The Côte d’Opale Voted Best Destination by French Radio Listeners

   3
The Côte d’Opale Voted Best Destination by French Radio Listeners

Listeners of the French radio station RTL were asked to vote for their favourite destination among a number of French locations which were presented over the course of a week by some of the station’s best-known broadcasters. 

Back in April, different voices among RTL’s journalists and broadcasters spoke of different regions, cities and natural sites in France, telling listeners why they particularly loved their chosen corner of France. Listeners were then invited to vote for their favourite on the website and app of RTL and the results were swift: the Côte d’Opale came first with 31% of the total votes.  

With the Channel lapping at the foot of startlingly white cliffs, the Côte d’Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département faces England and is largely under-rated. Or so thought radio broadcaster François Lenglet who chose to highlight this destination and waxed lyrical about the “astonishing milky white sea” and “long, flat sandy beaches” on which you can walk for hours. Home to Calais, Le Touquet, and Boulogne-sur-Mer and its fantastic Nausicaa centre, this beautiful coastal area is a vibrant maritime destination loved by families. 

Read More: Great Northern Road Trips

The Plus Beau Village of Conques, in the Aveyron © shutterstock

The green and gentle Aveyron, defended by celebrity chef Cyril Lignac came second with 24% of votes, followed by the Atlantic island of Noirmoutier (15% of votes), chosen by Pascal Praud.  

Other destinations included Lyon, Verdon and its canyons in Provence, Nice, Mont-Cenis in Savoie, Aubigny-sur-Nère in the Sologne, sun-kissed Porquerolles on the Côte d’Azur, Compiègne in Oise and Gujan-Mestras in Gironde. 

Voting took place between April 10 and 16 and collected nearly 40,000 votes. Listen back to the radio shows (in French) to discover the areas on RTL: https://www.rtl.fr/actu/debats-societe/les-grandes-voix-de-rtl-vous-emmenent-en-week-end-7900253843  

Which of these destinations is your favourite? Have your say! 

Lead photo credit : The Côte d'Opale in Pas-de-Calais was voted best destination in France © shutterstock

Share to:  Facebook  Twitter   LinkedIn   Email

More in best destinations, côte d'opale, holiday in France, pas-de-calais

Previous Article Carnet de Voyage: from Dordogne Châteaux to Saint-Emilion Wines
Next Article French Restaurant Review: Prunier, Paris

Related Articles


Sophie is Digital Editor for France Today. Raised in Burgundy to British parents, she grew up bilingual in a small village where summers were about forest walks and lazy swims in the river. A Franco-British citizen, she studied literature, then journalism in Paris and Cardiff before quickly dipping her toes (and quill) into travel writing. She’s been specialised and writing about France since 2016 and now works from her home office in north-east France.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  • Barry Tempest
    2023-05-12 05:43:20
    Barry Tempest
    Back in 1958 With a friend from college I made my first overseas flight in a Tiger Moth to Berck sur Mer on the Cote d'Opale. We flew via Le Touquet for customs then to the small airfield at Berck which had been a Luftwaffe fighter base in WW2. The owners made us very welcome and we made our way to the beach where we camped in the sand dunes. A shock to our English sensitivities came from the unisex toilet block but we got used to it. As we had limited funds we found a couple of cheap restaurants and enjoyed the local cuisine. A wonderful introduction to la belle France and we returned to England a little poorer and sunburned but richer in experience. Merci mille fois.

    REPLY