Things to do in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France: The Best Museums

Set in a remarkable sculpture park, the LaM has established a unique itinerary for visitors, highlighting the intersection between modern art, contemporary art and art brut. With over 7,000 works, the museum provides a striking overview of the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. By encouraging new ways of interacting and thinking about art, whether through its permanent collection, temporary exhibitions or cultural programme, the museum is focused on sparking your sense of curiosity, and leaves you feeling inspired and moved. Inaugurated in 1983 to house the modern art donation bequeathed by Geneviève and Jean Masurel, the LaM has since emerged as a leading museum on the world stage. Boasting an ambitious programme, it encourages encounters between artists who not only bear witness to their time, but weave a deeply personal perspective into their work.

A secret base at the heart of Second World Wae history...A real underground town, constructed in 1943 and 1944 by the German army to go ahead with the launch V2 rockets on London, La Coupole is an exceptional site on which the destiny of Europe could have been played out...Today, it is an astonishing museum, a centre to gain an understanding of the historical and scientific stakes at play during the Second World War, from Occupation to the hidden face of space conquest. New! La Coupole now houses a revolutionary 3D planetarium. Sit insite the massive 360° room wearing your active 3D glasses and travel thtough the universe...

Maréis invites you to discover the work of a fisherman in Etaples which is well-known in France for its quality and savoir-faire. And so are the different species from the Channel and the North Sea. Thanks to a surprising and entertaining visit, your guide will bring you from the dockyard to the open sea. You will discover the different fishing techniques, and you will learn everything about life on a trawler where fishermen work day and night to bring fresh fish. Before you turn into a good fisherman, you will receive skills on how to navigate and how to make a knot such a genuine fisherman. The seaside won’t have any secrets to you anymore : thanks to an underwater camera you will watch a seabed. That will bring you a lot of surprises!

Established in Calais, inside an authentic nineteenth century lace factory, the Museum of Lace and Fashion is a specialist museum for the famous lace woven on looms. A museum of both fashion and industry, its vast galleries present the techniques, the lingerie and haute couture associated with this prestigious textile, as well as its most contemporary aspects. The high point of a visit to this important museum is to discover the lace weaving looms in operation, those monumental cast iron machines that produce this exceptional fabric.

1 MUSEUM, 3 SHIPS, 1 LIGHTHOUSE With 1,600 square meters (over 17,000 square feet) of exhibitions, 4 centuries of history, 500 works (models, videos, paintings, …) and 5 locations to visit (the Museum, 3 ships and the Risban lighthouse), we offer many ways to embark on a maritime adventure!

Enter one of the most secret place of military history, and discover a real underground town, where more than 20 000 soldiers of the Commonwealth prepared the most surprising attack of WW1.