Amiens Apartments

Several years have elapsed (and Covid) since our last visit to the Mercure Cathéderale hotel in Amiens. Apart from being a fantastic hotel in an equally fantastic location, our prime reasons for returning were a) the excellent crêperies, b) the Hortillonnages waterways and c) the Macarons d’Amiens (Jean Trogneux). Being centrally located, one of the very useful features was the proximity of the underground car park in rue des Huchers. We paid €29 for a 7-day ticket which was exceptional value. Reception staff (Célestine, Olga & Adam) were very friendly and helpful on arrival as well as during our four-day stay. The hotel reservation was made directly on the Accor web site (membership benefits) and breakfast was included in the price. Breakfast was a delight - literally was everything you could wish for, and more. Amiens is a beautiful city with lots of “must-see” attractions – we had previously been to the Maison de Jules Verne (excellent) as well as the Hortillonnages, but always good for a return visit. This time we did some prior research regarding the local Amétis bus service and routes with the intention of visiting the tomb of Jules Verne in the Cimetière de la Madeleine as well as the Zoo d'Amiens. Armed with the timetables for each route we traversed the city with ease. Each day we spent just over £5 on bus fares (two persons and two journeys). Both venues were equally impressive. Returning to my own car on departure one has to be aware of the rather strange priorities in town/city centres, such that cars travelling on what would appear to be a side-road have priority over those on the main road (priorité à droite). The image I attached shows the Audi car leaving the underground car park and having priority over the traffic on the main road (rue Flatters). Bit bizarre, but worth being aware of. If you are thinking of visiting Amiens in the Autumn be aware of the impressive son-et-lumière display at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame which is usually around Sept-Nov time. An evening well worth spending in the centre of Amiens.