Best things to do in Lens

Le Touquet Beach is a wide sandy beach with beach huts and cafes. Sand yachting can be done when the tide is out.

An underground bunker near St. Omer, Pas-de-Calais, La Coupole was once home to Nazi Germany's V2 rocket program, and now hosts a museum dedicated to the history of the program, including its links to the space race.

Monument et Parc commémoratifs du Canada à Vimy honors a major World War I battle, the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, which marked the first time Canada fielded an entire army of her own. Vimy was the only victory the Allies would enjoy during their 1917 spring offensive. The memorial contains a large number of stylized features, including 20 human figures, which help the viewer in contemplating the structure as a whole. The front wall, normally mistaken for the back, is 7.3 m (24 ft) high and represents an impenetrable wall of defense.

There's no better way to explore the birthplace of the world's most celebrated bubbly than to join a guided tasting tour in and around Reims. You'll drink your way through the area's vineyards, visit "les grandes marques" (Champagne-producing houses), and discover underground caves and tunnels where this celebratory wine ages. The full-day tours include visits to the World Heritage-listed Reims Cathedral and the tomb of Dom Perignon. The shorter 2- or 3-hour option still allows you to get behind-the-scenes and sample vintage Champagnes paired with regional culinary specialties.

The network of underground tunnels known as Carriere Wellington played a major role in taking enemy lines in the Battle of Arras in 1917, and helped save the lives of many soldiers. Miles of tunnels dug beneath the Arras countryside became command posts, kitchens, sleeping quarters, and even a hospital, protecting around 24,000 Allied troops.

Nausicaa is a science center entirely dedicated to the relationship between mankind and the sea. It is one of the largest public aquariums in Europe and houses exhibitions on marine fauna and the exploitation and management of marine resources. Exhibits include a shark aquarium, a tropical lagoon, a sea lion reserve, a touch pool, and a penguin enclosure, among others.

The white chalk cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez create a visually striking high point where the sea truncates the ridge. Unlike typical capes, this one doesn't protrude into the sea. Instead, it forms a cliff topped by an obelisk commemorating the Dover Patrol, whose mission was to keep the Channel free from U-boats during World War I. Surfers like the rarely crowded sandbar, with its break that offers both right- and left-hand waves, but rocks and rips can be dangerous during high winds.

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is dedicated to the remembrance of the Dominion of Newfoundland force members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre battlefield park is on the grounds of the unsuccessful attack during the first day of the Battle of Somme. You can visit the museum, appreciate the immaculate condition of the graves, and view the actual trenches.

Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery contains the Arras Memorial to the 34,785 soldiers from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and New Zealand with no known grave who died in World War I. Not included here are the names of the missing dead among Canadian and Australian servicemen, who are listed at the Vimy Memorial and the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the memorial includes sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. Nearby is the Arras Flying Services Memorial, commemorating the 991 airmen with no known grave. Come to the site to look up relatives who served or to gain a greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by these soldiers by reading the thousands of names inscribed on the memorial.

Parc du Marquenterre is a nature preserve and park where you will fall in love with dunes, marshes, and forests. The park is the temporary residence for hundreds of species of birds on their migration route from Europe to Africa. You can discover the flora and fauna of the Baie de Somme (Somme Bay), enjoy a regional dish at the restaurant in the heart of the forest, and go for a horse-drawn cart ride on the Bay's sandy beaches.