The 10 best things to do in Hauts-de-France

The Cathedral of Saint Peter (La Cathédrale Saint-Pierre) is a Gothic-style religious building of dizzying height. It is located in the town centre of Beauvais, next to the MUDO, the Oise Museum (Musée de l'Oise). Built in hewn chalkstone, it has a flamboyant sculpted decoration, particularly remarkable on its south portal. The light penetrates through old and some more modern stained glass windows.

It is famous for housing two clock-making masterpieces: a medieval carillon clock and an imposing astronomical clock. To learn more about this monument and its history, informative plaques are available, or you can rent an audio-guide. In summer and at New Year, a light show brings the façade to life in the evening.

The Chantilly estate (Le domaine de Chantilly) includes a chateau, now occupied by the Condé Museum (Musée Condé), as well as a large landscaped park. This listed site in the Oise region has many facets. It features a substantial collection of art, particularly for paintings. It's also a wonderful place for a stroll with its formal, French-style gardens and their reflective pools, its completely rural English garden or Anglo-Chinese garden and its country hamlet.

You can rent carts, carriages or bicycles to enjoy the entire park. Chantilly is also known for its Grand Stables (Grandes écuries) and Horse Museum (Musée du cheval). You can watch dressage demonstrations and a high-quality equestrian show.

The Louvre-Lens Museum (Le musée du Louvre-Lens) is an annex of the prestigious Louvre Museum in Paris. Located near the Bollaert de Lens stadium, it takes the form of a glass and aluminium frame standing in the midst of a park in the heart of the former mining area in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. In the Gallery of Time, you'll discover works from different eras and artistic movements that trace the history of art.

Temporary exhibitions are also organised in partnership with other museums of international stature, ensuring a regular renewal of these quality exhibitions. The mission of the museum is to offer a fun visit with mini guided tours and creative workshops for children. The site also includes an auditorium and hosts piano recitals.

Boulogne-sur-Mer is the meeting point of a historical heritage and the marine environment. Located on the Channel coast, near Calais, the upper part of the city has an old town hidden behind 13th-century ramparts. It houses a medieval belfry and fortified castle, as well as an imperial palace where Napoleon stayed. On its lower part, you'll find its fishing harbour and marina, the seaside resort and the National Sea Centre.

With around 50 aquariums, Nausicaá cannot fail to amaze with its colourful tropical fish, majestic rays, fearsome sharks and entertaining penguins. Take advantage of the picnic area in the gardens to recharge your batteries before a walk on the sandy beach.

The Opal Coast offers a succession of wide, magnificent beaches that extend along the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coastline. From Malo-les-Bains beach in the north to Berk beach in the south, via popular Calais, Wissant la belle, authentic Wimereux or chic Parisian Le Touquet, you'll find a coastline that's conducive to relaxation, with a family and friendly atmosphere.

It's great to walk on the sand, fly a kite or wade in the fresh waters of the Channel. On the wilder site of the two capes, the chalk cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez match the sandstone and clay cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez, offering a magnificent panorama over the sea.

The old town of Lille (La vielle ville de Lille) is located in the lively district known as "Vieux-Lille", north of the capital of the Hauts-de-France region. Between the tall red brick houses you will discover beautiful squares. On the most prestigious square, the Grand Place, is the Old Stock Exchange (la Vieille Bourse) with its distinctive Flemish Renaissance architecture. A few steps away, you will find the belfry of the Chamber of Commerce.

It's a good reference point, if you don't know which direction to take when leaving one of the many bars in the district! Don't miss the surprising Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral, whose neo-Gothic architecture is complemented by a modern façade that lets the soft dappled light enter in.

Notre-Dame d'Amiens Cathedral (La cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens) is an exceptional religious building, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Adjacent to the Bishopric Park (le parc de l’Évêché) and not far from the belfry, it is situated between the Law Courts and the Somme river. Dating back to the Middle Ages, it stands out because of its size and richly decorated Gothic style facades.

From the outside, it stands out with its two asymmetrical towers. Inside, it's the colourful stained-glass windows and the countless statues that are most prominent. Don't forget to book a slot to climb the towers and admire the view over the rooftops, canals and floating gardens known as hortillonnages. On summer evenings and at Christmas, go to the square to see the cathedral come to life through the projection of images.

The Palais de Compiègne is a former royal and imperial residence, where the splendour of its apartments will make your head spin. It is located between the Compiègne racecourse and the Oise river, opposite the Imperial Theatre (Théâtre impérial) and the church of Saint Jacques (l’église Saint-Jacques). The Second Empire Museum (le Musée du Second Empire) and the Empress Museum (le Musée de l’impératrice), as well as the National Car Museum (le Musée national de la voiture) are also housed in this vast neo-classical residence.

Here you can admire not only furniture and works of art dating mainly from the Second Empire, but also carriages from various periods, from horse-drawn carriages to electric cars. The chateau also features a beautiful park with a pretty Rose Garden which is home to a charming tea room.

The Maubeuge zoological park (Le parc zoologique de Maubeuge) is a chance to discover protected species in a pleasant wooded area, bounded by the ramparts of the Vauban citadel (la citadelle Vauban). In the heart of this historic city centre, you'll find a wide variety of animals. The zoo is organised quite logically into 5 zones which represent the 5 continents.

Don't forget to check the animals' feeding time to get a closer look at the imposing hippos, the majestic Asian elephants, the mischievous gibbons or the shy maned wolves. Educational and fun workshops are also offered if you want to do more than merely observe the animals. They help children learn about how they get around, food chains and eating habits, or even working in the zoo.

The ramparts of Le Quesnoy (Les remparts du Quesnoy) are a place for family walks, combining fortifications and nature. The town of Le Quesnoy is located between Valenciennes and Maubeuge, in the Avesnois Regional Nature Park (le Parc naturel régional de l’Avesnois). The former military compound is located opposite the pond of the Pont Rouge and is an easy circular walk of about 1 hour. It's a chance to discover the medieval bastions inspected and revised by Vauban in the 17th century.

Today, they form a verdant, wooded setting, and the two former defensive pools give it a rustic charm. For those prone to vertigo, it's best to follow the path below the Green Bastion (Bastion vert). To visit the tunnels and underground passages in complete safety, remember to bring a torch.