Discover Local Picardy: What to Do Around Mercure Picardy

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Picardy, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Picardy in 5 picks

Amiens

Home to the largest Gothic cathedral in France by volume, its facade covered in carved stonework worth studying up close. Just as memorable: the Hortillonnages, floating market gardens threaded with canals, best seen from a flat-bottomed boat.

Compiègne

A royal forest and château where French kings once hunted, and the site of the 1918 Armistice — the clearing where it was signed is preserved and open to visit. The forest itself is vast, good for a long, quiet walk.

Chantilly

The château and its horse-racing tradition go hand in hand — this has been a centre of French racing for generations. The whipped cream that shares its name genuinely traces back here, so try it where it started.

Beauvais

The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre was never finished, but its choir still reaches higher than any other Gothic cathedral's — an ambition that outran the engineering of the time. The adjoining Episcopal Palace rounds out an easy half-day visit.

Laon

A cathedral town perched on a ridge above the plain, ringed by its old ramparts. The Gothic cathedral's towers are visible for miles before you arrive — climb up for the view back down.

Where to eat
Order ficelle picarde if you see it — a ham and mushroom crêpe baked under cream and cheese, a regional classic built for cold weather. Crème Chantilly, the whipped cream, takes its name from the château here, so it's worth trying close to source. Look too for pré-salé lamb, raised on the salt marshes of the Baie de Somme.
Where to wander
The Hortillonnages in Amiens are unlike anything else nearby — take a boat through the market-garden canals rather than just looking from the bank. Compiègne's forest and Chantilly's château grounds both suit a slower, on-foot pace.
Getting around
Picardy sits close enough to Paris that Amiens and Compiègne are both reachable by direct train in around an hour, making the region an easy add-on rather than a long haul. Beyond the main towns, a car helps for reaching Laon and the smaller villages. Wherever you're staying at one of our Mercure hotels across Picardy, the team can point you to boat times for the Hortillonnages or the quieter hours at each cathedral.
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FAQ

Yes — Amiens and Compiègne are both roughly an hour from Paris by direct train, which makes short visits or day trips straightforward.

Amiens, for sheer scale — it's the largest Gothic cathedral in France by volume. Beauvais is worth it too if you're curious about its unfinished, oversized choir.

The name traces back to the château, where the whipped cream is said to have first been served to guests — making it one of the few food names in France that genuinely matches its place of origin.

Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Picardy, ideally placed to explore these picks.

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Where to sleep

See our Mercure hotels across Picardy, ideally placed to explore these picks

View hotels