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Calais, France

Stay in Calais: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Calais

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About Calais

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 93). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Calais, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 15 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LHR, direct.

    See flights ORD → LHR · Skyscanner from about £395 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 3 h 15 from the airport to Calais.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CalaisAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Calais (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

Calais does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Calais, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct15, too small3 ft5 smushy61kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots12°C
Mon 19Oct8, too small2 ft5 smushy19kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore14°C
Tue 20Oct9, too small2 ft5 smushy16kJwind from the east, 9 knots, offshore12°C
Wed 21Oct3, too small2 ft4 smushy15kJwind from the south, 14 knots13°C
Thu 22Oct11, too small3 ft6 smushy59kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots15°C
Fri 23Oct7, too small6 ft9 smushy429kJwind from the west, 29 knots12°C
Sat 24Oct7, too small3 ft6 smushy48kJwind from the west, 11 knots12°C
Sun 25Oct2, too small1 ft8 smushy17kJwind from the west, 12 knots14°C
Mon 26Oct2, too small2 ft8 smushy51kJwind from the south-west, 20 knots17°C
Tue 27Oct1, too smallunder 1 ft9 s2kJwind from the south-south-west, 17 knots18°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 3h 15 by road. About 15h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 10 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 3h 15 by road. About 15h 40 door to door

The trip from Calais, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,115–£2,075 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£395–£820
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£105–£175
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£255–£425
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£85–£145
Total£1,115–£2,075

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Calais

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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