Picardy Cottages

Holiday Cottages in Picardy

Welcome to Picardy  

Found to the south of Pas de Calais, the rolling gentle landscape of Picardy is renowned for its World War I battle grounds but the history of this beautiful region goes much, much further back and you’ll find it, not only picturesque, but also home to many fantastic historic buildings, ancient sites, superb attractions and activities.

A really great spot for a country cottage holiday, Picardy has no less than six gothic cathedrals, the most outstanding of which is at Amiens, there are also many abbeys, châteaux and gardens to explore and enjoy.  William the Conqueror set sail from Picardy’s coast and Henry VIII’s meeting with King Francois I was here on the romantically named Field of the Cloth of Gold.  Loved by writers and artists from Ruskin to Robert Louis Stephenson, Picardy’s lush countryside and gothic architecture was also home to Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers, and Jules Verne of Around the World in Eighty Days fame.

Stretching from the coast to Ile de France and Paris, Picardy has lots of diverse landscapes including great beaches, forests and vineyards.  Enjoy rural idylls with bags of outdoor activities including coastal walks, cycling and fishing on the many winding rivers and tranquil lakes, there’s also great horse riding, watersports and golf.  Families too love this region for its boundless enthusiasm for having fun be beaches, great theme parks, nature trails in ancient forests, steam train rides and river cruises – fantastic!

Things to do in Picardy

Heritage hunters can enjoy a wealth of beautiful destinations including the fabulous Notre Dame Cathedral in the ‘art and history town’ of Amiens, capital of Picardy.  The largest in France and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this gothic masterpiece will take your breath away for its sheer size and ambition.  Amiens too is a super little city to wander and enjoy with its medieval riverbank and famous ‘Hortillonnages’ water garden.  There are also regular street markets, great cafés and Picardy Museum to explore.

Visit too Beauvais, the Saint Pierre Cathedral with its two famous clocks, plus the National Gallery of Tapestry and the Royal Tapestry Manufactory.  Beauvais tapestries were made for the French court in the 17^th century and the tradition continues today.  Other notable sites include: Historial de la Grande Guerre for the history of WW I, Somme battlefield sites and epic Château de Pierrefonds.

If you enjoy horses make a bee line for Chantilly, home to the smart set for racing, beautiful royal forests and of course great horse riding.  For watersports everyone will enjoy canoeing on the scenic River Oise or bay trips to see the colonies of brown seals out of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme.  Families love the Asterix Theme Park in Oise, the prehistoric journey at Samara in the Somme and La Ferme d’Antan – a traditional Picardy Farm south-west of Amiens. Hop aboard the little steam train ride on the Somme Bay miniature train and there are great cycle and walking routes linked all around Picardy’s gorgeous coast line.