The A16 motorway passes round the back of the city - junctions 32, 31, 30 and 29 are all for various parts of Boulogne. Ample parking is available at the riverside in the New Town. The old main road from Calais, the D940, enters Boulogne from the north, on the coast, and leaves towards Le Touquet, through the suburb of Outreau. The N41 from St Omer enters Boulogne from the east.

There are direct trains come from Calais Ville (30 min), Calais Fréthun (for the TGV and Eurostar - 25 min), Le Touquet (20 min on a fast train), Lille (1 hour), Amiens (75 min), and Paris (2 hours).

• 50.7156311.6097381 Boulogne-Ville railway station (Gare de Boulogne-Ville), 3 Boulevard Voltaire. The main station, ten minutes on foot from the city centre. (updated Mar 2019)

Boulogne is the centre of an extensive bus network reaching all of its outlying suburbs and satellite towns. There is also a reliable taxi service.

Boulogne is a 30-minute drive from the Port of Calais.

Sometimes also called the Upper Town. The walled old town contains the castle, basilica, belfry and town hall surrounded by many interesting narrow streets, shops, and cafes. It is located about 800 m up the hill, east of the harbour, and contains:

• 50.7261111.6151 Basilica of Notre Dame de Boulogne. Very prominent landmark of the city, it was built between 1827 and 1875. In its crypt, you can still see the stone cannonballs employed by Henry VIII when he besieged and captured Boulogne at one stage. The dome is 101 m high. (updated Jul 2017)
• 50.7411891.6183332 Column of the Grande Armée (Colonne Napoléon). 53-metre-high Corinthian order triumphal column that was intended to commemorate a successful invasion of England - that never occurred -, it now commemorates the first distribution of the Imperial Légion d'Honneur at the "camp de Boulogne" by Napoleon to his soldiers. (updated Jul 2017)
• 50.724961.617913 Castle. In a corner is the 13th-century Château, with its moats filled with water and waterlilies, modified in the 16th and 18th centuries. The Castle houses a museum with the most important exhibition of masks from Alaska in the world, the second largest collection of Greek ceramics in France, collections of Roman and medieval sculptures, an Egyptian collection. (updated Jul 2023)
• The Walls - Vast ramparts built at the beginning of the 13th century on the foundations of the Gallo-Roman walls, with four gateways, surround this part of town. From the walkways there is an amazing view of the old port and the main town.

Or sometimes called the Lower Town. This is the modern Boulogne at the riverside and sea-front, which contains:

• 50.7305561.5936114 Nausicaa, Boulevard Sainte-Beuve, ☏ +33 3 21 30 99 99. A massive aquarium and centre of all things to do with marine life and conservation. Contains a particularly good fish restaurant. (updated Jul 2017)