On the edge of Calais at Coquelles, Cité Europe has more than 120 shops, a Carrefour hypermarket, cinema, restaurants and cafes.

Don’t worry about driving – Cité Europe is easy to find, with more than 4,500 free parking spaces.

The 142 shops – ranging from H&M to Toys R Us, Zara to Footlocker – mainly open from 10am to 8pm, and the restaurants a couple of hours more. Carrefour opens 9am to 9pm most days.

With more than six million visitors a year the centre attracts thousands of Brits.

Just yards away is a small hotel complex with secure parking, from cheap and cheerful in the Ibis Budget to large, fancy family rooms in the Suite Novotel.

Only the restaurants are usually open at Cité Europe on Sundays, but in the run up to Christmas most shops open all week.

More details at www.citeeurope.com

Five top tips for shopping in Calais

1. Most shops in the centre of Calais are open between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Some independent shops, such as bakeries, do close for lunch though. Food shops, and some smaller supermarkets, such as those selling fresh bread and cakes, as well as wine stores, open on Sunday mornings.

2. The sales in France are carefully monitored and can only take place on set dates in January and June. Lasting around five weeks, they generally offer superb bargains.

3. Take a cool bag to take home those fabulous cheeses, pates and seafood.

4. If you’re looking for somewhere else to stock up on your food and drink away from Cité Europe, there’s a giant Auchan hypermarket at Coquelles. Packed with bargains and booze, it’s also open on Sundays until 12.15pm

5. Just a stone’s throw from Cité Europe, the factory outlet centre opens Monday to Saturday. Shops include Adidas, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Nike, Quiksilver and Tommy Hilfiger. There’s lots more information at www.outlet-malls.eu