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Home to the world’s favourite sparkling wine and some of France’s most historically significant sites, this region sits outside of Paris to the west of the Belgian border and is a favorite among holidaymakers.
For a taste of the champagne-producing region first-hand, head to Reims and the vineyards to the south. The city of Reims offers champagne tasting at any one of the huge number of wine houses that own offices here. The cathedral here is of particular significance as the place of coronation of numerous kings. The building’s intricate decoration and stained glass windows are breathtaking.
Just 20 minutes away by car or train, Epernay is also a centre for everything champagne and a good place to try different labels including Moet et Chandon. Many champagne houses are lined along Avenue de Champagne where visitors can explore the chalk underground cellars used to store millions of bottles of bubbly. The hills around the town are lined with row upon row of grapes and dotted with vineyards.
The Picardie region is perhaps best-known as being the site of the infamous Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of WWI. Amiens, the capital of the region, makes the ideal base from which to explore the surrounding area, which includes remnants from the war.
The city’s cathedral is considered to be the most impressive Gothic structure of its kind in France and as such, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Inside, the cavernous nave is the highest in the country, the ceiling standing more than 40 metres above the numerous designs incorporated into the flooring.
In nearby Loan is a similarly spectacular Gothic cathedral dating from around the same period, some 800 years ago. This small Picardie town is also famous for having the only completely automatic cable network in the world, linking the Town Hall to the railway station
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