The renowned wine and spirits warehouses Calais Vins and Olivier Vins in Calais, among the biggest and best wine stores in France have a free day trip offer from Dover to Calais. Fill your boot with some excellent wines – and spend the day discovering the fascinating town of Calais just 26 miles from the UK’s shores.
Load up with some truly brilliant wines, beers, spirits and more – and get an excellent deal, plus have a great day out.
The best wine stores in France
You’ll find a huge range of wines, beers (for which the north of France is famous) and spirits at Calais Vins and Olivier Vins. The staff in the store are experts who can advise you on a vast range of products. Famous wines such as Chablis, Sancerre, Fleurie, Pomard, Nuits St Georges, Saint Emilion, Saint Julien, Pomerol, Médoc, Côtes du Rhone, Côtes Rotie, Vacqueyras and Gigondas are all in stock. And you can choose from products from many of the best-known producers, such as Jaboulet, Guigal, Louis Latour, Joseph Drouhin and Gérard Bertrand. With French prices – which are much lower than in the UK, and being able to claim back 15% VAT (see below), you’ll make great savings.
What to see and do in Calais on a day trip
In recent years Calais has undergone a transformation, not just a place to ‘go through’ when you arrive at the port or Eurotunnel, it’s now a cool place with a totally revamped beach area. The long sandy beach is great for relaxing, with sandcastle contests, outdoor film screenings, concerts, food village, pop up bars and kiosks, colourful beach huts and a pier with a viewing point to watch the ferries come and go, it’s a sight worth checking out. And it’s where you’ll spot Calais’s must see – a roving dragon!
The monumental Calais dragon ambles along the seafront, breathing fire, spitting water, flaring its wings and batting its long eyelids as it gives rides around the town. Even when it’s not in action, you can visit its ‘lair’ close to the beach. From October 2025, you’ll also be able to ride on the back of a giant mechanical lizard.
Take a short drive round the coast and you’ll spot the White Cliffs of Dover on a clear day and discover beautiful little fishing villages where it feels as if time has stood still.
Or hop on a boat and take a canal tour – it’s not a well-known attraction but it’s a great way to discover the area. You can also hire a bike, or hop on the Balad’in free shuttle bus which offers connections to 13 local towns. Our tip is to simply wander. It’s not a big city and easily walkable and there’s lots to see.
Culture and history in Calais
Calais is famous for its tradition of lacemaking, imported to the city by workers from Nottingham in the early 19th century. Many of these lace-makers decamped with their machines to make and sell their work in this part of France. The town’s Cité Dentelle Mode museum of lace and fashion brings the heritage of lace making to life with traditional Jacquard lace machines that still work. There are numerous exhibition galleries, designed by the same team who created Jean-Paul Gaultier’s HQ, and each year a fabulous exhibition highlights designers, haute couture and fashion; past shows have included Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy and Balenciaga.
This area of France has a number of UNESCO listed belfries and the Calais Belfry is among the finest. From its tall perch, you’ll have magnificent views of the town and the Channel.
The belfry is next to the palatial town hall, which was completed in 1925. The exterior combines Flemish and Renaissance architectural styles, while the Art Deco interior features wrought iron, marble and stained glass. It’s here that Charles de Gaulle married a local girl.
In front of the town hall is a super sculpture by Auguste Rodin. The Burghers of Calais which commemorates an event in the 100 Years War in which the city was under siege by the English who offered to spare the people if six of its leaders would volunteer to surrender themselves to the English King. Six wealthy burghers – bourgeois – stepped forward, willing to die to save the rest but were in fact spared as the King’s wife begged for their mercy. There’s a fine arts museum (admission is free) in the town with an excellent Rodin section.
Calais was always on the front line when France was under threat, and the town’s architecture reflects its prime position. The citadel was originally constructed in the 16th century, on the site of a medieval castle, before being rebuilt by Vauban on the orders of Louis XIV. Now it’s a lovely space to explore on foot or by bike.
Calais was occupied early on in the Second World War and the Museum 39-45 makes use of one of the longest Nazi bunkers in Europe. It commemorates the town’s enormous losses and the bravery of its citizens during this turbulent period of history.
Where to eat out in Calais
Overlooking the port of Calais, Oh! Mouettes specialises in fresh fish and seafood that’s unloaded from the boats right in front of the restaurant. In the heart of the town itself, the Café de Paris offers a taste of Calais’s gastronomic heritage and very French dishes with a twist like snail puff pastry and garlic cream and their signature dish Flemish style Beef fondant beef cooked in beer with gingerbread. Brasserie de la Mer specialises in lavish seafood dishes, with plenty of outdoor seating in fine weather – perfect for a long lazy lunch. Bistro Histoire Ancienne, on the rue Royale, offers a superb traditional menu with vegetarian options (and irresistible deserts).
