I’m gliding along in a flat-bottomed punt, its electric engine so whisper quiet there’s nothing to disturb the blissful calm as I gently navigate the Hortillonnages, a Unesco-protected network of waterways, floating gardens and dinky arched bridges spread over more than a square mile near the River Somme in Amiens.
It’s all so bucolic that I find it hard to believe the city centre is just a 20-minute walk away from this medieval watery labyrinth, but then there’s so much about Amiens that’s a revelation. Tucked between Lille and Paris, it’s far more than a gateway to the sombre First World War battlefields. A place of pilgrimage for lovers of Jules Verne, the father of science fiction, as well as sublime gothic architecture, it’s also one of the greenest cities in France and a brilliant choice for an easy weekend break.
For centuries there were more than a thousand gardens big and small in the Hortillonnages, which capitalised on the extravagantly fertile marshy soil of the riverbed by growing fruit and vegetables for the city’s markets. Though much of the area today is private property, providing weekend escapes for lucky locals, it offers more than just greengrocery. It’s also a birdwatcher’s paradise and I’m thrilled to spot kingfishers, coots, great crested grebes, swans, mallards and moorhens; ducks skitter out of my path.
In the past 15 years, this aquatic wonderland has found new purpose. Guided tours run year-round; there are recently launched gîtes and cosy wooden cabins dotted along the waterfront (a night’s self-catering for two from £111; duneilealautre.fr), while the International Garden Festival pops up annually from May to October and transforms the space into a huge contemporary art gallery. It’s a testbed for up-and-coming landscape gardeners and designers with fresh pieces added each year, many highlighting the climate crisis (May 24 to October 13; artetjardins-hdf.com).
On my two-and-a-half-hour island-hopping tour in September there’s plenty of time to moor the boat and inspect the offbeat installations. I love the Hortillophones, giant ceramic amplifiers designed to “raise awareness of the ecology of the soundscape” without disturbing it. When I put my ear against them I can hear birdsong and the wind rustling the birches. Poking around the Robinson Crusoe-esque shipwreck built by the Green Resistance collective is irresistible, while the twisted willow walkways of the Ile de la Pépinière are an idyllic spot for a long and lazy picnic.
Advertisement
There are only seven hortillons (market gardeners) left there and to sample their produce you have to head to Saint-Leu, the cobbled old quarter lined with cute shuttered houses, and a waterfront market that’s held every Saturday morning with other local producers. A massive bunch of still-glistening pink radishes is the perfect souvenir, and one of the city’s signature dishes is a soup made from the veg grown there.
Nearby is the city’s most famous sight, the soaring Notre-Dame, the largest gothic cathedral in France (and twice the size of its Parisian namesake). The story goes that was built in the 13th century on artichoke fields donated by one of the hortillons, and somewhere among the 700 statues on the main façade, is an artichoke farmer. I can’t spot him but what’s amazing is most of the figures look as if they were carved yesterday ― and some of them are martyrs carrying their own severed heads. They look even more fabulous when their original vivid colours are projected back on to the carvings during the son et lumière show held in the summer and during December.
Described by John Ruskin as “lacework carved in stone”, it’s miraculous that the cathedral still exists, having shrugged off serious damage during the revolution and both world wars (an “X” really does mark the spot where a bomb failed to explode right by the choir).
● 24 of the best places to visit in France
● Best holiday villas in France
There are so many treasures to gawp at in the light-flooded interior that it’s easy to miss the fabulous octagonal labyrinth on the floor of the nave. Am I tempted to copy the medieval pilgrims who crawled through it on their knees seeking atonement? Definitely not ― it’s lunchtime.
Advertisement
In Saint Leu, the north bank of the Somme canal is crammed with waterside cafés and restaurants. In Le Quai, a big, buzzy bistro, I tuck in to the local artery-hardening speciality, ficelle picard, a savoury crêpe stuffed with local cheese, ham and mushrooms, and a top-notch beef carbonnade (mains from £14; restaurant-lequai.fr).
For pudding I skip over to Jean Trogneux where Jean-Baptiste Trogneux (great-nephew of Brigitte Macron) is the sixth generation in charge of the family firm producing Amiens macarons, not to be confused with their rainbow-coloured Parisian cousins. The company sells two million of these dense almond and honey cakes a year, along with superb chocolates and quirky confectionery creations such as the praline-filled chocolate heads of Jules Verne (trogneux.fr).
After biting into one of these beauties it feels rude not to pay homage to the man himself and the sugar hit fuels my trek across town to the elegant townhouse in the pretty Henriville neighbourhood where he wrote Around the World in 80 Days and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Full of period rooms and quirky exhibits, there’s even a replica of the bridge from his yacht, Le Saint Michel III, on the top floor (£5.50; amiens.fr).
Verne thought of Amiens as a “level headed, polite, even-tempered town”, which was “close enough to Paris to benefit from its reflection without the insufferable noise and sterile agitation”. But in 1875 he predicted his home town would be unrecognisable by 2000. Given my experience of Amiens, enjoying everything from the gargoyles of Notre-Dame to the peaceful canals of the Hortillonnages, I’m sure he would have felt quite at home there today.
This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue
Advertisement
Julia Brookes was a guest of Hauts-de-France Tourism (hautsdefrancetourism.com), Eurostar (eurostar.com) and Visit Amiens (visit-amiens.com). The Ibis Styles Amiens Centre has B&B doubles from £77; underground parking from £10 a night (accor.com)
More trips to Northern France
by Andrew Eames
Northern France is stuffed with scenic, historic, cultural and gastronomic goodies. There’s something here for everyone, from uber-fresh seafood to sticky and stinky cheese to half-timbered cottages and regal châteaux. Then there are the D-Day landing beaches and charming villages much loved by the impressionists. It’s all accessible by ferry, by train via the Eurostar, and on foot, and it is right on our doorstep.
