Poppy Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Calais, Boulougne (sp?) or similar and somewher safe to overnight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 What do you want to shop for poppy ? food wines kitchen clothes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 They're all available at the giant retail park to the east of Boulogne, which has a giant Auchan with wine targeted at Brits, lote of clothes stores (large, category killers), even electrical, D-I-Y, vehicle servicing, tyres, etc. But check the Cat service as it has a winter layoff for annual maintenance. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 Wine food Christmas stuff really. Thought might take a friend and have a couple of days away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Unless I am proved wrong the shops are shut on a Sunday that has been our experience anyway . Are you going mid week ? Don't know if it will be any good but we have always shopped at the City europe on the Saturday then drove to Le Touquet stayed and looked around the shops there in the evening then had a meal out leaving Sunday morninf back up to the shuttle depending on what time it is also stopping at Bologne old town and taking in another meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordie01 Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 some of the shops are open on sundays in the weeks leading up to xmas we sometimes go and again stop on the aire at le touqet or the quay in boulogne next to nausica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Poppy have you thought of Brugge its only 1 hour up the road and they may be having their Xmas markets on by then ?Also the Aire is very nice within easy walking distance to the town . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carioca Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 hi poppy you could cross over saturday morning drive down to Boulogne look round do a bit of shopping have a meal or whatever, then drive back up to Calais park up at citie du europe shopping centre round the back to the coach park. do a stroll round shopping centre sunday morning then back home in the afternoon "pennyless" (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 We were at City Europe a couple of weeks ago, nothing open Sunday apart from restaurants , Auchan and Sainsburys down road not open till 10am I think it was. Had a problem with timing as we where there when clocks changed. Can recommend Brugge, I loved every minute we were there, can't wait to go back. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carioca Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 hi mandy i read on here last year that it was closed on sunday, but we called in last year on sunday on way back from xmas markets in afternoon & it was open not sure if all shops were open though B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 For general shopping, just wander around the centre of Calais. Unless you want cases of cheap wine, try the Champion supermarket on the Route de Saint Omer, which continues Boulevard Victor Hugo towards St Omer: just under the A16 bridge going South-East. It is/was the N43 to St Omer. That seems to me to have a better selection of wines, though I do not mean a wider selection, at more reasonable prices then the Calais hypers specialising in selling to the Brits. We stopped at the Cite de Europe Auchan a couple of weeks back and, although the range was fairly impressive, the quality seemed to have slipped and the prices to have risen over the past year.Many people seemed to be buying just on name and price, and were loading up by the case. There were not many French customers buying the wine, either. I had great difficulty believing most was for "personal consumption", because I think most of it was indifferent wine. I think you get better value generally by avoiding the Brit oriented, and especially the Brit owned, outlets.The Champion above is a local super, not aimed at cross channel traffic, and it in these I think the best wines are on offer at the best prices. You may do better still by heading for St Omer rather than Calais or Boulogne, but I can't advise where to find a good super/hyper in St Omer. However, it's about the same distance as Boulogne, it's a nice little place, and it has retained a bit more of its character than poor old Calais. There does seem to be at least an Auchan and a Champion at Longuenesse, just East of St Omer on the N42, Avenue Leon Blum, the road to Arques la Bataille.Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 Many thanks Brian.Probably going midweek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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