Amiens: 109km (68 miles) NW of Reims, 121km (75 miles) N of Paris, 114km (71 miles) SW of Lille
Savvy travelers know that this pristine area offers restful alternatives to the tourist meccas of Paris and the Riviera. The landscape of the low-lying region adjacent to Belgium's border will be familiar to admirers of Matisse, who found much inspiration here. Laon and Amiens are the area's major draws.
Amiens, on the Somme River, has been a textile center since medieval days. Its old town is a warren of jumbled streets and canals. Amiens is renowned for its Gothic cathedral, one of the finest in France.
Beyond Amiens and Laon, the heavily forested Ardennes attracts lovers of nature and French poetry alike. Rimbaud lived and wrote here; writers such as Victor Hugo, George Sand, and Alexandre Dumas expounded upon its beauty in their writings. The sandy beaches of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage are the most fashionable and best equipped of the many resorts along the Channel. A mini-Monte Carlo, it was dubbed the "playground of kings" in the days before World War II. Many other stops merit a look if you have the time.
A textile center since medieval times, Amiens was the ancient capital of Picardy. It sits on the south bank of the Somme, where it is divided into a series of canals and irrigation networks. The old town, a jumble of narrow streets crisscrossed by canals, is run-down and seedy but still worth exploring. The city's focal point is its world-famous Gothic cathedral, one of France's finest.
