North

ROYAL, GOTHIC OR BUCOLIC

Three large European capitals at the gates to Picardy and the Artois : London, Bruxelles, and Paris : these regions are ideally located to the North of France and in the heart of Europe, in a treasure of preserved nature.

Departements : Aisne, Oise, Somme, Nord, Pas de Calais

Main towns : Laon, Soissons, Beauvais, Compiègne, Amiens, Abbeville, Cambrai, St Omer.

Airports : Roissy-Charles De Gaulle, Beauvais.

Train : Haute-Picardie

The Picardy is the cradle of France, since the Carolingian Kings and the first Valols until the Second Empire. Amongst the towns recognised for art and history, are Amiens, Laon, Beauvais but also Abbeville, Saint-Quentin and Soissons, Noyon, Compiegne and Senlis.

From the royal chateaux of the Oise to the fortified churches of Thierache, the Picardy is rich in historic monuments : its the 2nd region in France for the largest number of Listed Historic Monuments. It is there that were born the largest cathedrals of the Middle Ages.The Cathedral of Amiens listed as World Heritage by UNESCO is two times bigger than that of Notre Dame de Paris.

With the Compiegne forest, the massifs of Retz, Chantilly, St-Gobain, Crecy..... the Picardy possesses more than 320 000 hectares (786 240 acres) of woodland. This region is a privileged place to observe the fauna and flora with the Somme Bay wich is the largest estuary of Northern France with nearly 72km2. Its very large opening into the channel, is more than 5km from the point of Hourdel to that of Saint Quentin in Tourmont, and offers according to the tides and seasons, some exceptional landscapes.

NORTH PAS DE CALAIS

In the North Pas de Calais , Lille has a Flamish influence. In Dunkerque, the Lenghenaer Tower and the Beffroy are embems of the region. Arras has its cathedral and its superb baroque square, l’Abbaye Saint Vaast and the city fortification of Vauban. There is also the Boulonnais with its beaches, its art and history town and its natural park.

Lille now ranks as France’s 4th biggest city at an international cross-roads with a dynamic business center. The old town of Lille with its grand square and Town Hall, the church of St Maurice and General de Gaulle square make the town an historic and artistic center. This is a first class tourist « spot » which is well known for its friendliness and preserved heritage as well as for its cultural richness.