Fort des Dunes — Attraction in Dunkirk

Small museum telling the history of Fort des Dunes, a large fort set behind the dunes to the east of Dunkirk.

There's a small car park just off the main road, adjacent to the football pitches. A short walk up from the car park leads into the fort and to the museum, which was opened in 2010. When we arrived at the end of September 2024 the entrance fee of €7 was waived.

In reception you're given an audio device so that you can learn about the fort's history, including the many executions carried out during the second world war. The museum is small yet very informative and probably represents a very small section of the overall fort that over the decades since WWII has fallen into disrepair, very overgrown in parts. Hopefully more of the fort can be saved and opened for future generations and be opened to the public.

The car park was free. There are public toilets inside the fort, some seating with tables but no café. There are two vending machines for dispensing drinks and snacks.

The staff were friendly and helpful.

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Fort des Dunes is a fantastic museum and a must visit. The museum offers a combined ticket with the Dunkirk 1940 War museum, so if you have time to check out both I would recommend it.

The Fort des Dunes is accessible by bus, car or a long (but not impossible) walk from Dunkirk. The museum offers excellent audio guides in English, if needed, and features a number of interactive, multi-media exhibits and rooms.

Half of the museum is based on exhibits inside of the fort, while the other half is spent walking around (and over) the grounds/fort. Keep this in mind if weather is not great, but even if it’s a rainy day, I’d say it’s worth a visit.

If you go to the museum, I highly recommend walking to La Batterie de la Passe de Zuydcoote on the coast. The ruins of another old fort and the WWII bunkers/blockhaus can be seen and explored.

If anything else, the dunes between the museum and the coast are beautiful to explore....

Interesting museum, lots of information and pictures of the Fort in the past. All information written in French but audio headsets are provided in the reception which supply English (and I think a couple other languages) translations for each of the panels. It is fairly small on the inside but there is an outside area to walk around also where you can see the dunes. Would have been nice for some of the inside to have been presented how it would have been when the fort was in use. There is a joint ticket for €10 where you can visit here and the Operation Dynamo museum which is...