Nestling comfortably between the sea and the forest, Le Touquet truly deserves its nickname of “Channel Gardens”. With its cottages blending harmoniously into the forest landscape and its elegant parks and gardens, the resort has a discreet charm that’s very appealing .
An elegant “garden town”
French gardens, English gardens, picturesque squares and public parks… This resort has plenty of harmonious spaces in which to relax and never hesitates to flaunt them. Far from being isolated spots, these havens of green are connected by a whole network of beautiful avenues where nature takes pride of place.
“We can of course plant a bare beach and concrete buildings with flowers, (…), but that would not make a garden. A garden is graceful order in which nothing is left to chance. The colours of the flowers, the scale of the trees, the vigour of the undergrowth, the chaotic flow of water and the languor of the grass all bow to man’s purpose.”
Maurice Verne, writer, 1927
So Le Touquet is more than just a seaside resort. It is a “garden town” where nature reigns supreme.
The gardens walk
This walk can be found in the “Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Channel Gardens” tour guide. It starts at the Conference Centre gardens, where the elegant pyramid-shaped topiaries demonstrate the expertise of the gardeners trained at the Palace of Versailles.
A stone’s throw away, the Fernand Holuigue park is at its most spectacular in spring, when a long bed of 13,700 bulbs is in full bloom along with the Japanese white cherry blossom.
The Ypres garden can be found at the site of Le Touquet’s very first park. Planted mainly with oak, cypress and cedar of Lebanon, it looks very different from its First World War days when it was cultivated to grow potatoes! In fact, its name is a nod to that period when the resort took in 3,000 Belgian refugees from the town of Ypres. The garden was completely restored in 1949 in Napolean III style.
Next, head for the town hall gardens where the boxwood beds blend harmoniously with the building’s architectural features. This characteristic is also present in the neighbouring Sainte Jeanne d’Arc church gardens, where the colourful flowerbeds seem to be in full conversation with the stained-glass windows. The gardens themselves are of cubist inspiration.
Where art and gardens meet
Follow Boulevard Daloz towards Avenue Saint-Jean, to arrive at Square Robert Lassus on the corner. Features include some elegant topiaries that pay tribute to the town’s partnership with the European Boxwood and Topiary Society (EBTS), Europe’s leading association of gardening enthusiasts.
A short distance away, you cannot miss the Jardin des Arts, a garden square that was revamped in 2017 and is regularly visited by artists. Among the trees stands a monumental stainless steel sculpture that never fails to catch the eye. It is the work of Albert Féraud.
Your next stop is the Parc des Pins. This parcel of untouched woodland is home to 93 different plant species, including 5 of patrimonial signficance. By following the footpath lined with boxwood and conifers, you’ll pass the Serge Gainsbourg bandstand before making your way via the flower-festooned Avenue du Verger, back to the Conference Centre gardens where your outing began.