Mers-les-Bains

Mers-les-Bains is a seaside town on the French English Channel coast with nearly 500 villas in Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. It has a pebbled beach backed by white chalk cliffs, with colorful houses rising directly behind the shoreline.

The village began as a fishing settlement and transformed into a bathing resort from 1869 onward, when architects started building ornate villas for wealthy visitors. Most of the distinctive colored houses that define the place today date from this period of expansion.

The town became fashionable when wealthy families built homes here and shaped early bathing culture in France. Visitors can see today how the colorful villas reflect this heritage and define the town's character.

The beach has around 600 wooden changing cabins available from May through October, offering storage and changing space for swimmers. The colorful houses are tightly packed together with narrow lanes between them, so walking is the best way to explore the area.

A statue of Notre-Dame de la Falaise has stood on the cliff since 1878 and was used by early aviation pioneers as a reference point for navigation. This religious landmark thus served double duty during the early days of flight, marking the convergence of two different eras.

Location: canton of Ault

Location: Somme

Location: arrondissement of Abbeville

Elevation above the sea: 59 m

Shares border with: Eu, Le Tréport, Saint-Quentin-la-Motte-Croix-au-Bailly

Address: Mers-les-Bains, France

Phone: +33227280660

Email: accueil.mairie@ville-merslesbains.fr

Website: https://merslesbains.fr

GPS coordinates: 50.06722,1.38778

Latest update: December 17, 2025 08:46