Hauts de France Weekend - Arras & Amiens

NEW FOR 2025! Fancy a continental weekend away but not too much driving to get there? Then the perfect Spring break awaits in the Hauts-de-France region, staying in the centre of delightful Arras, just over 100km from Calais. Discover a city with 2,000 years of history and take time out on the café terraces that line the two most famous and characterful squares: The Grand Place and Place des Héros - a unique architectural ensemble. Lose yourself among the curving gables and arches of the picture-postcard Flemish baroque architectureWeekend Highlights
- Hotel 3 nights in central Arras with breakfast- Set dinner on first night in the hotel- Porterage & welcome drink on arrival- Visit to Amiens with guided walking tour- Boat trip of Les Hortillonages in Amiens- Leisure time in Arras

Enjoy Les Hauts-de-France
DAY 1 - After joining your holiday coach, you will travel to Dover for the short sea crossing to Calais. Continue via the autoroute to arrive in Arras this afternoon to check into your centrally located hotel with a set dinner menu served this evening. The following two nights are booked on a B&B basis to allow you to sample the local cuisine in some of the many excellent restaurants and bistros in Arras centre\n\nDAY 2 - 3 At leisure in Arras with one included excursion and one optional excursion\n\nThe famous Saturday morning market on the Grand Place and Place des Héros is a must. An Arras fixture since the Middle Ages, the market is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds where regional specialities abound and locals are in a full-on food frenzy. Treat yourself to a 'gaufre' (Northern France's take on a waffle) or perhaps a mid-market coffee or even an artisan beer. The majestic UNESCO listed 75m Belfry of Arras is simply breath-taking and is the emblem of the city. Completely destroyed in WW1, it was reconstructed between 1927 and 1931, a masterpiece symbolic of the renaissance of post-war Arras. It sits above the incredible Town Hall with its Flamboyant Gothic style architecture (also a magnificent reconstruction). There is a network of historic warren-like tunnels 12 meters beneath Arras dating from 9th century onwards. The tunnels played a crucial role in WW1 (entrance not included - pre-booking advised)\nCredit: Arras Pays d'Atrois Tourisme\nEnjoy a full day at leisure in Arras or join the optional excursion this afternoon\n\nINCLUDED EXCURSION\nAmiens\nGet to know Amiens, the former capital of Picardy, with its mighty UNESCO World Heritage Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame. Take your time to get under the skin of the lovely old quarter - a kind of mini Venice with its canals and colourful houses. Discover the extensive heritage of a city with a prestigious history on a walking tour in the company of a knowledgeable local guide. Also of interest in the city is the former home (now a museum) of sci-fi writer, Jules Verne who spent the last 34 years of his life in Amiens (entrance not included). Very special to Amiens are the 'hortillonages', the floating market gardens which are interlaced with 65km of small canals. Enjoy a 45-minute included trip on a flat-bottomed electric punt through a true oasis of calm in a beautiful green setting, just a stone's throw from the city centre.\n\nOPTIONAL EXCURSION\nLens Louvre & The Ring of Remembrance\nLocated in the northern French mining basin, the Louvre-Lens, a 'branch' of the famous Paris Louvre, first opened its doors in December 2012 and has since received over 4 million visitors. The ultra-contemporary museum's main exhibition space, the Galerie du Temps, is a 3,000 m² open gallery displaying over 200 artworks on loan from the Louvre in Paris with masterpieces dating from the 4th millennium BC to the mid-19th century - a unique journey through the history of art and humankind, intermingling eras, techniques and civilisations. (Entrance to special temporary exhibitions not included)\nCredit: Musee de Louvre-Lens\nThe Ring of Remembrance is an architectural and artistic achievement and a monumental tribute commemorating the soldiers, husbands, fathers, and sons from the whole world who fell in Nord Pas-de-Calais between 1914 and 1918, regardless of nationality, rank, or religion. The sheer dimensions of the place are striking: 579 606 names engraved in steel are united for eternity in this elliptical monument that is 345 m in circumference, sitting precariously on the edge of a hill as if to draw attention to the fragility of peace. Directly opposite is the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, the biggest French military cemetery in the world and national necropolis, where 42 000 soldiers who died on the Artois and Flanders front rest in peace.\n\nDAY 4 - Today you head back to Calais for the return Channel crossing and the onward journey home.Mercure Arras Centre Gare
Completely renovated 4* hotel in the heart of the city (approx. 10 mis' walk to the Grand Place, the Mercure Arras Centre Gare has a quirky and stylish feel. There is a modern bar with several sections decorated in 'library' style and a smart ground floor restaurant. Guestrooms are contemporary in décor and offer free WiFi, TV and hair dryer, Bathrooms are equipped with walk in showers. Singles are doubles or twin rooms for sole use. There is a lift