Aisne

with 80 listed historical buildings To see : Mediaeval streets around the cathedral Walk around the ramparts Key points : Park your car in the lower town and take the overhead, funicular railway (called the POMA) to the upper town. Wonderful views of the city from Saint Vincent's Abbey.

To see: The Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Laon

160 hectare lake in a huge park offering leisure and sports activities. Key points : The road drops down to the lake after Monthenault (fine view). Fast food outlets open during the summer months. Activities available : swimming - sailing- pedalos - beach volley ball - children's games - walking, etc.

Things to see and do : Vauclair Abbey with its medicinal herb garden : romantic ruins of an important Cistercian monastery, with a medicinal herb garden and orchard of rare fruit trees. Key points : Picnic area, with children's games, nearby. Walking info : the "Saint-Victor" round trip starts at the Vauclair car park (11 kilometres - circular blue markings) and passes through the forest and areas still showing signs of damage from the First World War. Walking info : short nature trail, called "Au pays des Cisterciens", suitable for the whole family.

The "plateau de Californie", harrowing scene of Nivelle's offensive in 1917. To see : The Remembrance Arboretum at "Vieux Craonne", where the village stood before it was completely destroyed. Memorial to the Basques. Walk to the panoramic viewpoint on the "plateau de Californie" (magnificent views). There are illustrated information boards for visitors and a very poignant sculpture representing the massacre of April 1917, depicting the faces of soldiers peering through tangles of barbed wire.

Things to see and do : The "Cave of the Dragon" museum occupies the massive area of a former underground barracks and is dedicated to the First World War. Key points : Modern animation techniques are used to bring to life the soldiers and offensives of the Great War. Guided tours. Magnificent views of the valley from the glass-walled reception hall. Coffee and small restaurant on the spot.

Things to see and do : The village of Paissy was carved out of a hillside and has a number of caves used for domestic purposes. Take a detour to : two other cave-dwelling villages that are worth seeing : Cuissy-et-Geny then Pargnan. Key points : The dwellings dug out of the rock are known locally as "Creuttes" or "Boves". Walking info : the "cave-dwelling villages" round trip starts from Bourg-et-Comin (15 kilometres, green & yellow markings).

Things to see and do : Come back via Moulins, Vendresse-Beaulne (rebuilt after the war) and Cerny-en-Laonnois (War Memorial). Key points : Take a good look at the uneven and very steep foothills of the "Chemin des Dames", which explain the important part it played in history, from the time of Julius Caesar, right up to the First World War, not forgetting Napoleon.