Abbeville

Abbeville is a city in Hauts-de-France which is primarily on the east bank of the Somme River. It's the former capital of the County of Ponthieu, and has a population of approximately 23,000.

Get in
Abbeville, 20 km south of the English Channel, can be reached by car from the north or the southeast by the A16 or from the southwest by the A28 or E402. You can also come to town by rail. The ride from Paris to Abbeville takes about 90 min. There is no international airport in Abbeville, but you can get a connection from Paris.

Get around
The city centre is quite compact, so walking or renting a bike will be perfectly suitable for exploring the area. If you do have a car, most hotels and restaurants have parking available, but it sometimes costs a fee.

Buy
There is not too much shopping to be had in town, but you can find some very interesting markets nearby, depending on the day and the season.

Eat
Abbeville is a great place to sample some traditional, more rustic French cuisine, in a homey atmosphere that is in no way pretentious. Try duck and fish from the area, or some of their specialty baked goods, such as beaten cake or macaroons.

Drink
The few bars in town can be found along the main avenue, Chausée du Bois, mostly between Rue Saint-Gilles and Boulevard Vauban.

Go next
Drive to other locations in Somme or Picardy, or take the train from the station on the West side of the Canal du Transit, on Boulevard de la Portelette. Go to Paris for your international flight connection. Some interesting places nearby are the larger town of Amiens, the medieval towns and marshland along the bay. You can take a ferry across the Channel from Dieppe or Le Havre, or take the Channel Tunnel from Calais.