20km from Les Galets de la Mollière campsite, discover Le Crotoy, a small seaside town on the Somme renowned for its huge beach, its fishing and yachting harbour and its picturesque town centre. Where to go and what to do in Le Crotoy? Follow us as we take you on a tour!
Located between the Baie de Somme and the Parc du Marquenterre, close to the Côte d'Opale, Le Crotoy is one of a number of towns and villages with the Pays d'art et d'histoire label that promote their heritage. Whatever the season, the Crotello town attracts lovers of the beach, heritage and natural sights.
Le Crotoy beach
Le Crotoy is known for its beach, the only strip of sand in the north facing due south. Beach huts add a picturesque touch to this seaside skyline. This is not a beach recommended for swimming (bathing is prohibited), but rather for strolling with a view over the Baie de Somme. The gréve is crossed by the GR120, which joins the Parc du Marquenterre and Plage de la Maye to the north.
The port of Le Crotoy
It is in the port of Le Crotoy, which in the 17th century was one of the busiest fishing ports in the English Channel, that you can best soak up the town's maritime atmosphere. Fishermen's cottages stand alongside holiday homes, and the last of the grasshoppers still unload their crates of prawns on the quayside. Numerous restaurants offer fish and seafood specialities, Bouchot mussels, sauerkraut and fisherman's marmite.
The town centre of Le Crotoy: a heritage to discover
The town of Le Crotoy is known for its Belle Époque villas. Some are intimately linked to great characters. Thanks to perfumer Pierre Guerlain, a native of Abbeville, Le Crotoy became a popular holiday destination in the 19th century for the Tout-Paris, as well as many painters, poets and writers. Victor Hugo had the house La Solitude built there. Toulouse-Lautrec set up his easel in the villa ‘Les mouettes blessées’. Colette spent her summers resting in the Villa des Dunes... You can also discover the Millevoye house, the former chalet with bow windows ‘Felix-Suzanne-Madeleine’, the Villa Marguerite in Art Nouveau bricks and ceramics.
Don't miss ‘Les Tourelles’, Le Crotoy's prestigious hotel-restaurant, whose two red-brick watchtowers tower over the town.
A must-see in Le Crotoy
- Wander along the Jules-Noiret promenade, which stretches 2km along the beach.
- Search the remains of the Crotoy fortress (12th century) where Joan of Arc was imprisoned in 1430, visit the monument to the Caudron brothers and Saint-Pierre church (13th century).
- Discover the Baie de Somme on a boat trip on the Commandant Charcot IV (Le Crotoy / le Hourdel)
- Take a ride on the Baie de Somme steam train to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme on the former ‘Réseau des Bains de Mer’.
Book your camping holiday near Le Crotoy now, mobile home rental or pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes. We look forward to seeing you!
