Post by French Mystique Tours on Feb 14, 2011 23:28:27 GMT 1
A bike tour in Paris is great but a bike tour day trip from Paris to go biking in the French countryside is a good choice too. I like doing bike tours in Paris as much as I like doing bike tours as day trips from Paris to go biking in the French countryside. I remember once driving through the Picardie region north of Paris on my way to Soissons and passing by the town of Laon I was intrigued by what I saw from a distance. The town sits atop an isolated butte surrounded by plains on all sides with a row of buildings running along its spine punctuated at each end by a church, one of which appeared to be a rather impressive looking cathedral. Peering into the distance from my car window and beyond the road I could see some rolling hills, green patches of fields and forest and a little village steeple poking above a small town here and there. Looked kind of pretty so I kept it in the back of my mind as a future bike trip destination.
Fast forward a couple of months and the bike and I were on the train heading out from Paris arriving in Laon. You get right into this ride quick. The minute you leave the train station it is a good 5-10 minute ride up a steep hill to reach the town at the top. Here is a view looking up at my first glimpse of the cathedral.
But it is worth the effort as once you reach the top you are rewarded by panoramic views of the surrounding countryside in all directions.
The history of Laon pre-dates the arrival of the Romans when it was a Gallic village. Fortified by the Romans, it resisted invasions by various barbarian tribes and its control and possession was oft times disputed through the Merovingian, Carolingian and Capetian dynasties. The oldest remnants of what exist today date from the 12th and 13th centuries and can be found in the cité médiévale area near the cathedral, which itself dates to the 12th century with some later additions and modifications. Laon is classified as a city of art and history and has 68 classified historic monuments. Many of the buildings lining the main streets date from the 16th to 18th century. Put it all together and it adds up to a great place to spend a few hours. Let's have a look around town.
Fast forward a couple of months and the bike and I were on the train heading out from Paris arriving in Laon. You get right into this ride quick. The minute you leave the train station it is a good 5-10 minute ride up a steep hill to reach the town at the top. Here is a view looking up at my first glimpse of the cathedral.
But it is worth the effort as once you reach the top you are rewarded by panoramic views of the surrounding countryside in all directions.
The history of Laon pre-dates the arrival of the Romans when it was a Gallic village. Fortified by the Romans, it resisted invasions by various barbarian tribes and its control and possession was oft times disputed through the Merovingian, Carolingian and Capetian dynasties. The oldest remnants of what exist today date from the 12th and 13th centuries and can be found in the cité médiévale area near the cathedral, which itself dates to the 12th century with some later additions and modifications. Laon is classified as a city of art and history and has 68 classified historic monuments. Many of the buildings lining the main streets date from the 16th to 18th century. Put it all together and it adds up to a great place to spend a few hours. Let's have a look around town.