Just a short hop across the Channel, this fascinating region of northern France is famed for its Gothic art, its royal castles and its war sites, but also for its horses and its whipped cream!
Extending from the fairytale châteaux of Chantilly and Pierrefonds north of Paris to the forests and pastures of the Thiérache near the border with Belgium, and from the vineyards of the Champagne picarde wine region in the east to the beaches of the Somme estuary on the Channel coast, Northern France has a a rich history and cultural identity.
There’s something for everyone, whatever your interests. The battles in World War I have left their mark in the form of compelling museums as well cemeteries and memorials. But this is also the birthplace of Gothic architecture, with no less than six of the world's greatest Gothic cathedrals: art critic John Ruskin described Amiens Cathedral as ‘the Pantheon of Gothic architecture’. Amiens is also home to the Musée de Picardie with its collections including local art and archaeology.
Layers of History
Royalty were here too: the Château de Compiègne was among three seats of royal government and later the place where Napoléon expressed his love for Marie-Louise in a grand landscaping gesture.
Other cultural treasures include the ruined Abbaye de Chaalis in Ermenonville forest, where a surprise awaits in the form of an intact chapel with Italian Renaissance frescoes by Francesco Primaticcio, plus an art museum.
Meanwhile, the Château de Chantilly houses France’s large collection of antique paintings after the Louvre, though the town is best known for its horses – its 17th-century stables are home to the fascinating Museum of the Horse, while the stunning 19th-century racecourse is hosting, as a one-off in 2016, the world’s greatest horse race, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
