Saint-Leu District

The Saint-Leu district, in Amiens

The Saint-Leu district is the most picturesque district of Amiens, nicknamed the little Venice of the North for its canals. The Amiens audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this old district of the water artisans, become a high place of the charm and the life of the town.

The little Venice of the water artisans

It is without doubt the most picturesque district of Amiens! Created in the Middle Ages, the Saint-Leu district was formerly the district of the weavers, the dyers and the tanners, who took advantage of the proximity of the canals of the Somme, the river that crosses the town. The water, indispensable to these artisanal trades, shaped this district furrowed with small watercourses, branches of river and bridges, that earn it today the nickname of little Venice of the North. There you wander along the cobbled alleys and the canals, lined with charming small colourful houses with façades of brick and cob, low and tight, that sometimes lean above the water. Long popular and a little neglected, Saint-Leu has been magnificently rehabilitated and has become one of the lively and most charming hearts of Amiens, prized for its restaurants, its bars, its waterside terraces and its convivial atmosphere, notably in the evening. It is an enchanting place of promenade, between heritage, water and art of living. A picturesque district and a little Venice, the Saint-Leu district is a must-see stop of the discovery of Amiens.

What to see

Here you wander in the most picturesque district of Amiens, created in the Middle Ages for the weavers, dyers and tanners who took advantage of the canals of the Somme, nicknamed the little Venice of the North, with its cobbled alleys, its canals, its bridges and its charming colourful brick houses leaning above the water; rehabilitated, it is today a lively heart prized for its restaurants and its waterside terraces. The Saint-Leu district is a jewel of Amiens. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Saint-Leu district lies on the edge of the canals of the Somme, to the north of the centre of Amiens, reachable on foot. It is a public district freely accessible; the restaurants, bars and terraces have their own hours and animate it especially in the evening. You discover it by strolling along the water and the alleys.

Why is the Saint-Leu district of Amiens nicknamed the little Venice of the North?

Because it is furrowed with small canals, branches of river and bridges of the Somme: created in the Middle Ages for the weavers, dyers and tanners who needed the water, this picturesque district lines its canals with charming colourful brick houses, and it has become, after rehabilitation, one of the lively and charming hearts of Amiens.

Where is the Saint-Leu district in Amiens?

On the edge of the canals of the Somme, to the north of the centre of Amiens, in France.