Napoleon’s bronze statue and walking trails ranging from five to nine kilometres give Wimille a variety of attractions. Other highlights include a protected monument, historic churches and local memorials. When planning your stay, you can choose between Napoleonic history, local history and walks through varied landscapes. The trail lengths and the route descriptions can help you decide what to focus on.

The Colonne and its Napoleonic heritage

The Colonne de la Grande Armée de Boulogne is a protected historic monument. It commemorates the awarding of the crosses of the Legion of Honour to the Grande Armée on 16 August 1805 and was inaugurated in 1841. The Colonne museum houses Napoleon’s bronze statue, which was also installed in 1841. This site thus links the events of 1805 with a memorial built in the 19th century.

You can explore the museum and the monument’s park independently. As visiting arrangements may change, check the latest information in advance. From the Colonne, there are views across the Boulonnais and the surrounding landscape park. The museum, park and views each offer a different perspective on your visit—from the monument’s history to the landscape around it.

Churches and local memorials

The Church of Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul in central Wimille was built in the 12th century. The Church of Saint-Pierre houses the painting “Sainte Anne, la Vierge et l'Enfant,” from the second half of the 16th century and protected as a cultural property, as well as the statue “Notre-Dame de Boulogne.” If seeing the painting is a priority for your visit, ask locally about viewing arrangements.

Local memorials can also be found outside the church: monumental stones bearing the inscription “Gloire à Jésus Christ” still stand on the edge of Rue de Ledinghen. Jean François Pilâtre-de-Rozier and Pierre-Ange Romain are buried in Wimille cemetery. These sites complement the Napoleonic heritage with religious memorials and figures from local history.

Walking trails and landscape

Wimille is a starting point for the Parcours Napoléonien. The Sentier du Parcours Impérial begins at the Colonne car park; before setting off, it is worth checking the local information about the car park and trail. The two routes therefore have different stated starting points.

Le chemin de l'eau is an easy, eight-kilometre walking trail that takes about two hours. It follows the Wimereux through the Plaine d'Houlouve, an area considered to have exceptional biodiversity. En pensant à Hugo runs through the Denâcre Valley and is five kilometres long; this easy walking trail is described as suitable for families.

La Slack si proche is a nine-kilometre walking trail for families. It starts at the intersection of Route de La Trésorerie and Route de La Ménandelle. Along the way, the trail offers panoramic views of the Slack, Fort d'Ambleteuse and the English Channel. Comparing the lengths, En pensant à Hugo is five kilometres, Le chemin de l'eau is eight and La Slack si proche is nine; an approximate duration is also given for Le chemin de l'eau.

Le Mont Duez offers another choice of transport: it can be explored on foot or by bicycle between Terre des 2 Caps and the Boulonnais. The options therefore range from walking trails with stated lengths to a route explicitly described as suitable for cycling too. To plan your visit, you can first decide whether you want to focus on the Colonne, local history or a particular landscape route.

Discover more destinations: Grand-Rullecourt, Neufchâtel-Hardelot, Gavrelle, Hauteville, Buire-Au-Bois, Gosnay, Sanghen, Meurchin.

For the regional travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.