Boulogne. Boulogne-sur-Mer, often called just Boulogne, is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the Côte d'Opale, a touristic stretch of French coast on the English Channel between Calais and Normandy, and the most visited location in the region after Lille conurbation. Boulogne is its department's second-largest city after Calais, and the 163rd-largest in France. It is also the country's largest fishing port, specialising in herring. Boulogne is an ancient town, and was the major Roman port for trade and communication with its Province of Britain. After a period of Germanic presence following the collapse of the Empire, Boulogne was at the centre of the County of Boulogne of the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages, and was occupied by the Kingdom of England numerous times due to conflict between the two nations. In 1805 it was a staging area for Napoleon's troops for several months during his planned invasion of the United Kingdom. The city's 12th-century belfry is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, while another popular attraction is the marine conservation centre Nausicaa. The French name Boulogne derives from the Latin Bononia, which was also the Roman name for Bologna in Italy. Both places, and Vindobona, are thought to have derived from native Celtic placenames, with bona possibly meaning foundation, citadel, or granary. The French epithet sur-Mer distinguishes the city from Boulogne-Billancourt on the edge of Paris. In turn, the Boulogne in Boulogne-Billancourt originates from a church there dedicated to Notre-Dame de Boulogne, Our Lady of Boulogne. Boulogne-sur-Mer is in Northern France, at the edge of the Channel and in the mouth of the river Liane. As the crow flies, Boulogne is approximately at 30 kilometres from Calais, 50 kilometres from Folkestone, 100 kilometres from Lille and Amiens, 150 kilometres from Rouen and London and 215 kilometres from Paris. Boulogne is a relatively important city of the North, exercising an influence on the Boulonnais territory. The coast consists of important tourist natural sites, like the capes Gris Nez and Blanc Nez, and attractive seaside resorts like Wimereux, Wissant, Hardelot and Le Touquet. The hinterland is mainly rural and agricultural. Boulogne is close to the A16 motorway. Metropolitan bus services are operated by Marinéo. The company Flixbus propose a bus line connecting Paris to Boulogne. There are coach services to Calais and Dunkerque. The city has railway stations, which the most important is Boulogne-Ville station, located in the south of the city. Boulogne-Tintelleries station is used by regional trains. It is located near the university and the city centre. The former Boulogne-Maritime and Boulogne-Aéroglisseurs stations served as a boat connection for the railway. Boulogne has no cross channel ferry services since the closure of the route to Dover by LD Lines in 2010. The regional trains are TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais run by SNCF. The principal service runs from Gare de Boulogne-Ville via Gare de Calais-Fréthun, Gare de Calais-Ville to Gare de Lille-Flandres. The city is divided into several parts: City centre: groups historic and administrative buildings, and also accommodations, stores, banks, churches, pedestrian streets and places. Fortified town: old-town where are a lot of historic monuments and also the city hall and the courthouse. it is surrounded by 13th-century ramparts very appreciated today by walkers. Gambetta-Sainte-Beuve: tourist area situated in the northwest of the city, on the edge of the beach and the recreational harbour. Capécure: economic and industrial area, situated in the west of the city, around the harbour. Saint-Pierre: former neighborhood of the fishermen, destroyed during World War II and reconstructed after. Chemin Vert: zone created in the 1950s, knowing today poverty and unemployment. it is the neighborhood of Franck Ribéry. Dernier Sou: residential area situated in the east of the city. Beaurepaire: residential area situated in the north of the city. Bréquerecque: residential area situated in the south of the city. Boulogne-sur-Mer has an oceanic climate that has chilly winters not far above freezing and cool summers tempered by its exposure to the sea. Considering its position, the climate is quite cold in relation to south and east coast locations in England year round.