Taxi Lille → Laon

Laon is one of northern France's most spectacular cities, a medieval hilltop town perched atop an outlier butte that dominates the Picardy plain by over 100 metres. This strategic position made it a stronghold since antiquity and the capital of the Carolingian kingdom under the dynasty's last kings. The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Laon, a masterpiece of early Gothic art completed around 1230, is one of the oldest and most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France. Its five towers — including two façade towers adorned with life-size sculpted oxen, a tribute to the animals that hauled the stones up the hill — create a unique and instantly recognisable silhouette. The interior, bathed in light through rose windows and an openwork triforium, influenced the construction of Notre-Dame de Paris and Chartres. The upper town, encircled by 7 kilometres of ramparts, contains exceptional heritage: the Templar Chapel (octagonal, 12th century), the Bishop's Palace, Saint-Martin Abbey, cobbled lanes and half-timbered houses. The Poma 2000, an automated cable car linking the station (lower town) to the upper town, is a unique facility in France that avoids the steep climb. Laon is an underrated cultural destination well worth the trip from Lille.