Is Amiens Worth Visiting?

Travel

By Peter14 mins read

Amiens is strategically located on the banks of the Somme River, just at the center of the Picardy area. The city of Amiens is worth visiting and it is the perfect weekend getaway. The beautiful place is in the middle of calm countryside with a type of style that is atypical of a relatively small town. Amiens is a lively place with an impressive array of cultural events and distinct points of interest.

A lot of Amiens’ top attractions ignite the imagination like the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is the largest French Gothic church. There is also the Tour Perret, Europe’s first built skyscraper that is worth seeing. At the Maison Jules, Verne is the creative hub of Amiens’ most popular author. The place displays his models of naval ships and flying machines.

When tourists visit the Quartier Saint-Leu and Centre-ville, they can stroll among the picturesque cobblestone streets, outdoor café, shop, and appreciate the adorable monuments. Apart from the different foods in the city and the Gothic-inspired basilicas, Amiens is immensely full of surprises.

Here are Why Amiens is Worth Visiting:

Cathédrale Notre-Dame

A great piece of gothic architecture, this UNESCO cathedral is among the biggest churches. It has a surface area of 7,700 square meters with a length of 45 meters. It could easily fit a football pitch and even twice the Notre-Dame de Paris. The humongous size, intricate details, and harmony of architectural style are charming.

Built between 1220 to 1288 (68 years), the structure’s construction was quick for a medieval cathedral. This explains the concordance of the design. As soon as it was finished, the city’s cathedral struck an enduring influence that inspired a similar design in Germany. Today, the German one is the most amazing monuments in Cologne.

A significant part of the city’s cathedral is the façade that features three well-embellished doorways inspired by Notre-Dame’s west façade in Paris. The doorways are decorated with 750 statues; including Old and New Testament persons; prophets, apostles, and a figure of Jesus. There is a depiction of the Last Judgment in the tympanum.

The church’s interior reaches over 42 m in height with 126 pillars, giving off a fascinating vibe. Visitors will be amazed by the largeness, airy, and bright space. A brilliant structure of hanging buttresses and ribbed vaults allowed for a little surface area of stained-glass windows, forming a delicate impression.

At the back of the high altar is the tomb decorated with the famous weeping angel, and John the Baptist remains placed in the left-hand chapel. When you visit, make sure to check out the 500s choir stalls, adorned with carvings of over 3,650 figures During summer nights (from June to September) and at December Christmas time, the words Amiens, the Cathedral in Color beams, and it suggests a sense of the initial medieval color scheme in its splendor.

>>Most Beautiful Cathedrals in France

Musée de Picardie (Museum of Fine Arts)

In the collection of the most ravishing museums outside the French capital is Picardy Museum, whose design is inspired by the Louvre. Kept in a beautiful Second Empire building, the city’s fine arts museum has an expansive catalog that collects archaeological discoveries, sculptures, medieval art, and European paintings.

The major attractions here are the sculpture that includes sublime pieces like Buste Anatole France by Bourdelle and the painting catalog with stellar pieces by El Greco, Corot, Tiepolo, Courbet, and Fragonard. In the collection, there are also the works of popular 1900s art icons like Picasso and Mirô. The museum is located at 48 Rue de la Republique, Amiens.

Quartier Saint-Leu

Quartier Saint-Leu is the city’s chicest neighborhood and a medieval atmospheric area that spans from the Port d’Aval harbor on the Somme River to the Notre-Dame. There is a scenic trail along the Somme River perfect for a delightful stroll. Similar to Venice, canals surround the area so it can be toured by boat.

Alternatively, you can explore the district by strolling around the scramble of strait cobblestone pathways that are lined with old half-timbered buildings. It is also refreshing to explore the district’s art galleries, antique stores, bookshops, and modest locally managed boutiques. The perfect way to absorb the vibe is at any of the cafes- there are many views of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Eglise Saint-Leu is in the middle of the quarter. A short walk from the Saint-Leu Church is the Quai Bélu, a sociable district along the Somme River with lots of restaurants. Many setups have open-air dining space at the edge of the water.

Les Hortillonnages

Visitors will enjoy a visit to this wonderful marsh garden. Accessible only by water, Les Hortillonnages is elegant and has all the charms of a modern garden. Between the Somme and the Avre rivers, the city has around 65 kilometers of canals; this 300-hectare is located on swampy islands in this distinct setting.

Given the interspersion win the canals, the fertile swamp fields seem to float. These fields have been managed by farmers who used special boats to transport fresh vegetables and fruits to the market since the Middle Ages.

For those that have added or would like to add Les Hortillonnages to their itinerary, you can secure the services of guided boat tours. The third Saturday of every June is the Marche Sur l’Eau Traditionnel event, where gardeners dress in old props while rowing on the Somme in their special boats and selling fish. From June to October, weekends are different. The Maison de la Culture d’Amiens put up cultural programs, and tours for the big Festival des Hortillonnages with events like circus acts musical concerts and poetry performances. Les Hortillonnages is located at 54, Boulevard Beauville, Amiens.

Maison de Jules Verne (Jules Verne House)

Jules Verne is the celebrated French novelist that wrote the book Around the World in 80 Days. The book chronicles the adventures of Phileas Fogg, and the Maison de Jules Verne heavily displays the author’s imaginative ingenuity. He and his wife lived there between 1882 and 1900, and it was there that he wrote the novel Extraordinary Voyages.

In another room, there is a display of the desk where, in 1869, the author commenced writing Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Also, in the author’s extensive library, visitors can glance through his favorite works; including pieces by Edgar Allan Poe, Walter Scott, Dickens, Cooper, and Shakespeare.

The house also features an Observation Tower and a flying machine collection that were the author’s creation. These items predated the invention of the airplane. Maison de Jules Verne is located at 2 Rue Charles Dubois, Amiens.

Tour Perret

This is among the place worth visiting in Amiens. The Tour Perret is a truly iconic spot because it is one of the continent’s first skyscrapers. The tower aims higher than 100 meters in height, reaching almost as high as the Cathedral Notre-Dame’s spire. Jointly, the ancient cathedral and the modern Perret Tower make a unique skyline. Every day, the Perret Tower is illuminated after nightfall with flashy lighting effects. Tour Perret is located at 13 Place Alphonse Fiquet, Amiens.

Parc Samara – Archeology and Prehistory Park

Not far from the city center, tourists can jettison the 21st-century realm and delve into the world of prehistory. This amazing amusement park provides a 600,000-year trip back in time; starting with the discovery of fire to civilization’s cradle and proceeding to the Galli-Roman era.

In the 1,200-square-meter exposition space, exhibitions are displayed in a catchy way. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about prehistoric ancestors via imitations of their everyday life. There are also real recreations of ancient abodes.

The major attraction of this place is the amazing prehistory recreations like fire-making, and artisanal crafts, including pottery, wood carving, and weaving. Besides, the park is a natural sanctuary with forests, an arboretum, and marshland.

Is Amiens Worth Visiting – Summary

A simple day trip in Amiens involving the town’s unique spots is definitely a worthy adventure. It will not only be memorable for you and the children, but there is also an educational experience that will stay with you for a long, long time. For a typical northern France bliss with lovely landscapes, bubbling small-town life, and a taste of varied class of specialties, Amiens emphatically ticks all the boxes.