www.visit-amiens.com. Capital of Picardy, Amiens is placed with uncanny precision almost exactly midway between Calais and Paris. That is not a particularly good reason to stop here; the cathedral is.

For a town that was severely knocked about during both World Wars, Amiens has been extraordinarily lucky to hang on to the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame. Twice the size of Notre-Dame in Paris, it is one of France’s Gothic masterpieces, and took less than a century to build. The great west portal is decorated with more than 3,000 statues, while the soaring nave restrains itself to a frieze lining the clerestory like a sculpted window box. There are splendid 13thC tombs, groups of carved figures depicting tales from the life of St Firmin, Amiens’ first bishop, and guided tours of the ornate 16thC choir stalls adorned with some 4,000 figures.

North of the cathedral, the old canal-side weavers’ and dyers’ district, quartier Leu, has been gentrified within an inch of its life. Craftsmen, antique dealers, artists and yuppies have moved into the Flemish-style buildings and waterfront apartments attracting a complement of bistros and sidewalk cafés. Quai Belu is a good place to hang out and watch the world go by.

Other diversions include the excellent Musée de Picardie, 48 rue de la République, its 15th-20thC fine arts, archaeological and medieval displays enhanced by a new-look layout; and the graciously appointed 18thC Musée de l’Hôtel de Berny, 36 rue Victor-Hugo, furnished with all manner of glittering Louis XV and Louis XVI pieces from furniture to fans.

A leisurely excursion for a sunny day is a trip around the hortillonages,  www.hortillonnages-amiens.fr, Amiens’ island market gardens. Flat-bottomed boats putter around the canals edged by massed marsh buttercups, willows, rows of parsley, lettuces, shallots, orchards and flower-filled gardens. Boat loads of produce wind up at the colourful Saturday morning Marché sur l’Eau, which is held on place Parmentier.