Amiens < Somme < Picardie < France Amiens Amiens Metropolitan Tourist Office greets you Monday to Saturday 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (6 p.m. October 1 to March 31) - Focus on the city Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Amiens Metropolitan Tourist Office aison, L.Rousselin, Parc zoologique - Amiens Métropole, A.S. Flament, zoologique - Amiens Métropole, aison, L.Rousselin, Parc Information desk : 40, Notre-Dame square BP 11018 - F - 80010 Amiens cedex 1 Tél.: +33(0)322716050 • Fax: +33(0)322716051 www.visit-amiens.com [email protected] ACCUEIL ET INFORMATION DES OFFICES DE TOURISME ET SYNDICAT D’INITIATIVE Cette marque prouve la conformité à la norme NF X 50-730 et aux règles 5284 2010 03 22 80 50 20 Crédit photosM B. © www.tibo.org. : © SKERTZÒ. de certification NF 237. Elle garantit que l’accueil et l’information des clients, la promotion et la communication, la production et la commercialisation, la boutique, l’évaluation et l’amélioration de la qualité de service sont contrôlés régulièrement par AFNOR CERTIFICATION 11, rue Francis de Préssensé – 93571 SAINT DENIS LA PLAINE Cedex – France – www.marque-nf.com www.grandnord.fr Amiens Tours of Amiens Visits Notre-Dame cathedral and surrounding areas • The Cathedral is open all year • round ; guided visits, audio- • Amiens Notre-Dame Cathedral has been For more information about Starting in front of the Cathedral, from April to September, the Samarobriva barou- guides and access to the described in the following terms: light, the Somme department, ches will take you on a discovery ride of towers throughout the year perfection… built to harmonious proportions. contact the Somme the Saint-Leu district or 19th Century Amiens. Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 71 60 50 The progress in techniques, experience Department Tourism • In the Somme Bay region, just 45 minutes www.visit-amiens.com gained on other building sites, and the speed Committee. from Amiens, the Marquenterre Park is of its construction confer an extraordinary Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 71 22 71 a vast protected area where numerous Details architectural unity to Amiens cathedral. It is www.somme-tourisme.com France’s largest Gothic edifice (145 m long species of birds make their nests. • The oldest existing spire • The Historial de Péronne recounts the and 70 m wide) and has the loftiest nave in of wood covered with lead great war with its tragic times at the heart France. It could hold two cathedrals the sheeting, rises to a height of the Somme Battlefields.. size of Notre Dame de Paris. The cathedral of 112 m and surpasses the • The Samara Estate presents the lifestyle holds exceptional statuary that is a fine cathedral roof ridge by 56 m. of prehistoric peoples in their natural habitat. testimony to the beauty of Gothic art. • The choir stalls are the finest • The underground city of Naours is the • The restoration of the West facade uncovered example of wooden sculptures most comprehensive example of sheltering the polychrome decor of the porches. in France. Their 4,000 sculpted tunnels currently known (30 galleries The statues regain their mediaeval colours figurines illustrate 33 metres below ground). thanks to the light projectors that focus on former trades or them during shows staged in the summer represent reli- Tasty treats season. gious scenes. • The Picard ficelle, the local famous leek • The nave Amiens cathedral was listed as UNESCO’s pie and delicious ‘beaten’ cake but, above is bathed World Heritage Sites in 1981 for its outstan- all, the Amiens macaroons and chocolate in light thanks to the ding architecture and in 1998, as a stage on tiles that are appreciated as much by cathedral’s large openings. the way to Compostella. Amiens’ citizens as by visitors. Samarobriva or Bridge on the The Gallo-Roman city was Joseph Bonaparte came to sign Closer to our times, both Somme is Amiens first very important and probably the Treaty of Amiens World Wars damaged the city recorded name. had 25,000 inhabitants. in the Town Hall in 1802. This considerably. It underwent treaty put a temporary halt to a long reconstruction period century the hostilities between Britain century followed by contemporary century B.C. th th and France. planning projects. st Jules Verne settled in Amiens century A.D. st in 1871. He lived there until the 20 the 19 at the close of 1 the 1 his death in 1905. Saint-Leu, Jules Verne, The little Venice of the North Visits An Amiens personality • Jules Verne’s House • This is a picturesque quarter. Its small • Jules Verne married a woman from 2, rue Charles-Dubois houses with colourful façades encourage Amiens in 1857 and settled in Amiens defini- Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 