A Timeless Wonder

From the bullock sculptures atop its vast, light-flooded cathedral to the secrets concealed beneath its old citadel, hilltop Laon conceals surprises that delight those drawn here for the medieval streets, laidback tempo and panoramic views.

Go Up High…
Strolling around Laon’s seven-kilometre ramparts is first on most visitors’ lists, but booking one of the fascinating tours arranged by the tourist office is also a must. Most of Laon Cathedral – one of the first Gothic examples in all France – can be explored with the help of an audio-guide, but special ‘behind the scenes’ tours also take you up the narrow staircase spiralling through one of the five towers, for magnificent city and countryside views, then through the spellbinding south gallery with its wonderful stones and sculptures amassed during restoration work. 

… and Down Below
The second unmissable tour is of the subterranean labyrinth beneath Laon’s old citadel. A limestone quarry from Gallo-Roman times (spot the pickaxe marks in its walls), it’s also been a grain store and a jail, with inmates across history including Knights Templar and German prisoners.

There’s an even deeper history to this compelling space, however – fossil prints of giant sea snails in its walls bear witness to the fact that Laon was surrounded by a warm, shallow sea a million years ago.