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.
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.
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
ALSO WORTH DISCOVERING ... OUR NATURE OUTINGS
Recommended for small groups
Looking for something green?
In Amiens, nature can be found everywhere in the city, and it even interacts with our heritage, our history and our culture.
Sabine Robin, a Qualinat-accredited nature guide, takes you on naturally surprising walks through the city. So take a deep breath and let yourself be guided...
THE JARDIN DES PLANTES
Garden tour, 2 hours
A treasure trove in the heart of the city: a garden that has existed since the 13th century and now boasts
a thousand species. A walk back in time, from the first plants that appeared over
400 million years ago to the latest horticultural creations, to discover the many uses of plants
and medicinal uses, as well as industrial, textile and dyeing applications.
the link between tomatoes and La Marseillaise? Do you know why Pythagoras didn't like beans?
broad beans? Or why arum is nicknamed viper's meat?
MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE JARDIN DES PLANTES
Thematic tour, 1h30-2h
In the 18th and 19th centuries, botany was taught at the Jardin des Plantes.
plants to prepare a wide range of remedies. Plants were often both poisons and remedies
remedies (the very etymology of pharmacy), were used to relieve rheumatism, coughs and stomach aches,
and are still the source of many medicines. Do you know how some
anti-cancer drugs? How aspirin was invented? Have you ever seen the devil's turnip? A
A visit through the history of medicine.
INDUSTRIAL AND DYE PLANTS AT THE JARDIN DES PLANTES
Thematic tour, 1h30-2h
Amiens is a city with a long textile tradition, from medieval blue gold (dyer's woad or waide) to 20th-century spinning mills.
to the spinning mills of the 20th century. The Jardin des Plantes is home to many textile and dye plants, as well as
dyeing plants, as well as plants that clean up pollution, produce biofuels or ...
biofuels or ... car tyres. Have you heard of a dye plant similar to henna
that grows along our rivers, a plant with yellow flowers that produces a brilliant blue? And where does
the red colour of some Dutch cheeses? Would you wear a nettle tunic? A
an astonishing stroll through a garden listed as a Remarkable Garden.
A CATHEDRAL OF STONE AND FLOWERS
Thematic tour, 1 hour
Notre-Dame Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And an astonishing history linked to the surrounding nature: flowers and plants come to life in the sculpted stone, and the discreet waide is everywhere to those who know how to look. How did such a small flower contribute to the city's influence and wealth?
An unusual visit around the cathedral, and hundred-year-old trees to discover in a listed garden (which welcomed a French queen in gallant company, but that's another story...).
LA MADELEINE CEMETERY, TREES, STORIES AND PEOPLE
Thematic tour, 1h30 to 2h
La Madeleine cemetery has been classified as a remarkable garden, with its venerable trees, historic monuments and unique charm.
Take a stroll through an exceptional site, and meet the historical figures who have left their mark on the town, observe the flora and fauna, and discover the legends, stories and symbols associated with the trees and plants.
Price: from €110 to €180, depending on the number of people and the length of the visit - maximum 25 people.
Sunday/public holiday supplement: + €40
Your guide
Sabine Robin is a naturotherapist and Qualinat guide. Passionate about history and a doctorate in pharmacy, she is keen to share with you the stories and anecdotes about plants, their medicinal properties and their uses.