1. Road trip via Calais to Normandy and Brittany
Unpack the best of the region on an exploratory self-drive trip via Calais, which heads initially for Honfleur, a favourite of the impressionist painters, at the entrance to calvados and camembert country — so bring an appetite. Next comes the oyster nirvana of Cancale, lined with seafood restaurants, followed by a private tour of the extraordinary Mont Saint-Michel, and a cruise around its bay on a heritage sailing ship. Afterwards explore the beaches of Brittany and the historic walled town of Saint-Malo, before loading up with delicacies and heading home. Accommodation includes a hotel in a 17th-century building with a spa in Honfleur, a foodie bolt hole in Urville-Nacqueville on the pretty Cotentin peninsula, and a luxury B&B.
Details Eight nights’ B&B from £2,575pp, including Le Shuttle crossing, tours and excursions (originaltravel.co.uk)
2. Château stay in Chantilly
Lavish châteaux are not just the preserve of the Loire valley. Chantilly (as in lace and cream) sits 30 miles north of Paris, by Senlis, a little cobbled town with a long history. The Château de Chantilly itself, described by Henry VI as “the most beautiful house in France”, houses a collection of grand masters and is surrounded by Versailles-like gardens by Le Nôtre, France’s most famous landscaper. This is horse racing country, and it also happens to be within easy distance of Parc Astérix, a rollicking theme park based around Goscinny and Uderzo’s characters. Stay in grandeur at the Auberge du Jeu de Paume in the château grounds, with a sleek indoor pool and 92 rooms decorated in Toile de Jouy fabrics.
Details Room-only doubles from £347 (aubergedujeudepaumechantilly.fr). Take Le Shuttle to Calais
3. Battlefield tour in Normandy
This year is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a cue for big commemoration events in June. A bewildering array of museums and visitor centres dot the Normandy coast, so cut to the chase on a dedicated group tour led by the historian Hugh MacDonald-Buchanan, who will bring the whole epic endeavour to life. The focus will be on the landing beaches, the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches, and of course the local gastronomy.
Details Six nights’ half-board from £2,898pp, including return ferry from Portsmouth, transport and visits, departing September 29 (kirkerholidays.com)
4. City break to Rouen
Advertisement
With so much going on along the coast, it is all too easy to overlook Rouen, but this inland city has one of the finest medieval centres in France. Its 14th-century astrological clock is still ticking after 635 years, the sculpture-encrusted façade of its equally old cathedral so entranced Monet that he painted it repeatedly, and its Bourgtheroulde hotel is in a Renaissance monument. There’s more Monet, plus masterpieces by Géricault, Delacroix and Corot in the Musée des Beaux-Arts (free; mbarouen.fr). On summer evenings, the former warehouse area down by the Seine has been reinvented as the chic place to be for drinks and snacks.
Details Room-only doubles from £187 (hotelsparouen.com). Take the ferry to Dieppe
5. Hike the Pink Granite Coast in Brittany
The Breton coast, with its wild headlands and remote coves, is perfect smuggler territory, which is why the Sentier de Douaniers (customs officers’ path) was created in 1791. These days, under the more mundane moniker the GR34, it is perfect for hikers, particularly along the Pink Granite Coast west of Saint-Malo. Expect coloured rocks, sandy beaches and woodland trails on this inn-to-inn route, and to refuel on oysters and crêpes suzettes. End the trip with a meal at the Michelin-listed restaurant Manoir de Lan Kerellec in Trébeurden, where lobster is the speciality.
Details Five nights’ B&B from £1,000pp, including the final dinner and baggage transfers (macsadventure.com). Take the ferry to Saint-Malo
6. Boutique barge cruise on the River Oise
Everyone knows the beefy river that connects Paris to the sea, but only the savvy are aware of its more delicate tributary the Oise, which meanders across the midriff of northern France to meet the Seine just west of the capital. This is the domain of the MS Raymonde, a boutique barge with 11 en suite cabins, a chef and a whirlpool bath. This floating house party saunters upriver to Pont-l’Évêque, stitching together the lavish château at Chantilly, the Armistice Museum at Compiègne, and the Pissarro museum at Pontoise.
Details Six nights’ all-inclusive from £2,108pp (croisieurope.co.uk). Take the train to Paris
7. Explore the wild shores of western Brittany
Western Brittany headbutts the Atlantic at Finistère, literally “the end of the land”. It’s a savagely beautiful shore, known for wild seas, big tides and seaweed harvests. Its rocky promontories are dotted with lighthouses, and a coastguard boat is permanently at sea, at the ready. Stay in a former lighthouse-keeper’s cottage at Pointe de Lervily, right on the GR34 coastal path, with a beach for families, Trescadec, five minutes’ walk away. As darkness falls, light the fire pit outside to send positive vibes to nervous skippers at sea.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for eight from £2,054 (sawdays.co.uk). Take the ferry to Roscoff
8. Rail tour to Brittany and beyond
For those who prefer to travel by rail, and in good company too, there’s a guide-escorted group tour of northern France which sets off on the Eurostar for Lille and then heads west, via stops in Amiens, Rouen and the D-Day beaches. After Saint-Malo the itinerary continues to Brittany’s warmer southwestern shore, to explore the sumptuous island of Belle-Île. And then from Nantes, the home city of the explorer Jules Verne, a chartered retro train awaits on the Vendée railway. The trip can also be tailored for individual travellers.
Details 14 nights’ B&B from £2,895pp, including rail travel and excursions, departing June 19 (ffestiniogtravel.com)
Advertisement
Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and X
