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Northern France is an excellent destination to spend your holiday, whether it's for a weekend getaway with friends or a long relaxing trip with loved ones. The excellent thing about visiting northern France, is it is a great destination all year round. Every season offers different activities and exciting adventures to ensure that your holiday is one to remember. If you are looking to spend your next holiday in Northern France, I recommend that you take a look at the comprehensive list below with the top five destinations including tips on the best things to do in each location.
Normandy (Normandie in French) is a northern region in France with a beautiful coastline that is characterized by beaches and enormous cliffs. This region is also packed with history as it is home to the WWII beaches, including Omaha Beach, the site of the D-Day landing.
Normandy is a beautiful location with varied scenery such as the gorgeous coastline, rich forests, and vast countryside's all of which are filled with castles, churches and ancient ruins. Normandy encompasses a vast region in northern France, and some of the best cities to visit are Etretat, Mont-Saint Michel, Rouen, Honfleur and Giverny. Each of these cities has different things to offer
Amiens is a beautiful city that is known for its beautiful hortillonnages (flower canals) and the Amiens Cathedral. The city is located only 120 km from Paris and has a lot of wonderful activities.
The spectacular Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church that is the largest cathedral in France. This great gothic cathedral is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is definitely worth visiting.
In addition, the floating gardens that are throughout the city on the Somme river are also worth seeing as well. Sight-seeing the gardens is not just a one-stop photo opportunity, there is actually a long path that can be explored either by foot or by boat. There are beautiful bridges, educational guides, art installations and lots of wildlife and nature to be seen along this trail. The path starts at the Amiens Cathedral and is 7km long.
Near the Amiens Cathedral there are also lot of activities to keep you busy throughout your stay. The Saint-Leu quarter, just on the north side of the cathedral is the best location for the city's nightlife. Also, every Saturday, there is a water market as well that is something you have to check out on your visit to Amiens.
Lille is a very underrated French city to visit, being that it is the fourth largest urban area in the country. Lille, located just below the Belgian border, is considered the capital of French Flanders with beautiful Flemish architecture and friendly citizens. There are countless things to do in this large city that will make you wish you booked a longer stay.
If you go to Lille in the first week of September, you will encounter the largest outdoor flea market in Europe. The old cobblestone streets are filled with rustic treasures as well as local food stalls, produce, books and even electronics. There is definitely something for everyone at this massive market.
Lille is also home to the Palais des Beaux-Arts, which is the fourth largest museum in France and has an extensive collection of art from famous masters like Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Peter Paul Rubens. If you are a fan of classic art pieces and even art dating back to the 15 th century, then this museum has to go on your bucket list.
There are countless other enjoyable things to do in Lille such as the Opéra de Lille, the old town or Vieux Lille, the amazing Christmas market, or simply indulging in classic French cuisine and Belgian waffles.
This coastal region of northern France is absolutely beautiful and one of the best locations to visit in Northern France. The Opal Coast is comprised of 120 kilometers of beaches, sand dunes, cliffs and adorable villages. Facing the English Channel and the North Sea, this region of French land is also the closest to the coast of England, making it an excellent location for English tourist as it is not far from home.
There are dozens of beautiful cities to visit in this region including Bray Dunes, Le Touquet, Boulogne-Sur-Mer, Wissant and Dunkerque. Each city is unique and offers different adventures such as wandering around old cities, visiting beautiful beaches to sunbathe, swimming in the beautiful water, hiking and so much more.
Sometimes called the festive region, this area also has many special events such as the kite festival, the sea festival, carnivals and even wonderful Christmas markets. This region is particularly known for its gastronomy with excellent seafood dishes and many restaurants with a classic French cuisine. Overall, the Opal Coast is an excellent area of ​​Northern France to visit during your holiday.
As you can see, Northern France is a perfect destination for your next holiday. If you are interested in booking a stay in northern France and are looking for an excellent place to stay during your trip, then check out Evancy. They have great deals on newly built residences in northern France with a plethora of accommodations to ensure you have everything that you could possibly need during your holiday.
We hope that you enjoyed reading about the beautiful cities in northern France is and that you get a chance to explore as much of it as you can on your next holiday!
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We are Jacob and Taylor. Travel is our passion and we love sharing our experiences here at The Travelling Souk. Our hope is that you would be inspired by this little blog to try something new, embrace an adventure, and live life to the fullest.
