For a war-wrecked port that rose, shook itself off, and started all over again, Dunkirk has not only shown the spirit that was coined back in 1940, but by 2023 was packing sufficient tourist punch to become the Regional Capital of Culture.
And that is just for starters. It is equally well known for its food and drink, as well as its fun-loving townsfolk and Malo-les-Bains, a wide, sandy beach considered one of the best in Northern France.
Whether staying on a short break or as part of a tour of the surprisingly rural hinterland, take your pick from the following:
Maritime and Port Museum is housed in what was a tobacco warehouse, and the Dunkerque 1940/Operation Dynamo Museum is located in the wartime headquarters of the French and Allied Forces.
Dunkirk version of FRACs (Regional Contemporary Art Collections), which features mobile rather than static exhibitions and later LAAC ( The Place of Art and Contemporary Action), which, surrounded by a sculpture park, presents art from 1940 to 1980.
Visit Zuydcoote at low tide to see the shipwrecks of some of the 200-plus ships and ‘little ships’ sunk during Operation Dynamo in 1940.
Join the ‘ happy as cricket’ locals in the annual festival, which lasts from mid-January to mid-April. Highlight is the Three Joyful Days before Lent, when thousands take to the streets for fish throwing from the balcony of the town hall. As with the Church of Saint-Eloi, a striking Gothic structure partly rebuilt after wartime damage, its belfry is UNESCO-listed.
Try a choco rocher, one of 207 flavours of ice cream at Le Cornet d’Amour, a family business since 1896, or head for Aux Doigts de Jean Bart Patisserie, renowned for its chocolate and almond finger pastries inspired by Jean Bart, a state-backed pirate but a hero in his home town.
With its blend of Flemish and Picard influences, the cuisine is rich and varied. Endives are a local speciality, as are carbonade flamande (a beef and onion stew made with beer), coq à la bière (chicken in a creamy beer sauce) and rabbit with prunes.
Choose from artisan beers and local liqueurs, such as genièvre ( a Dutch type of gin made with juniper). Regional cheeses include the Vieux-Lille and the strong cows’ milk cheese Maroilles, used to make the local tart known as flamiche. Try the famous moules-frites fresh from numerous bars and beachside cafes.
Try sea wading, invented in 2007, to give your body a workout, especially when rough.
Inspired by Vauban, the famous 17th-century military engineer, the golf course architect Robert Berthet chose a military theme for the town’s golf course. Spread over woods and a high plateau open to the wind. After all, said Berthet, ‘ a golfer’s mindset is that of an attacking soldier.’
Finally, make use of the Dunkirk Greeters, who, led and managed by the tourist office www.dunkirk-tourism.com, give free walking tours to quirky villas such as Villa des Sourires (Villa of Smiles)
WARNING: Do not be put off by the port area if approaching Dunkirk by the A16. It is, after all, one of France’s leading multi-purpose ports, capable of handling all types of traffic. Take a boat trip around it instead. By combining both the commercial and cultural side, no wonder it’s smiles all round …