< Introducing Northeast France

The Best of Northeast France

Vineyards in the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims

World War I battlefields such as Verdun and the Somme stand out across Northeast France, and their memorials and monuments are among the most fascinating and moving sights. But this part of France has many brighter sides too – such as the natural wonder of the Baie de Somme, superb Gothic cathedrals at Reims and Amiens, and the splendid Château de Chantilly. There is something for everyone to enjoy here.

Memorable museums

This region offers plenty of child-friendly museums; kids who do not have an inclination for art museums are in luck. Mulhouse has two wonderful, world-class museums, so large that they call them “cities”: the Cité du Train and the Cité de l’Automobile. Nearby, the Ecomusée d’Alsace at Ungersheim is a whole museum village. At Troyes, there is the unusual Musée de l’Outil et de la Pensée Ouvrière. In Chantilly, the Musée Vivant du Cheval features a collection of horses and riding displays. Nausicaá in Boulogne is effectively a museum of sealife.

Be sure not to miss the excellent art museums at Reims, Amiens and Chantilly, while Strasbourg and Troyes each have a Musée d’Art Moderne that stretches back to the late 19th century. At Colmar, the Musée d’Unterlinden has something for everyone, from Matthias Grünewald’s splendidly gruesome Isenheim altarpiece to crossbows and jelly moulds.

The Isenheim altarpiece in the Musée d’Unterlinden

The great outdoors

The Northeast boasts immense and dramatic expanses of protected landscape, such as the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims. The magnificent old hunting forests – the Forêt de Chantilly, Forêt de St-Gobain and Forêt de Compiègne – cast an enchanting spell. There are plenty of information centres and marked walks to help visitors explore them.

The Côte d’Opale is the name given to the English Channel coastline of the Northeast. There are cliff-top walks with views right over the Channel and excellent beaches for swimming and watersports, such as at Le Crotoy. Visit the marshlands of the Parc du Marquenterre, a famous bird sanctuary, or take a boat trip to see the seals in the Baie de Somme.

Hop on to a river cruise along the Meuse at Verdun, or on branches of the Somme river that lead through the “floating gardens” of the Hortillonnages at Amiens. Near Langres, ride a pedalo on the Lac de la Liez – one of the region’s many artificial lakes.

Fortresses and châteaux

For the biggest and mightiest medieval castle, go to the Château Fort de Sedan and witness the evolution of castle architecture. The brilliance of Louis XIV’s military architect, Vauban, is in evidence here and especially at his masterpiece, the star-shaped garrison town of Neuf-Brisach. Head for the wonderful fortified hilltop towns at Langres, Laon, Montreuil-sur-Mer and Boulogne-sur-Mer. See superb châteaux, notably the Château de Compiègne, the Château de Chantilly and the fantastic 19th-century Château de Pierrefonds.

Memories of World Wars

The most potent symbol of World War I, The Battlefield of Verdun, is marked by a scarred landscape, a museum and the Ossuaire de Douaumont. The Battlefields of the Somme evoke similar memories, with numerous battle-torn sites around Albert.

Memories of World War I go underground at the Carrière Wellington in Arras, part of the intriguing honeycomb of centuries-old tunnels beneath the city.

This region also became a battle zone in World War II. The Maginot Line was an extraordinary chain of forts built in vain by the French to defend their border with Germany. La Coupole, the German V2 rocket-launching site, looms near St-Omer.

Poppies in full bloom across the Battlefields of the Somme