Northern France offers a host of family-friendly activities to fill your half-term week. From exploring the French countryside or riding in classic 2CVs, to visiting Europe's largest aquarium, or hopping onto one of 40 exhilarating rides at one of the region's biggest theme parks.

And with DFDS's free ticket giveaway for this year's Big Ferry Fortnight you can travel to Europe for free. Big Ferry Fortnight promotes ferry services operating across the UK and is taking place until Thursday 29 September. During the campaign, DFDS is giving away 25 free crossings for a car and up to four people on its Dover to Calais or Dover to Dunkirk routes. Tickets are valid for travel between 10 October and 11 December 2022, making the offer ideal for a low-cost October half-term break.

Enjoy fun-filled family days out

Hire a 2CV or vintage VW Camper from Les Belles Echappees to discover Saint Omer and its surroundings in style. The town is just 30 minutes from Calais, and La Coupole history centre, a giant underground bunker and World War II Museum, sits on its outskirts. Dive into Nausicaa Aquarium at Boulogne-sur-Mer – the largest of its kind in Europe – where you can come face to face with sharks, rays, and seals. A new 'Grand Large' augmented reality exhibition opened this summer and plunges you deep below the sea in an immersive experience with the giant creatures that inhabit our oceans. Parc Asterix is a theme park based on the French cartoon characters Astérix and Obelix, which will be transformed into a spooky haunted park of horrors during October, just in time for Hallowe'en. On your way back to the port, stop off to ride the spectacular fire-breathing Calais dragon along the town's seafront.

Get outdoors

On arrival in France for your family break, head to Parc Mosaic on the outskirts of Lille for a great green adventure. Travel the world through the Parc's ten gardens, which each represent a different country through a mixture of art, flora, games, and events. A series of activities is available in the gardens throughout October to help visitors to learn more about our natural world. Get away from the city's hustle and bustle while exploring its sights from the water with a paddleboarding experience along the Deûle river. Walk the Grand Site des Deux Caps along the beautiful coastline between Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez and enjoy a range of water sports at Wissant beach, which nestles below the cliffs.

Soak up some culture

Admire 5,000 years of art and history in one place at the Louvre-Lens, just an hour from Calais. An off shoot of the world-renowned Louvre art gallery in Paris, the museum showcases French art and culture with hundreds of masterpieces from the gallery's famous collections on display. Head on to Lille for an urban art tour and check out the giant murals, graffiti and more among 111 street art masterpieces that are out in the open for all visitors to admire. Then continue south to the magical Château de Pierrefonds, a medieval castle that looks like it has emerged from a fairy tale. The château provided inspiration for Walt Disney's fictional castles in Cinderella and Snow White and more recently has been the backdrop for the television series Merlin. Two dedicated days of children's activities will take place at the castle during the first weekend of half-term, on 22 and 23 October 2022.

Getting to France is easy with DFDS and thanks to the free tickets on offer during Big Ferry Fortnight travelling by ferry for your half-term break could cost you nothing. To register for the ballot for a free ferry crossing, visit the Big Ferry Fortnight website before midnight on Thursday 29 September 2022.

Lucky winners will receive either a vehicle ticket per household or foot passenger tickets for two people, allocated by random ballot. The ballot is only open to residents of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Full terms and conditions are available on the website.

For further press information, please contact:

Michelle Ulyatt / Sandy Fleming / Karen Bayfield

Roch PR Ltd

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