The Somme tourist board

Not far away the singular and proud Perret tower shows me the way to the local allotments, an extraordinary patchwork of floating gardens; separated by narrow canals - the area is a mystical watery labyrinth. I wander around the old quarter of Saint-Leu with its old, wooden buildings.

Although a town, Amiens gives you the feeling of being in the countryside !

The cathedral Notre-Dame

Listed as a Unesco world heritage site, the harmony of its proportions, the purity of its lines, and its abundant statuary make it one of the finest examples of the Gothic Art.
"The cathedral in colour" : from mid-june to mid-September and during the Chritmas holidays, free light show at nightfall every night on the square in front of the cathedral.
In the Middle Ages, the sculpted designs on the west porches of Amiens Notre-Dame cathedral were painted in magnificient bright colours. Thanks to new technologies and to Skertzo, the multicoloured facade can today be reconstructed by light projection. The result is amazing, a revelation, a moment of pure emotion...

Saint-Leu, the little Venice of the North

This is a picturesque quarter. Its smal houses with colourful façades encourage leisurely strolls. Intimately linked to water, ancient Amiens is criss-crossed by a lot of canals. The coffee houses, restaurants and pubs provide welcoming outdoor terraces.
Crafts shops, antique stores and second-hand dealers also draw many visitors. The former effervescence of its craft industries and mills have now been replaced by the university student activities.

Lafleur, the hero of the Picard tradition
The famous marionette, Lafleur, is an ardent defender of the Picardy dialect. With his companions, he stages shows all year around in the marionette theatre, Chés Cabotans d'Amiens, located in the centre of Saint-Leu.

The Hortillonnages

A mosaic of 300 hectares of market and onamental gardens separated by little canals in the heart of the city. A listed site that can only be accessed by traditional horn-shaped boats.

Jules Verne's House

Jules Verne married a woamn from Amiens in 1857 and settled in Amiens definitively by 1871. He was then 43 years of age and he wrote most of the works that made him famous.
Fantasy and reality were closely linked in the life of this famous writer. Restored in 2006, the house exhibits over 700 keepshakes that characterize his personality, and illustrate his sources of inspiration.
He is buried in the Madeleine cemetery in Amiens.

The Picardy Museum

Housed in a pure Napoleon III style building, this museum, with its wealth of collections from Prehistory to the 20th century, is one of the finest in France.

Amiens zoological gardens

A 6 hectare shady park is home to some 350 animals representing 70 species from the four corners of the world.

Special Events

> march: the World Music and Jazz Festival
> the last sunday in April and the 1st sunday in october: the big flea Market
> the 3rd sunday in june: the town festival and water market
> novembre : the internationla film festival
> december : the christmas markey