Amiens travel guide

Amiens, France

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Amiens

Introduction

Amiens is a city in northern France, set roughly midway between Paris to the south and Lille to the north, and serves as the prefecture of the Somme department in the Hauts-de-France region. Its defining landmark is Amiens Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in France, which anchors the centre of the city.

The city also has literary and political associations worth knowing before you arrive: Jules Verne lived in Amiens from 1871 until his death in 1905 and sat on the city council for fifteen years, and Emmanuel Macron, the current French president, was born here. Amiens is additionally home to one of France's largest university hospitals.

Before you go

Amiens is the capital of Picardy, and its centre is compact enough to explore on foot. The city's tourist information service, Amiens Tourism, is your first stop for orientation and local advice.

The climate is oceanic, with mild, wet winters and warm summers. Expect rain at any time of year, so pack a waterproof layer and an umbrella whatever the season.

Getting there

Amiens sits north of Paris at the meeting point of two motorways, the A16 (Abbeville–Beauvais) and the A29 (Rouen–Saint-Quentin and Reims). This puts the city within direct reach of the ferry ports at Le Havre and Calais, and gives a shorter, if indirect, approach from Dieppe.

Getting around

The centre of Amiens is pedestrianized and compact, so walking is the most practical way to explore it. If you arrive by car, park a little farther out or use one of the numerous underground parking lots in the centre rather than trying to drive into the pedestrian zone; the city is well supplied with signs for directions, tourism and car parks.

Beyond walking, a decent bus system is the main way to get around, with a ticket valid for one hour that makes it easy to hop on and off for short journeys. There is also a community bicycle system, though the bicycles are not in especially useful areas. For longer trips, Amiens station, designed by Auguste Perret, is the main rail hub, with regional services to Rouen, Calais, Lille, Reims, Compiègne and Paris-Nord; trains from Paris run at least hourly. In the west of the city, Saint-Roch station serves local trains towards Rouen and Abbeville. A regular bus route connects with the TGV Haute-Picardie station, which also provides access to the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport station.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Amiens is concentrated in the centre, within easy reach of the cathedral and the Somme. The Holiday Inn Express on Boulevard d'Alsace Lorraine has small but well-furnished rooms and a reasonable free breakfast; note that it has no air-conditioning, so rooms can get hot in summer. Two more central options are the Hôtel Marotte on Rue Marotte and the Grand Hotel De L'Univers, a Best Western, on Rue de Noyon.

Food & drink

For a sit-down meal, head to Quai Belu on the north bank of the Somme, where a good selection of restaurants lines the waterfront and some offer pleasant street seating. The food is aimed at locals, but there is enough tourist trade that most places keep English menus on hand.

When you want a drink, the area between the cathedral and the river Somme around Rue des Bondés is popular, with both indoor and outside seating. You will also find a few options around Place Gambetta and near the rail station.

What to see and do

Amiens is dominated by its cathedral, one of the major works of the French Gothic style, with a fine façade and interesting sculptures; it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an impressive piece of architecture, holding the greatest interior volume of any cathedral in France. Elsewhere in the city, the Musée de Picardie, inspired by Napoleon III's Louvre and opened in 1867, is considered one of the finest provincial museums in France, with extensive collections spanning archaeology, sculpture, decorative arts and painting from the Paleolithic era to the present day, including Gallo-Roman relics, medieval treasures and works by French masters. The Belfry, built in the early 15th century, stands 52 metres tall and symbolises the city's independence from feudal powers; over the centuries it has served as a town hall, prison and watchtower, and though it suffered significant damage during World War II it was restored in the late 20th century.

For something different, head to the Hortillonnages, market gardens and allotments separated by small canals connected by private bridges, which you can visit by boat from the Maison des Hortillonnages. Literature fans should seek out the Jules Verne Museum, the author's well-preserved 19th-century home, now a small but cosy museum well worth a visit. The city's circus building is quite unique in France and Europe, even from the outside, so try to get a seat for one of the events taking place there. Football supporters can catch Amiens SC playing in the third tier at the Stade de la Licorne, west of the city centre.

When to go

Amiens has a typical oceanic climate: mild winters, cool summers, and rain spread evenly across the year. Winter here is relatively mild rather than harsh, so cold snaps and snow are not the defining feature, but rain remains a regular presence and wet weather gear is worth packing. Expect quiet, low-season conditions if you visit then.

Summers are cool rather than hot, making it a comfortable time for walking the city, though rainfall is still well distributed and sunny spells can be interrupted by showers. This is the peak visitor season, with the busiest streets and highest prices. Spring and autumn sit between the mild winter and cool summer, with rain spread through them as at any time of year; expect changeable conditions and fewer crowds than in summer.

Three days in Amiens

Day one begins in Amiens itself, where the Gothic Amiens Cathedral is the natural anchor of your stay. Give the cathedral proper time, then let the city's Picardy character set the pace for the rest of the day. As the evening comes on, expect a meal built around the region rather than around a checklist of sights.

Day two looks outward into Hauts-de-France. Trains from the Gare in Amiens put Corail and TER services within reach, so you can shape the day around a single direction: Compiègne and its Auguste Perret associations, or the Somme country toward Abbeville. Keep the itinerary modest and let the rail connections do the work.

Day three returns to Amiens for the Jules Verne connection and a slower look at the neighbourhoods you passed through earlier. If you are extending the trip, the wider network reaches Beauvais, Rouen, Saint-Quentin, Reims, Lille, Paris, Le Havre, Calais and Dieppe, so the day can end with a departure rather than a return.

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