- 1In Boulogne-sur-Mer, the 1.5 km chemin de ronde walk on top of the 13th-century Haute-Ville ramparts, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Boulogne dome and crypt, the Nausicaá seafront esplanade and port de pêche walk at France's largest fishing port, and the Cap d'Alprech lighthouse chalk cliffs and GR120 trail north to Wimereux are within reach of every hotel on this list, good for morning and evening outings.
- 2Boulogne-sur-Mer is a 41 000-resident Pas-de-Calais Channel port (130 000 metro) that is France's largest fishing port by tonnage, home to Nausicaá (the largest aquarium in Europe), encircled by the best-preserved 13th-century ramparts in France with a 1.5 km elevated chemin de ronde, crowned by the 101 m Italianate dome of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, with the Cap d'Alprech chalk cliffs and lighthouse 3 km south, the GR120 coastal path north to Wimereux and Cap Gris-Nez, and direct TGV inOui to Paris Gare du Nord in 2h25, pets are a normal part of street life, café terraces, and local shops.
- 3Hotels selected for this guide are specifically in the walled Haute-Ville around the Place Godefroy de Bouillon and the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the lower town between Place Dalton and the Boulogne-Ville TGV station, the Boulevard Sainte-Beuve seafront opposite Nausicaá, and the Saint-Martin-Boulogne eastern suburb, where pet infrastructure is densest and local restaurants routinely provide water bowls and terrace access.
Best season: spring & autumn