Leughenaer Tower & Old Harbour Quay
The 14th-century Leughenaer — Flemish for 'liar's tower', so nicknamed because its lantern allegedly misled enemy ships — rises above the old harbour mouth and offers one of the most photogenic viewpoints in northern France. Climb its spiral staircase and you get a sweeping 360-degree panorama stretching from the port cranes to the open North Sea.
The Tower Itself
Built in 1440 as a lighthouse and watchtower, the Leughenaer is Dunkirk's oldest surviving structure and one of only a handful of medieval towers still standing on the French Channel coast. Its chunky stone silhouette against the wide Flemish sky photographs beautifully at any hour.
The interior staircase is narrow and steep — 68 steps — but the reward at the top is a railed platform with unobstructed views over the yacht basin, the ferry terminal and, on a clear day, the white cliffs of the English coast some 50 km away.
The Quay Below
At the base of the tower, the Quai des Hollandais lines the old harbour with a string of brasseries and seafood restaurants whose terraces fill up on sunny afternoons. It is the natural place to settle with a Pelforth beer and a plate of moules-frites after the climb.
The nearby Musée Portuaire (Port Museum), housed in a converted tobacco warehouse just 200 metres along the quay, is a logical next stop — it tells the story of Dunkirk's maritime trade through ship models, figureheads and a real lightship you can board.
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