A weekend in Amiens and Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme

To stretch out the summer and make the most of the last fine days, we decided to book a weekend in Picardy in mid September. We had wanted to discover this region of France for a long time, reachable by train from Paris. So we left for Amiens on Saturday midday (17€ one way on the TER; 1h10 journey from Gare du Nord) and arrived for lunch at 1pm. On the weekend’s programme: visiting Amiens on the Saturday, sleeping there and taking the steam train of the Baie de Somme Railway to discover Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme.

What to see in Picardy

Amiens

The centre and the Saint-Leu district

After an excellent lunch at Ail des ours, which we had booked beforehand, we headed for the centre of Amiens and its cathedral , which is celebrating its 800th anniversary this year. So we were able to visit the inside but it wasn’t possible to go up the towers, nor to see the treasury, because reception was short staffed on this European Heritage Days weekend. Next time perhaps!

And if we came that weekend, it was also to see one of the last evenings of the Chroma show, the sound and light show projected onto Amiens cathedral, in tribute to the monument’s 800 years. This show is also available in December during the Christmas market, at 7pm. Remember to get to the forecourt early because a lot of people come and watch!

North of the cathedral is the famous little Saint-Leu district, which also made Amiens famous with its countless canals, which could almost make you think of a little Amsterdam. We wandered through the maze of the district’s streets: rue du Don, place Parmentier, rue de la Dodane, rue d’Engoulvent… each as pretty as the next with their colourful or half-timbered houses and their flower covered bridges that give the town a bucolic air.

The hortillonnages

We then reached Saint-Pierre park, the real green lung of Amiens, laid out for walks, cycling, outdoor sports… You wouldn’t think you were in the heart of a city at all, but very much in the countryside, thanks to the presence of the famous hortillonnages. These are gardens on the water, over almost 300 hectares, first intended for market gardening and which today are also pleasure gardens filled with flowers to the extreme. There’s even an international festival of hortillonnage gardens!

The hortillonnages can also be discovered along the water and we felt like taking a boat trip. After stopping in front of the landing stage, under the boulevard de Beauvillé (here), we changed our minds when faced with the huge queue… But we found what we were after a little further on! We walked to the Musée des Hortillonnages, in Rivery, a town bordering Amiens, which offers electric or rowing boats to hire to explore the surrounding hortillonnages. Hiring a boat costs 7€ per person for a loop of about 50 minutes. The museum’s volunteers explained to us how to handle the boat and showed us the route to follow, to avoid getting lost in the maze of canals.

This boat trip was one of the highlights of our weekend, we so enjoyed taking the time to discover the landscape. If slow tourism has become a trend over the last few years, we can say we’ve completely bought into the concept!

Baie de Somme

The Baie de Somme Railway

After a good night and a good breakfast in Amiens, we took the TER towards Noyelles-sur-mer. The journey between the two stations takes about 25 minutes. But why Noyelles? Because it’s one of the departure points of the steam train of the Baie de Somme Railway! We had booked our tickets a week beforehand for the Noyelles-sur-mer / Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme journey by steam train: the return trip costs 15€ per person.

So we took our seats in this old steam locomotive train maintained by the volunteers of the Baie de Somme Railway Association. Some first class carriages have velvet seats and are more comfortable than the carriages with wooden benches! The journey to Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme takes about half an hour. The train goes through the Picardy countryside and crosses part of the marshes of the Baie de Somme. A real journey out of time and a change of scene! Here again, we really had the feeling of enjoying ourselves and taking the time to gently discover a French region. We can only advise you to take this steam train one day, booking well in advance especially in high season.

Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme

We arrived in Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme at lunchtime, in the sunshine: we were surprised to see so many people strolling around the port and the promenade. This little town seems popular with Sunday walkers, even in mid season, in the middle of September. We started our visit of Saint-Valéry with the path that runs along the Somme, the quai Blavet, which further on becomes the quai Jeanne d’Arc.

After going up the very flowery rue des Moulins, we took the calvary path to reach the sailors’ calvary, which offers a lovely view over the roofs of Saint-Valéry and over the Baie de Somme. In this spot is the Samaris spa, which we’d really like to try one day, as the view from the facilities looks well worth the price! We then came back down towards the town centre and the banks of the Somme to admire the pretty villas lining the bay. Once at Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme beach, we explored the medieval quarter, near the Porte Jeanne d’Arc. From the ramparts, you get a panoramic view over the bay. We then headed for the sailors’ chapel, which overlooks the town and the beach: a must if you come to Saint-Valéry! Coming back down, we finished our visit of the town with the flower filled streets, the district around Saint-Martin church and finally the rue de la Ferté, where we took the chance to taste delicious savoury galettes and crêpes.

Setting off at the end of the day towards the little station, we passed through the marina and the lock and started walking along the quai de la digue, which leads to a small lighthouse. From there, there’s a lovely view over the old houses and the boats of Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme.
We warmly recommend coming to discover this small town of the Baie de Somme, which has kept its old world charm and still well preserved heritage! We’ll be back, that’s for sure, to enjoy the Bay for longer, and above all to hope to watch seals in their natural habitat.

Our accommodation in Amiens

Finding somewhere available to stay in Amiens or the Baie de Somme was no easy mission! All the accommodation (bed and breakfasts, hotels…) was already full at the start of September. In the end we found a simple, efficient whole apartment on Airbnb (69€ a night for two) right in the centre of Amiens, five minutes from the station and the cathedral. We recommend it for spending a night in Amiens!

Our favourite places to eat in Picardy

• Ail des ours: excellent restaurant in the heart of Amiens where we had lunch. Single menu that changes very regularly. 19€ starter/main or main/dessert, 26€ starter/main/dessert at lunchtime; 38€ starter/main/dessert in the evening.
• Nature de cacao: very good patisserie offering a wide choice of desserts (and really delicious pastries!).
• Le petit poucet : chic patisserie and tea room, chocolate éclair approved.
• Les galettes de Tante Olympe: crêperie in Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme, with a magnificent view over the Bay. More than reasonable prices with the tea room formula (5€ a galette).

What we thought of Picardy

This Picardy weekend was a real surprise and exceeded all our expectations! If Amiens as a weekend destination doesn’t make you dream at first glance, we can assure you the town is worth a look. We don’t regret our choice to combine a visit to Amiens with one to Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme. It lets you discover different landscapes, as much urban as rural and coastal, in the space of just two days.
So we advise you to devote a short day to Amiens and to head to the Baie de Somme too, in particular thanks to the period steam train! A journey through time and a change of scene guaranteed over a weekend an hour from Paris.

Need ideas for your weekends and holidays in France? Read our articles about our beautiful country!