The Floating Gardens of Amiens (Hortillonages)

The floating gardens, in Amiens

The floating gardens are the great particularity of Amiens: an ensemble of small floating gardens furrowed with canals, a stone's throw from the town centre. The Amiens audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this unique and enchanting landscape, heritage of centuries of market gardening on the marshes.

The floating gardens on the marshes

A true particularity of the town of Amiens, the floating gardens are an ensemble of small floating gardens located a stone's throw from the town centre. This landscape unique of its kind was born from the patient transformation of the marshes that extended around the Somme: for centuries, perhaps even since Antiquity, the inhabitants have laid out these marshy zones by digging canals and raising parcels of fertile earth, thus creating a mosaic of cultivated islets separated by the waters. On these small gardens, the hortillons, the market gardeners who gave them their name, traditionally cultivated vegetables, fruits and flowers to supply the town, moving from parcel to parcel in flat-bottomed boats. This extraordinary landscape, made of peaceful canals, luxuriant greenery and flowery gardens, resembles an enchanted labyrinth, haven of calm and nature at the gates of the town. You can discover it during promenades in a traditional boat, that glide silently on the water, or on foot along the banks. The floating gardens are a natural treasure and a symbol of Amiens. A unique landscape and floating gardens, the floating gardens are a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you discover the ensemble of small floating gardens furrowed with canals, a stone's throw from the centre, born from the transformation of the marshes of the Somme for centuries, where the hortillons cultivated vegetables, fruits and flowers moving in flat-bottomed boats; this unique landscape of peaceful canals and luxuriant greenery, like an enchanted labyrinth, is discovered in a traditional boat or on foot. The floating gardens are a natural treasure of Amiens. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot or by boat.

Practical information

The floating gardens lie a stone's throw from the centre of Amiens, on the edge of the Somme, reachable on foot. You discover them during promenades in a traditional boat, that follow their own hours and conditions according to the season, or along the banks. It is best to check the arrangements of the boat trips before coming.

What are the floating gardens of Amiens?

An ensemble of small floating gardens furrowed with canals, a stone's throw from the centre, born from the transformation of the marshes of the Somme for centuries; the hortillons, market gardeners who gave them their name, cultivated there vegetables, fruits and flowers moving in flat-bottomed boats, and this unique landscape, like an enchanted labyrinth, is discovered in a traditional boat or on foot.