France – Arras (En)

We went to Arras because it was an hour away from Calais, situated by a beautiful canal. What we liked best were its impressive 17th-century Flemish Baroque-style squares. Arras is also famous for its underground wartime tunnels, but we didn’t see any of them.

Where to stay

We stayed at the Arras Vallée de la Scarpe motorhome area (50.297443, 2.775713 lat, long), right next to the Saint-Michel Canal and a 10-minute walk from the town centre. The site costs 15 euros, with all services and electricity included. It features facilities for filling up water and emptying grey and black water, as well as a shower and a toilet. Payment is made at the entrance machine, which provides a code for the shower and toilet. The pitches are spacious and fairly level. I recommend it for seeing this lovely town.

What to see

We walked to the city centre, and the first thing we saw was the church of Saint Vaast—a saint who performed many miracles and was the Bishop of Toul. The church was closed; we couldn’t see the inside.

We walked along charming, narrow streets adorned with butterflies until we reached the beautiful main square. The square is home to the belfry and the town hall. The belfry was built between 1463 and 1554; its 75-meter-tall tower is topped by the Lion of Arras, the town’s emblematic animal. At the foot of the belfry stands the town hall, built in the Gothic style in the early 16th century. Both structures were destroyed in 1914 but were rebuilt to their original specifications and inaugurated in 1932.

We headed toward the second square and, along the way, saw the Church of Saint John the Baptist, which dates back to 1524. Destroyed during the 1915 bombings, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1920. Inside, it houses a *Descent from the Cross* by Rubens and a 17th-century altarpiece.

We arrive at the second square, built in the Flemish Baroque style and known as the Grand Place. The grain market used to be held here. This square is not as impressive as the other one, but it is full of life, surrounded by shops, bars, and restaurants.

The next day, we went to explore the Saint-Michel Canal, which had really cool boats and a spot that looked like a beach bar.

We left this lovely town and headed to Aire-sur-la-Lys, a charming town featuring a belfry designated as a World Heritage Site and impressive Flemish architecture—which you can see in the next blog post.