Amiens is one of the main cities in the region traditionally known as Picardie just north of Paris. It is notable for its massive cathedral and how the River Somme running through it is broken up into many channels of canals along which beautiful gardens, old buildings, and bridges lie. (2025)
Notre Dame d’Amiens is France’s largest Gothic cathedral — it really does feel massive as you stand in front of it and inside is equally cavernous
A central area of the city is the old town area called Saint Leu which is divided up by the canals of the river Somme that run through it. There are restaurants, old half-timbered buildings, and a number of old churches throughout.
Another key feature of Amiens is the area called les Hortillonnages, a web of canals that forms small islands with picturesque little homes and gardens among which visitors can take boat rides to see.
I quite enjoyed the Musee de la Picardie—not, as I thought, a history museum of the Picardie area but rather a collection of high art and cultural objects from across world history and one of France’s first museums.
For any French literature or sci-fi fan, a visit to one of Amiens’ most famous residents is a must–the city was the home of Jules Vernes for the latter half of his life. Indeed, the whole town transforms itself once a year as the Cirque with a tentacle-themed (as in the squid of 20000 Leagues Under the Sea).
