Visit the Baie de Somme in 3 days

If I had to spend three days in the Baie de Somme, I would start with Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, without hesitation.

Start with a good meal (very important)

First instinct upon arrival: book a restaurant.

And there are plenty of them.

You have:

• Le Schorre (€€€€, more upscale, almost gastronomic experience)
• Le Jardin Italien (€€–€€€)
• Le Jardin (€€–€€€, more of a brasserie, very good as well)
• La Buvette du Mouton (€€, simpler, grilled food, but an exceptional location)
• La Canoterie (€€, more fish & chips style)

New places are opening! I’ll share them with you as they come, I promise.

But yes, clearly: book at least one or two restaurants during your stay.

The must-do walk in Saint-Valery

Then we get to the heart of the matter: the walk. Here I’m sharing my wife Jenny’s favorite.

Start from the lock, after parking in the lot at the entrance of the town, then walk along the marina, pass the Baie de Somme train station and the Commandant Charcot boats, and enter via Rue de la Ferté (the local little Champs-Élysées), then:

• Discover the market square
• Walk along the seawall and observe the bay
• Head into the old town
• Pass by the church
• Go through the Jeanne d’Arc gate
• Climb up to the sailors’ chapel

Then head back down, turn right when you reach the bay, and you’ll arrive at La Buvette du Mouton where you can take a well-deserved break. Then follow the quays to return, or wander back however you like.

Honestly, you won’t be disappointed. I promise.

Practical info

• Duration: about 1h30 to 2h (taking your time)
• Distance: ~4 km (loop)
• Free parking at the entrance of the town
• Accessible to everyone
  

The little extra: understanding the history as you walk

A small fun fact (and not a minor one):

William the Conqueror set off from Saint-Valery-sur-Somme to conquer England. Yes, really. The Norman left from Picardy. You can find a monument at the entrance of Rue de la Ferté.

Another historical moment: Joan of Arc passed through the gate of Saint-Valery before being taken to Rouen. The famous Jeanne d’Arc gate.

So you’re walking, but you’re also walking through history.

On the second day, I take you to a place I love: Le Hourdel. It’s a spot a bit apart, wilder, more raw, but truly beautiful.

Seeing the seals (and avoiding doing anything stupid)

Le Hourdel is THE spot to observe seals in the Baie de Somme.

• Bring binoculars
• Come at low tide
• Ideally with a guide

Otherwise, you’ll be one of those who arrive at high tide and say “we can’t see them”… But thanks to me, you won’t make that mistake.

Practical info

• Free parking at the end of the village, 15-minute walk to the point
• Go there: 1h30 before low tide
• ~300 seals (largest colony in France)
• Free on foot, binoculars strongly recommended
  

The walk at Le Hourdel

Once there:

• Walk along the pebble beach
• Look at the overturned bunker
• Take in the sea air
  

And for the more motivated: walk from Le Hourdel to Cayeux-sur-Mer (~5 km, 1h30 one way). It’s a truly beautiful walk. We talk about it in detail in our guide to walks in the Baie de Somme.

Cayeux-sur-Mer and beyond

Cayeux-sur-Mer is more popular, more lively, with:

• Several great beach bars, our favorite being La Cabine de Mouné
• A different atmosphere
• Very charming beach huts
  

And if you have time, go further: head to Ault, the Bois de Cises, Mers-les-Bains. And there, surprise — the cliffs begin… in Picardy.

On the third day, we slow down a bit. Or rather, we enjoy things differently.

The Saint-Valery market is a must.

You can:

• Buy flowers (I love it) or dried flowers
• Order a chicken from the red truck and its wood-fired chicken (07 60 90 26 62)
• Buy local vegetables to take home
• Stop by Amazone Café for a treat, and also the Wattrelos bakery, which is incredible for its bread and desserts
• Buy cheese and wine at Martin & Cow
  

Our little extra: grab a nem and eat it facing the bay. That’s our tradition. Simple, but perfect.

And then, the Sunday morning walk is ideal. You come back with your hot chicken, your bread, cheese, and wine. Settle by the fire in winter, or in the garden at the slightest bit of sunshine. That moment is the one that makes you want to come back.

Découvrir la baie autrement

Then, several options:

• Canoe with La Canoterie (around €35/person)
• Cycling along the entire bay (bike rental at the exit of the parking lot at the entrance of Saint-Valery)
• Walk toward Le Crotoy
• Crossing the bay with @maxguideenbaie (around €20/adult, 2h30)

Cycling is incredible here. You can do everything:

• Saint-Valery > Le Hourdel (~8 km, flat)
• Saint-Valery > Le Crotoy (~15 km)

And truly, it’s one of the best ways to discover the bay.

The Baie de Somme train (unmissable)

It’s an old train, with old locomotives and carriages… but in the best possible way. It’s charming, it’s slow, it’s beautiful.

We even privatized it for a wedding. Photos right in the middle of the bay. An incredible experience. Honestly: do it.

You can simply use it to travel between different parts of the bay: it serves Cayeux-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery, Noyelles-sur-Mer, Le Crotoy. You can also book lunch or dinner on board, or even privatize it for an event. If you don’t take it, at least go and see it and be kind to the volunteers who keep it running out of passion.

Practical info

• Price: between €19–25/adult (round trip)
• Lunch on board: around €75/person
• Baie de Somme train

Two days is short, but doable. Here’s what I would keep:

• Day 1: Saint-Valery-sur-Somme in full. The “walk of the heart” (lock > old town > sailors’ chapel > Buvette du Mouton), and a good restaurant in the evening. This is the day you fall in love with the bay.
• Day 2: Le Hourdel in the morning for the seals (at low tide!), then the Saint-Valery market and the red truck chicken. If you have time, cycling or the train.
  

In 2 days, you’ll have seen the essentials. But you’ll come back.

If you have 4 days or more, even better. You’re starting to have time to go off the beaten track.

Day 4: the Marquenterre Park in the morning (2–3 hours visit, ~€12/adult), for the birds and the calm. In the afternoon, a horseback ride, either on the Marquenterre side in the dunes, or at Lieudieu in the forest (expect €35 to €70 depending on the duration). Or the crossing of the bay with a guide (€20/adult, 2h30 barefoot in the sand between Le Crotoy and Saint-Valery).

And we haven’t even talked about the cliffs of Mers-les-Bains, the Eu forest, the Bois de Cise… Honestly, a week is the right pace to really start getting to know the area. Everything else is a bonus — and we promise it’s worth it.