French), Ozone School
💡 Our advice:
- Again, the hours of certain activities vary with the tides, so you might need to switch the morning and afternoon activities. It’s good to be flexible and check a few days in advance. Most professionals adapt to the tide hours, so don’t worry if you have already booked an activity. You can trust them to give you the best experience possible, even if that means changing your time slot.
- If you plan to go sand yachting, it’s a good idea to bring gloves similar to bike gloves if you have them (many schools have some available if you don’t). Gloves are necessary to protect your hands from injuries; the sand yacht ropes can slip from your hands if the wind is strong.
Q&A
Is 2 to 3 days enough to visit the Somme Bay?
Two to three days is enough to visit the areas closest to the bay, enjoy the sea front, see the main landmarks, and experience the most emblematic activities.
However, the Somme Bay is full of beautiful places and unusual activities further inland. If you are able to stay longer, you will find plenty of places to visit and activities to discover.
What is the best time to visit the Somme Bay?
Spring and summer are the best seasons to visit the Somme Bay. The reason is simple: many outdoor activities can’t happen or are not as fun if the weather is bad. The weather can also change very quickly near the sea, so it’s best to do everything you can to ensure the best possible weather during your trip.
What is the most beautiful part of the Somme Bay?
The bay is full of beautiful places, but if we had to choose one, the town of Saint-Valery would be very high on the list.
It offers a magnificent view of the canal, is home to a marina, and is the starting point for boat trips. Its history, its old town, its villas, and its view of the bay from the upper town only add to its charm.
Where can I go to see a nice sunset over the Somme Bay?
The most beautiful sunsets take place on the beaches. The beach of Cayeux-sur-Mer and its promenade, le Chemin-de-Planches come to mind first, but other beaches (such as la Pointe du Hourdel or the beach of Saint-Valery) are also good places.
I aim to share my tips and recommendations for the beautiful country of France. My goal is to help you plan your next adventure, whether it’s a weekend getaway or a once-in-a-lifetime trip. From finding the best hotels and restaurants, to discovering unique activities and sights, I’ve got you covered!
