| Reviews and photos of Picardie attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Picardie sightseeing. Map |
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The former Roman city of Samarobriva is the present capital of the Somme département and the entire region of Picardy. It was built on a strategic location that crosses the river Somme (the Roman Samara) towards the sea.
The present name of the city, however, is due to a Belgian tribe, the Ambiens, who lived in the area during the Gaul time.
Amiens is today a city of more than 160.000 inhabitants which hosts, among many other attractions, the largest Gothic building in France. You can see more here. Leave a Comment
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If you are visiting other cathedrals in Picardie, consider adding Soissons to your list. It was started contemporaneously with Notre Dame de Paris. It possesses an unusual treatment of its South transept. Also in town is a beautiful partially ruined Abbey (St.-Jean) that should not be missed. Leave a Comment
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What you should definitely do when you're in Picardie is just take the car (or bicycle) and a good map and just drive around. Try to find the small roads and enjoy all the views you will definitely come across. I seem to have forgotten to take pictures of the views we saw, but we also stopped a couple of times to have some 'quality time' with some horses. :-) Or to take a picture of a stork for instance.
So just drive around on the small roads, you won't regret it. (Don't be mistaken by my pictures, there are lots of forests or small woods in the region also)
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Chantilly town is reached by the SNCF in less than half an hour. The connecting bus takes you to the Chateau (saving a 20 minute walk). The bus goes on and reaches Senlis within 20 minutes. The town is where sweetened whipped cream began, have a Charlotte aux Chantilly in town on your way home. Leave a Comment
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Compiègne, a town of 70.000, has always been one of the favorite residences for the French royals. This is due to its location next to a huge forest where game abounds and hunting is still practised. Today, only 15.000 hectares remain of this forest that used to reach Belgium in former centuries. The forest is crossed by thousands of kilometres of paths and hiking trails.
This is a view of the interior of the Palace at Compiègne, a severe Louis XV residence whose interior is a perfect sample of the Napoleonic style, since the Emperor and his wife used to stay here for long periodes. Leave a Comment
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Currently included in the region of Picardy, Chantilly boasts one of the most sumptuous palaces in France. A chateau built on the water with turrets, domes, fantastic gardens and everything a chateau needs to evoque the magnificiency of the French court.
The palace, managed by the Institut de France, can be hired on the hour for your most special occasions.
The famous Hypodrome and the Horse Museum complete the attractions of Chantilly and place it among the main hypic destinations in Europe. Leave a Comment
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It seems that most tourists these days encounter Beauvais only as they pass through it going to or from its airport at Tille. They are only interested in Paris. Yet it would be easy (and much cheaper) to incorporate Beauvais (and much of Picardie) into such a trip to France. Here is the grandeur of the tallest Gothic Cathedral in the world (St.-Pierre), a Michelin 3* site! As we found, there is much more in Beauvais. (See our Tips). Many travelers ask about how to see a little of the real France on their (2-5th) trips to Paris and nobody seems to suggest this neat way to combine a cheap flight with a different approach. Instead of “nightlife”, substitute good local evening meals. There is a minibus from the airport that makes stops at all the inexpensive hotels around the city. There are a dozen trains to the Gare du Nord in Paris from the station near St.-Etienne (another church which should be visited in Beauvais). Leave a Comment
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Laon, with less of 30.000 inhabitants, is a small departemental capital in Eastern Picardy. The old town, perched on a steep rock that dominates the immense surrounding plaine, is totally enclosed by Medieval walls and boasts one of the first Gothic cathedrals in France.
This picture shows the Ardon Gate, the most impressive in the city wall. Leave a Comment
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Noyon is today a quiet, little town in the Somme Department, but it achieved a great significance during the Middle Ages as the seat of an independent stated ruled by its bishop.
Evidence of this significance is its magnificient cathedral, which substituted a previous Romanesque church, and was one of the first Gothic buildings. This extraordinary primitive Gothic is a must for anybody with the slightest inclination towards the history of the art. Leave a Comment
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Peronne is a small town that was heavily destroyed and occupied for most of WW I. It has an old (1602) "protective" wall and a museum of every-day life during World War I. (See our Tips) Leave a Comment
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on April 11, 2005
on February 19, 2007
on October 1, 2007
