Le Beffroi

Dunkirk


Dunkirk's landmark 58m-high belfry – the bell tower of the original Église St-Éloi before it burnt to the ground in 1558 – was erected in 1440 and has been a Unesco World Heritage–listed monument since 2004. A lift takes you up to its 50 bells, which chime every 15 minutes; ascending a further 60 steps brings you to the viewing platform, from where you can see as far as Dover on a clear day.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dunkirk attractions

1. Église St-Éloi

0.02 MILES

Constructed in 1560, the Église St-Éloi was refaced with a neo-Gothic façade completed in 1889. It's dubbed la cathédrale des sables (cathedral of the…

2. Musée Portuaire

0.24 MILES

Set inside a 19th-century tobacco warehouse, this museum will delight fans of maritime history and, especially, model ships. During school holidays you…

3. Dunkirk British Memorial

0.7 MILES

Honouring over 4500 British and Commonwealth soldiers ‘with no known grave’, this memorial is next to the British War Graves Section of Dunkirk's town…

4. Mémorial du Souvenir

0.76 MILES

To learn about the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk, stop by this non-profit museum. In addition to a 15-minute film, there are scale models, and evocative…

5. Phare de Risban

1.05 MILES

Rising 63m high, this automated, first order port lighthouse is the highest of its kind in France (its beam can be seen from 60km away). The lighthouse…

6. Plopsaland

10.22 MILES

This cute popular theme park is based around Belgian TV character Plop the gnome and his friends. It's a kid-pleasing world of rides, roller coasters and…

7. Paul Delvaux Museum

11.27 MILES

This superb museum occupies the house and studio of Paul Delvaux (1897–1994), one of Belgium's most famous surrealist artists. What appears to be a…

8. Kasteel Beauvoorde

12.26 MILES

Around 8km south of Veurne, the late-16th-century Kasteel Beauvoorde is an intact, picture-perfect (though tiny by castle standards), four-storey moated…