The wild landscapes

          With 40 km of coastline,the Picardy Coast offers contrasting landscapes .

  • North of Somme estuary : sandy beaches for 20 km

  • South of Somme estuary : pebbles beaches until the Ault-Onival cliffs marks the beginning of the Normandie region.

  • And not forgetting ...

To see a map of region , click here

The Bay of the Somme 

 

       www.world-bays.com

Sandy beaches

 The Bay of the Somme is considered to be amongst the finest the best bays in the world. The vast, ever changing, Bay of the Somme is a haven for all kinds of birds and the visitor cannot be indifferent to its wild beauty.

Novelty  ! A trip on the little steam train will take you around the Somme Bay from Saint Valery sur Somme to Le Crotoy.

 

www.chemin-fer-baie-somme.asso.fr

Bird sanctury  !

Sheld Duck

The Marcanterre Bird Park (Parc Ornithologique du Marquenterre) is France's largest bird sanctuary with over 300 species : they can be viewed on the ponds or from hides. www.parcdumarquenterre.com

The bird house (Maison de l’Oiseau)invites visitors to come and study  birds on the dioramas that recreate the different habitats of the Picardy Coast. www.maisondeloiseau.com 

The coastal towns      

The port of St Valéry sur Somme

  • Mers les Bains: The villas along the seafront, with their turrets, garrets, bow windows and balconies date from 1830.

  • Ault-Onival: Villages perched on the cliff with views over pebbles beaches.

  • Cayeux sur Mer:The boardwalk with its string of beach huts is one the longest in Europe.

  • Saint Valery sur Somme: The old town ( fortifications dating from the 12th century ) from where William the Conqueror set sail to conquer Britain.www.saint-valery-sur-somme.fr

  • Le Crotoy: A real fishing port nestling to the North of the Somme Bay, with a fine sandy beach. 

  • Quend plage and Fort Mahon plage : Immense beaches of fine sand, bordered by sweet smelling dunes.

          The authentic heartland ... 

Architecture                                                               

  • Gothic cathedral of Amiens, classified by UNESCO as world class architectural heritage.   www.amiens.com/tourisme

  • Abbey at Valloires built in the 18 th century with spectacular gardens (L’Abbaye de Valloires et ses jardins).www.jardins-de-valloires.com

  • Saint-Vulfran gothic chuch at Abbeville. 

  • St Riquier Abbey church 18th century. 

 

  

St Riquier Abbey church ( C18th )

History

 

Château Fort de Rambures ( C15th )

  The area of Samara  invites you to experience prehistory. Here you can come face to face with human beings in their prehistoric habitats - and you can learn about their activities, through actual demonstrations of flint knapping, pottery-making, fire-building, and weaving.www.samara.fr

  The prehistory is presented by Boucher de Perthes in Abbeville. Visit the beautiful collection of flints in Museum of Abbeville.www.ville-abbeville.fr

The fortified castle at Rambures, (Château-fort de Rambures)  a remarkable example of 15th century military architecture. www.chateaufort-rambures.com

Le Château de Bagatelles ( C18th ) 

            In the eastern part of the Somme, Memorials of the Great War :the Remembrance Tour, cemeteries, war memorials, museums and trenches bear witness to the battle of the Somme (1916) during wich more than one million soldiers were killed . Visit the museum of the Great War in Peronne (historial), the Thiepval British memorial to the missing and the Newfoundland Memorial Park in Beaumont Hamels . www.historial.org

  And there's more...

    Chinese cemetery at Nolette – the Great War (  Le cimetière chinois de Nolette )

    Crécy-en-Ponthieu battle field ( 1346 ) Site of the Battle of Crécy-en-Ponthieu

    The Underground City of Naours ( Les grottes de Naours )

    Saint-Maxent windmill

For more details, visit the best   tourism website of  Somme   www.somme-tourisme.com 

      Ask at Reception for detailed maps and brochures of the region.

       Bay of Somme special events :

Spring : 

    La transbaie : The cross country -race in the Bay of Somme

    The international Jazz festival in Amiens  

 April  2009: 

Don't forget to come the Bird Film Festival  (films, shows, nature walks,...)              www.festival-oiseau.asso.fr

19 th Bird and Nature Festival 

from 18  to 26 April 2009

Special Offers for the  "Festival " 

June :

    Open-house in the gardens of Picardy 

Middle of June :

The Guillaume Medieval Festival ( William the Conqueror) at St Valery sur Somme 

1 Jully : 

    Ceremonies commemorating World War I

Summer:

 The Saint Riquier Summer Classical Music Festival every July, brings together the best soloists and classical music groups in Europe under the arches of the Abbey Church.

The Sea Festival in Cayeux sur mer, St valery  and Le Crotoy

September:

    La picarde : The international famous bicycle on the picardy cost 

    "Son et lumière " sound and light show "The land of Picardy "in  Ailly sur Noye www.aillysurnoye.com

  Bargain hunting: rederies  is a local term for what amounts to "car-boot" are held in numerous 

The best famous :

    April: The spring "rederie" of Amiens 

    End of July: Quesnoy le montant

    15 august :  Mons Boubert

    End of August  : Abbeville

    October:The automn "rederie" of Amiens 

       The markets

The markets  reflect the local colour and atmosphere and a good place to savour some of the local produce 

    Abbeville: Thursday and Saturday and last wednesday of the month

    Ault :Saturday morning

    Onival: In season: wednesday morning

    Cayeux sur mer: tuesday ,friday morning and in season: sunday morning 

    Le crotoy : tuesday ,friday morning tfrom  15/06 to 15/09 friday morning in low season 

    Fort Mahon Plage : from  15/06 to 15/09 tuesday and friday morning 

    Frivillle Escarbotin :Saturday morning 

    Mers les Bains: Monday and Thursday 

    Quend Plage: Monday morning and Thursday morning in season 

    Rue: Saturday morning 

    Saint Valery sur Somme: Sunday morning and wednesday morning in season