Less than an hour from Calais (or 15mins from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport) you’re in beautiful historic Picardie where the real France begins. Close enough for weekend breaks – and shopping breaks too of course. With dozens of charming towns and villages, a myriad tourist sites and wide variety of landscapes, Picardy is just as enticing for your holidays in France.

For whatever holidays you fancy
Take the trouble to explore, and you’ll find Picardy to be one of the most rewarding provinces in France. Picardie’s coastline is the least urbanised in all France with miles upon miles of beautiful sandy beaches and dunes. Great for windsurfing, land yachting, sailing, swimming and building castles. But there are lots of real castles too, often tucked away in the vast expanses of oak and beech forests (largest in all Europe). If it’s a walking break you’re after or even a cycling break, the choice is yours – choose between coastline and forests, vineyards (yes, aoc vineyards of Champagne do stretch into southern Picardy) and wide open countryside.

Culture and city breaks
There’s Amiens, of course, capital of Picardy, barely 90mins drive from Calais, ideal for a short break in France. A bustling University town, home of Jules Verne, with a glorious Gothic Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Just one of many historic towns with world-class cathedrals or châteaux.

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