If you like chips – you’re in for a treat in Calais. Near the Dragon’s lair, the Friterie des Nations has been frying the best chips ever for 50 years – they’re a legend in these parts and their twice fried fries are memorable. They make up to 440 lbs of chips a day in high season. Feast on a bag of chips as you enjoy the view over the channel and ogle a fire breathing dragon – you won’t get that experience anywhere else!
Calais was under English control for more than 200 years in the Middle Ages and the ties between England and France are still strong. You could treat yourself to a ‘pudding’ in local bakeries – a dessert that owes a lot to the traditional British Christmas pudding. Yes, really! But we recommend you don’t miss the delicious French cakes that France is famous for, including the local favourite – the ‘Calais’ – a mix of nutty meringue, almonds and coffee flavoured icing – utterly delicious.
And swap supermarket shopping for farmers markets where you’ll find delicious local, seasonal produce, and indulge in the famous local cheeses at La Maison du Fromage et des Vins (1 rue André Gerschel) where shopping includes a dégustation (tasting) of local cheeses including the Fleur d’Audresselles, creamy artisan-made Dôme de Boulogne – another historic city just 20 minutes from Calais and Sable de Wissant and Fruité du Cap Griz-Nez which has a beer-washed rind and a memorable odour, much like Maroilles, it’s stinky cousin from the Nord!
Apero hour – Calais style
If you’re after a drink and a convivial atmosphere, try Calaisfornia, a ‘concept store’ with a bar, while Le Groove beach bar stocks wines from Calais Vins. Old-school Café de Minck overlooks the sea front and offers a range of craft beers as well as wine. Try the local ‘aperitif’ – picon-bière – local beer with a dash of Picon bitters, invented in the early 1800s, this orange flavoured liqueur adds a taste of je ne sais quois!
Claim your free day trip to Calais
When you visit the wine-calais.co.uk website, you just need to add €300 worth of wine, beer or spirits to your basket, specify which store you wish to collect from, together with the free day trip, to your online shopping basket. When you check out, you pay a €60 deposit to confirm your order, which is only debited from your card if you don’t collect your wine.
Once your order is received, you’ll receive an email with a booking number with which you can confirm your booking with P&O. Pop to Calais Vins or Olivier Vins when you arrive in France to pay for and pick up your delicious French wines.
Visit the offer page for more details.
Reduce the cost of your purchases in France by reclaiming VAT
UK residents buying wine in France can reclaim 15 per cent of the VAT on alcohol purchases of €100 or more (in one store). This applies if the alcohol is for personal use, packaging is intact and accessible to customs and if you have been in France for less than six months. Calais Vins work in partnership with two different companies to help make this reclamation process as simple as possible. Your refund should arrive within a few days of your UK return.
Global Blue
To use this service, just collect your tax-free form from Calais Vins when you shop. Scan the bar code on the form at the kiosks located at the PABLO terminal in the ferry port (in the main building after you pass through customs) or in the passenger building if you’re travelling with Eurotunnel.
Skiptax
Download the free app and scan your passport to use this service. Shop as normal and then scan your receipt. Again, scan the bar code generated by Skiptax at the departure terminal. You should receive your refund within 48 hours.
How much wine can I bring into the UK?
Each adult travelling to the UK from Europe can bring a personal allowance of alcohol back with them. This allowance includes 18 litres (24 normal bottles) of still wine, 42 litres of beer and an additional allowance for spirits, sparkling wine, cider or fortified wine.
Find out more
To browse the selection of wine and beer on offer and make your selection, visit the Wine-Calais.co.uk website and book your free day trip to Calais, see the offer page for more details.
Useful info:
Calais Vins is located just off the A16 motorway, exit at junction 44 ‘Calais St Pierre’. A few minutes’ drive from the port of Calais and the Eurotunnel terminal.Open daily from 09.00am to 07.00pm. On Sundays and French bank holidays from 10.00am to 06.00pm. Easy and free parking in front of the shop. wine-calais.co.uk
Olivier Vins et Compagnie (previously known as Franglais), CD215, 62185 Fréthun. Off the A16 motorway, exit at junction 40 ‘Gare TGV’. A few minutes’ drive from the Eurotunnel terminal and the port of Calais.Open daily from 09.00am to 07.00pm. On Sundays and French bank holidays from 10.00am to 06.00pm. Easy and free parking in front of the shop.
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