45 45 75 leisurely strolls. Intimately linked to water, tively by 1871. He was then 43 years of age www.amiens.com/julesverne ancient Amiens is criss-crossed and he wrote most of the works that made by a lot of canals. The coffee houses, him famous. The house where he lived, restaurants, and pubs provide welcoming renovated in 2005, holds many mementos outdoor terraces. of his life and his work. He took an active Crafts shops, antique stores and part in Amiens public life and in 1889 he Visits second-hand dealers also draw many inaugurated the circus that now bears his • ‘Les bateaux de Saint-Leu’ visitors. The former effervescence of its name. He is buried in the Madeleine Boat tours along craft industries and mills have now been Cemetery. the canals of Saint-Leu. replaced by the university student activities. April to October. The Picardy Museum Tel. : +33 (0)3 22 71 60 20 Lafleur, The hero of the Picard tradition • Built between 1855 and 1867 under The Museum Grand Salon the reign of Napoleon III, this museum is • The famous marionette, Lafleur, is among the finest in France, as much for the ‘Chés Cabotans an ardent defender of the Picardy • The Picardy Museum value of its collections as the architectural d’Amiens’ dialect. With his companions, he 48, rue de la République harmony of its gardens and façades. Marionette Theatre stages shows all year around in the Open every day except It houses various archaeological collections, 31, rue Édouard-David marionette theatre, ‘Chés Cabotans Monday and certain holidays. a room devoted to 19th century sculpture, Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 22 30 90 d’Amiens’ located in the centre of Saint-Leu. Tel.: +33(0)322971400 and also some monumental murals by Puvis de Chavannes. www.ches-cabotans.damiens.com The people of Amiens erected The military operations of the The city enjoyed a new period Two plague epidemics one of France’s first belfries - Hundred Years War took place of prosperity and took up its ravaged the city. the symbol of free cities. nearby and Amiens suffered textile traditions again. At the Around 1220, work on a period of famine and close of the century, the city and building the cathedral began. - epidemics at that time. century was occupied by century th The edifice’s dimensions th In 1471, the city of Amiens th the Spaniards. It was by that th centuries centuries testify to the wealth of the city. surrendered to King Louis XI time, and more exactly 1597, th th after Charles the Bold, Duke of that the citadel was located the 16 the 12 the 14 the 17 13 15 Burgundy, raised siege. north of the city. A multitude of places to see Amiens, a green and blue city Your stay The Belfry, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Visits The Hortillonnages The Amiens Metropolitan • Hortillonnages Protection Perret's Tower and its luminous hourglass, • Also known as the floating gardens, the Tourist Office offers guided tours Association the stained-glass gallery, Bertangles and hortillonnages cover 300 hectares of small throughout the year and it is open 54, bd de Beauvillé Pissy Castles, the ancient farm at Creuse, islands and are criss-crossed by 65 km of Boat visits, afternoons from Monday through Saturday from Saint-Ladre nature reserve at Boves, La canals. The ancient marshes were originally April 1 to October 31. 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Queue Marsh at Blangy are open invitations exploited for their peat and later for market from October 1 to March 31) to stroll and visit Amiens and its surroun- Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 92 12 18 gardening purposes. It is a natural reserve and on Sunday dings. now, just a stone’s throw from the city from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 m. Useful tips centre, where flora and fauna enjoy a calm, and from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The market gardeners, protected environment. They can be www.visit-amiens.com or ‘hortillons’ sell their explored either walking along the towpath, Special Events vegetables every Saturday or in a traditional boat. morning on Parmentier square. • march-april: The World Music and Jazz Once a year, in June, this market The city’s gardens Festival. is held as in old days from Garden and park lovers will find that • the last Sunday in April: The Big Flea Market. boats and in historical garb. Amiens has a multitude of outdoor sites to rd • the 3 Sunday in June: The Town Festival (street investigate: shows) and Water Market. • The zoological park and the Hotoie park, • from Mid-June to Mid-September • Saint-Pierre park, and in December: The Cathedral Light Show. • The Botanical Garden or the King’s • september: The waterfront mediaeval Festival.