5 Getaways In Northern France

France is one of the most fascinating countries in all of Europe for its enormous variety of landscapes, for the personality of its large cities, for its gastronomic delicacies, the peculiar charm of its small towns or the enormous historical and artistic heritage that it treasures. In fact, France always appears in the highest positions of the most visited places in the world. And there is a lot to choose from.

Now we are going to give you several options to make different getaways through the north of France. Each one with a different character so that you can choose what you most want: a small city or a large capital, a mountain area or a coastal town, and even a cultural route. Wow, for all tastes.

And, in addition, they travel different regions of the northern Gallic territory. That is to say, five getaways from the easternmost part to the western coast, or what is the same,  from Alsace to Normandy.

1. Colmar, an Alsatian beauty

Colmar is an exceptional and objectively beautiful city. Its entire urban area looks like a large human-scale dollhouse that was made centuries ago, since its historical heritage in some cases dates back more than 1,000 years.

Churches, palaces, large houses, old hospitals, the old customs house, etc. Endless medieval, Renaissance or Baroque buildings make strolling through the streets of Colmar very attractive. But all of this can also be explored by sailing, because part of its historic center is arranged by freshwater canals with the waters of the Rhine River, which make this place also known as “little Venice”.

2. Ardennes Regional Park, a natural and historical space

The Ardennes Regional Natural Park covers more than 117,000 hectares, and practically borders the neighboring country of Belgium. For this reason, it is an area that combines natural and historical interest, since countless battles have been forged throughout the centuries.

The ideal is to get a good hiking map of the area and walk along its paths, which will reveal the different types of landscapes in which the forests or rocky escarpments follow one another.

In reality, hiking is not the only outdoor sport to be done around here. It is also common to travel the area on mountain bikes or on horseback, and even paddling in canoes through the different rivers of the protected area.

3. The route of the Gothic cathedrals

In the north of France are some of the most splendid examples of the Gothic architecture of the great cathedrals. There are the gigantic temples of Amiens, Reims, Beauvais or Rouen, to name just a few. It could even have a place in the famous Notre Dame de Paris, since both by physical proximity and by being from the same period (13th century), it is part of this group of emblematic temples of Gothic art.

All these churches are a hymn to the light thanks to the use of pointed arches, pillars with an infinity of attached columns, stained glass windows, pinnacles, flying buttresses, gargoyles and, in general, all the elements that make Gothic recognizable in anywhere and with those who wanted to reach the highest possible height. Among all this group of cathedrals, the one that rises the highest towards the sky is that of Amiens, which reaches 112 meters in height.

4. Lille, the great city of northern France

Lille is one of the great cities of northern France, it is practically on the border with Belgium, in fact, it is located in the so-called Flanders plain. A walk through its streets shows a deeply French city, but at the same time the fruit of numerous European influences.

That remains today, since Lille continues to be an important crossroads, hence its modernity and cosmopolitanism, which make it so interesting especially from a cultural point of view, since its programming of events, exhibitions or festivals make from her a very pleasant and always different destination.

All this without forgetting that it has a very attractive old town on the banks of the Deûle River and a very particular gastronomic offer, which combines French and Flemish traditions.

5. Deauville, on the Norman coast

We will end up by the sea, almost on the English Channel, in one of the most touristic places in Normandy: Deauville. It is a historically very visited town and an emblem of the beautiful Fleurie Coast, both for its casino and for its racecourse or its spas.

All this tells us about a traditional destiny for the wealthy bourgeoisie and aristocracy, in fact there are palecetes from those times. However, today it is a very pleasant place for all budgets, especially because of its beautiful beach with the typical umbrellas of yesteryear, or because Deauville is a good place to settle and explore Normandy, visiting historical places of World War II, the interesting city of Caen or the spectacular and nearby cliffs of Honfleur and Etretat.