www.dunkirk-tourisme.com. An ugly and largely post-war industrial port, Dunkerque is generally avoided by passengers passing through to or from the U.K. Faced with a couple of hours in town, the best shopping is around rue Clemenceau, though the hypermarkets are out on the N1 toward the ferry port.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts, www.musees-dunkerque.en, adds natural history and a section covering the May-June 1940 retreat from Dunkirk to its fine arts collections. Modern art enthusiasts should investigate the Musée d’Art Contemporam (see www.musees-dunkerque.en), a 15- to 20-minute walk north on avenue des Bains. It has a suprisingly enjoyable array of post-war work by Appel, Vasérely and others; and you can wander around the sculpture garden.