Picardie

Picardie

Picardie in northern France includes 3 departments: The Somme, Aisne and the Oise. This very green and very quiet area is full of great hilly areas, forests, rivers and marshes: it is a green and peaceful landscape, where it is great for cycling. You can discover the bird reserve Marquenterre, the estuary of the Somme and Authie Bay. Also visit the medieval village of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, walk through the Botanical Garden of Valloires or stroll on the beach, along the cliffs near seaside towns like Fort-Mahon-Plage, Cayeux-sur-Mer and Mers-les-Bains.

Here you can enjoy surfing, windsurfing, kayaking and horseback riding. Amiens, on the banks of the Somme, is also worth visiting. Take the time to walk the streets of the historic center, visit the International Centre Jules Verne or take the boat to admire the "Floating Gardens" of the city. Picardie has many cathedrals and basilicas to discover, such as Amiens, Laon, Saint-Quentin, Noyon and Beauvais. Picardie also has many medieval castles where during the summer holidays festivals are organised, for instance in Senlis, Ermenonville, Condé-en-Brie or Chantilly. Here you can visit the Conde Museum with the finest collection of antique paintings after the Louvre.

The region has many monuments in memory of the first and second world war. You can follow the Chemin des Dames between Soissons, Laon and Reims and visit the Dragon's Cave and Naours Caves. Do not miss a visit to Compiègne, Villers-Bretonneux and Peronne with its historical museum of the Great War. Hikers will find miles of marked trails in the Forest of Compiegne and the Pays de Bray. For children, a visit to Parc Asterix and La Mer de Sable amusement park is a must. With them, you can also visit the Samara Archaeological Park or take the steam train between Froissy and Dompierre. You will surely enjoy the Picardy cuisine with its specialties: duck pâté, rabbit with prunes, eel, mussels, macaroons and Picantins and aperitif red fruit "folie douce" (gentle madness).