What to see in Hauts-de-France

Nausicaa Cap au Sud

Nausicaá, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, along the beach, is much more than an aquarium: it is the largest European site devoted to discovering and raising awareness of the protection of the marine world.

Château de Chantilly

Raised in an unforgettable setting in the middle of the waters, the Château de Chantilly consists of a part built in the sixteenth century, of pure Renaissance architecture.

Château de Pierrefonds

The Château de Pierrefonds was built in the fifteenth century by Louis d'Orléans and then dismantled on the orders of Louis XIII.

Le Cap Blanc-Nez

Mineralogy enthusiasts all know the famous Cap Blanc-Nez site (Boulogne-sur-Mer area, northern France): the chalk cliffs yield a great abundance of marcasite, crystallised in cockscomb form.

Les Falaises d'Ault-Onival

The chalk cliffs of Upper Normandy continue beyond the mouth of the Bresle at Mers-les-Bains as far as Ault and Onival.

Lille

Capital of Hauts-de-France with a strongly asserted Flemish identity, whose Grand Place enlivens the heart of a historic centre with colourful Baroque façades.

Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Vignes

Its two asymmetrical Gothic spires, standing alone above the ruins, form the most recognisable silhouette of Soissons.

Arras

Prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais whose two Flemish Baroque squares, lined with arcades on pillars, are among the finest urban ensembles of the North.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon

Perched on the hill of Laon, this early-Gothic cathedral impresses with its openwork towers adorned with sculpted oxen, a reminder of the legend of its construction.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais

The cathedral of Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, begun in 1225, is known as having the highest vault of the Gothic age: 48 metres.

Chemin des Dames

This ridge road between Laon, Soissons and Reims was the scene of some of the deadliest fighting of the First World War, now marked by memorials and military cemeteries.

La Baie de Somme

Ranked among the most beautiful bays in the world, the Bay of Somme is an exceptional natural site.

La Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens

Amiens Cathedral of Notre-Dame, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest Gothic cathedral in France, and is often considered one of the masterpieces of medieval architecture.

La Hottée de Gargantua

A rocky chaos about ten metres high with surprising shapes. According to legend: Gargantua empties his basket and creates the mountain on which the town of Laon is built.

Le Cap Gris-Nez

At Gris-Nez, you will grasp the full meaning of the word passage. Whether in the endless coming and going of boats, the flight of birds or the meeting of water, wind and this greying cliff.

Le Terril du Mont de L'Ermite

Thin seams and numerous faults characterise the coalfields of the Nord, which forced miners to extract very large volumes of "waste rock", often reaching half the tonnage of coal.

Les Hortillonnages d'Amiens

300 hectares of gardens stretch in the heart of the Amiens conurbation. They are cut across by 55 kilometres of rieux (small canals).

Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille

The Palais des Beaux-Arts is one of the leading French museums after the Louvre, thanks to its top-class collections.

Senlis

Former royal city at the gates of Paris, whose Gothic cathedral and remains of the Capetian castle overlook a remarkably preserved medieval centre.

Abbaye royale de Chaalis

Aquaclub de Belle Dune

Aqualud

Batterie Todt

Beffroi d'Arras

Beffroi de l'hôtel  de ville de Lille

The belfry of Lille town hall, inaugurated in 1932, is the tallest in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.

Blockhaus d'Éperlecques

Listed as a historic monument, the Éperlecques Blockhaus with its 90,000 tonnes of concrete is the largest blockhaus in the north of France, a witness of that dark period that was the Second World War (1939–1945). A 1h30 visit to discover and know the history of the Éperlecques Blockhaus…

Braderie de Lille

Carrière Wellington

Cascade de Blangy

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer

Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer cathedral is a former French Roman Catholic cathedral in the town of Saint-Omer, in the Pas-de-Calais département.

Centre historique minier de Lewarde

In the heart of the Mining Basin, the Lewarde Mining History Centre plunges you into the mining culture of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Chemin de fer touristique de la vallée de l'Aa

Château François Ier

Château Mennechet

Château d'Eaucourt sur Somme

Château d'Ermenonville

Château d'Esnes

Château d'Esquelbecq

Château d'Hardelot

Château d'Oigny-en-Valois

Château d'Olhain

Château de Bagatelle

Château de Barly

Château de Bernicourt

Château de Blérancourt

Château de Bours

Listed as a Historic Monument since 1965, this tower, originally entirely of local Artois sandstone, was built in the fourteenth century.

Château de Château-Thierry

Château de Cocove