Amiens (Somme)

Saint Leu, Amiens

Notre Dame Cathedral, Amiens

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Amiens (Somme) mini guide

Amiens is a city with a strong historical tradition and one of the main attractions is the ancient cathedral of Notre Dame. This is the biggest Gothic building in France and was completed within a very short time scale, unlike most churches, making it unique and of huge architectural interest because of the period features which all date from a short interval in history. The cathedral has been described as the 'parthenon of Gothic architecture'.

Another area of great interest to the visitor to Amiens is the old quarter of St Lieu. This once formed the centre of the textile industry in the area.  It was built in the Flemish style and is situated to the north of the cathedral. it is best reached by Rue de Metz L'Evêque and Place du Don where the city's oldest houses are distinguished by their gables. Here you will find old cobbled streets lined with pretty colombage houses and a collection of Dutch and Flemish style cottages.

The houses of St-Leu benefit from canal frontages, and many buildings still date from the Middle Ages. The remains of just two mills in the area recall the days of grinding corn and woad leaves. Nowadays  you will find amongst the old buildings many good cafes, bars, and restaurants serving good food, mixed in with craft shops all of which are popular both with locals and visitors alike.

One of the most interesting areas of Amiens is the Hortillonages, a vast area of market gardens created on small islands on the marshlands at the edge of the town. The Romans were the first to drain the marshes and plant produce here. They are all connected by artificial canals and total 741 acres in all. For two millennia until the last century, this area provided the city with its vegetables, the produce being taken by canal to St-Leu and sold from the boats, rather like the floating markets of Bangkok. Some of the farmers still take their produce to the city by boat for the market held on Saturday morning 'le marché sur l'eau', located on the river bank of place Parmentier.

If you wish to have a look around, turn right when you come out of the station, continue straight ahead for approximately 5 minutes. Cross the river and then walk along the 'chemin de halage'. This is a great place to take a break from the city amongst nature. Guided boat tours of the area and unique way of life are offered from April to October from 2pm, weather permitting.

If the culture of the Picardy's region interests you, you may wish to visit the 'two regional museums', if you walk down the Rue de la République, the 'musée de Picardie' is housed in the 19th century mansion where you will find a ollection of rare sixteen-century paintings on wood, some of which are still in their original frames, the Puvis de Chavannes paintings.

Amiens plays host to a number of festivals throughout the year. Some notable ones among the celebrations held in Amiens include jazz festivals in March and June, the Fête d'Amiens which is a celebration of local culture and costume which takes place in June. In November there is also a film festival.

If you have children and they like animals  the Parc de la Hotoie is a great place to take them to learn about wildlife in its natural environment. The zoo is home to over 400 animals from 100 different species, who live in areas as close as possible to their natural habitats.