Amiens, the green and blue city
WITH THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE SEASONS AND THE WATER ALONG THE BRANCHES OF THE RIVER SOMME OR IN THE HEART OF THE CITY, TAKE A DEEP BREATH OF FRESH AIR AND ENJOY THE WIDE VARIETY OF ATMOSPHERES IN AMIENS’ MANY DIFFERENT PARKS AND GARDENS
Quartier Saint-Leu - as.flamentDISCOVER AMIENS
Stroll on foot through the old quarters of Amiens, from the Parc de l’Evêché (Bishop’s Park) to the banks of the river Somme…
As you stroll through its streets, discover the wide-ranging heritage of a city with a prestigious history. The perfect visit for your first stay in Amiens!
Duration: 1.5 hours on foot
Price: €140 - maximum of 30 people per guide
Additional fee Sundays/Bank Holidays: + €40 per guide
Les hortillonnages d'Amiens - Paul LebrunGUIDED BOAT TOUR OF THE HORTILLONAGES
Take a breath of fresh air and dive into the Hortillonnages. The watchword here is silence!
You’ll set out on a flat-bottomed electric punt to take in these floating vegetable gardens; a true oasis of calm in a beautiful green setting, just a stone’s throw from the city centre.
Duration: 45 minutes by boat
Price: €92 - maximum of 12 people per boat
+ 1,00€ additional fee
Group reservation every day from 1 April to 31 October (subject to sailing conditions).
Except Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, as well as every day in July/August: Mornings only
Commentary given in French by boat guides.
Musée des Hortillonnages - musée des hortillonnagesTHE MUSEUM OF THE HORTILLONNAGES
Suggested for small groups
Thérèse and René Nowak are an iconic couple of market gardeners who founded the Museum of the Hortillonnages. They welcome you to their Eco-Museum right in the heart of the site.
The museum’s mission is to put in the limelight the “hortillists” who created this extraordinary landscape. Here you will discover a unique collection of equipment as used by the market gardeners ever since the site existed.
Duration: 45 minutes
Price: €7.00 per person (from 10 people and upwards)
Maximum of 20 people per guide
Option of a boat trip in an electric punt through the Hortillonnages - 45-minute circuit (please ask us).
Open from 1 April to 31 October from 9 am to 6 pm (closed on Tuesdays).
Option of enjoying a picnic on site.
AVP - ryannmonelINTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF HORTILLONNAGE GARDENS AMIENS
27 May - 15 October 2023
An artistic journey through the landscape of Amiens’ Hortillonages that you should absolutely not miss!
The gardens and sculptural installations of the Festival are arranged on small islands, creating a poetic journey through fifty or so artistic productions. An invitation to take an offbeat, comic, critical, always original look at this complex environment, its history and its future. There is also a gentle tour around Lake Clermont, enabling you to get a better grasp of the links between nature, culture, farming and heritage in the light of the impact of climate change.
Group visits can be completely independent, with a 2.5-hour boat trip from one small island to another, or you can be accompanied by a facilitator with a suitably themed visit.
Information and reservations:
Contact Marianne Ancelin , Outreach and Public Relations Officer to make the best arrangements for your Festival visit.
By e-mail m.ancelin@artetjardins-hdf.com
or by telephone +33(0)6 788 53 55 92
Balade depuis le Jardin des Vertueux - PacoTHE JARDIN DES VERTUEUX
This place is filled with benefits, offering visits to 28,000 m2 of ecological and educational landscaped gardens in the heart of the Hortillonages.
A veritable ode to respect for nature, to gain a fuller understanding of the cycle of plant life and appreciate the fragility of the natural environment.
Duration: from 45 minutes to 2.15 mins
Option of (half-day) educational visit for school groups
Information and reservations:
By text only to +33(0)6 30 89 43 21 please provide your name, number of visitors and the date you wish to visit)
472 chaussée Jules Ferry - (Entrance opposite the restaurant “La table du marais”)
Open from 1 April to 31 October (subject to change)
jardin des plantes - l.rousselinTHE JARDIN DES PLANTES
Did you say “Botanical Gardens”? Get away from it all and enjoy the scents of Amiens’ Jardin des Plantes in the company of an expert guide who will recount the history of one of France’s oldest planted gardens!
Duration: 1.5 hours on foot
Price: €140 - maximum of 30 people per guide
Additional fee Sundays/Bank Holidays: + €40 per guide
zoo - © Amiens MétropoleTHE ZOO
Archipelagos and Shores are the first areas resulting from the zoos expansion and refurbishment project to open to the public. They enhance the visit with new experiences and new species including the magnificent Sumatran tiger.
Amiens Zoo is both pursuing its scientific and cultural missions and underlining its role as a major tourist attraction of the Hauts-de-France region.
It is an exceptional oasis, just a stone’s throw from the city centre, where this island of biodiversity marries tranquillity, nature and a break from urban life. There are over 500 animals to discover along the river in a former 7-hectare botanical garden.
TWO UNUSUAL GUIDED VISITS TO VISIT THE ZOO IN ANOTHER WAY
- The visit of discovery: What is a zoo? This visit takes as its starting point the history of Amiens Zoo as a way of discovering the different species and looking at the mission of modern zoos.
- Backstage Pass: How do zoos function? What goes on behind the scenes in a zoo? A visit to reveal the mission of a zoo and how our teams work on a daily basis. Duration: 2 hours
The Zoo can also be visited without a guide.
THE ZOO IS ALSO... “La Fabrick’en équipe”
Half-day workshop visit / Special for small groups
(group of 10 people maximum)
Spend a morning on an expedition in the zoo and gather information, materials and tools to then make an object that will stimulate the natural behaviour of one of the zoo’s animal species!
A sociable, unusual and constructive activity for you to share with friends and family.
Duration: 3 hrs
Information and reservations:
Fanny Poncet - Reservations Agent
f.poncet@amiens-metropole.com
Tel: +33 (0)3 22 69 61 07
Open from 1 February to 15 November
You can enjoy a picnic in the zoo, with 3 outdoor covered picnic areas.
La Citadelle - Claire LefortTHE CITADEL
Jean Evrard de Bar-le-Duc made sure that it was impregnable, but Renzo Piano took on the challenge of making it part of the city.
Together with your expert guide, you will learn the basics of military architecture and how everyday life was arranged within a fortress, and find out about its new role as both a park open to the public and a university.
From the citadel’s bastion to its amphitheatre, all of its architectural challenges will be revealed to you!
Duration: 1.5 hours on foot (outdoor visit only)
Price: 140€ - 30 people per guide
Additional fee Sundays/Bank Holidays: + €40 per guide
JASA - l.rousselinTHE SAINT-ACHEUL ARCHAEOLOGICAL GARDENS
Your expert guide will take you to the Saint-Acheul Archaeological gardens, an internationally renowned prehistoric site right in the heart of the Saint-Acheul Quarter. Come and discover the earliest human settlements in our region, and the historical animal life and climate that formed the Somme Valley’s landscape of today.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Opening hours:
From 9 am to 12.30 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm, Monday to Friday
Special opening by reservation only at weekends.
Annual closure during school Christmas holiday and bank holidays.
Information and reservations:
jasa@amiens-metropole.com
Tel : +33(0)3 22 97 10 61