Soissons: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

The River Aisne forms the transport and economic backbone of Soissons. The city developed on both banks of the Aisne.

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Soissons has their own specific accommodation requirements.

Activities

On the banks of the Aisne is an accessible, illuminated promenade with benches. Pedestrians and cyclists can reach it via a ramp from Avenue de l’Aisne. Parc Saint-Crépin is home to Golf de Soissons, an urban 9-hole golf course on a 12-hectare riverside site near the city centre. Thanks to its synthetic greens and tees, it can be used year-round and is accessible to tourists and locals of all ages.

The Jardin d’horticulture in Soissons is planted with rare plant species and has two ponds, an anallagmatic sundial and an area for children. The route Les monts de Soissons offers numerous viewpoints over Soissons, the hollows of Pasly and Cuffies, and the Aisne Valley.

Culture

The Musée d’art et d’histoire Saint-Léger is housed in the former Saint-Léger Abbey, founded in 1139. It contains paintings, sculptures, the cathedral treasury of Soissons Cathedral, extensive archaeological collections and temporary exhibitions. The tour of the art and history collections is divided into the periods 1200–1800 and 1800–1945 and occupies the entire first floor of the museum.

The Arsenal Museum is housed in a 19th-century arsenal and has hosted temporary exhibitions of contemporary art there since 1995. Following its foundation in 557, Saint-Médard Abbey developed over the subsequent five centuries into an important religious centre of the Frankish Kingdom and subsequently the Carolingian Empire. Saint-Jean-des-Vignes Abbey was founded in the 11th century.

The nave of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais Cathedral in Soissons is more than 30 metres high. An immersive tour with a VR headset transports visitors to an abbey in the 17th century. Visitors can also climb the tower of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais Cathedral via more than 350 steps and discover an exceptional panorama.

Cuisine

Haricot de Soissons is locally associated with Monsieur Le Paon, who grew beans and offered his harvest to visitors. This is said to have given rise to Haricot de Soissons as a local culinary hallmark and to a confectionery bearing the same name.

Other places: Anguilcourt-Le-Sart, Orgeval, Estrées, Berry-Au-Bac, Saint-Christophe-à-Berry, Missy-Lès-Pierrepont, Cuffies, Viry-Noureuil

For the higher-level travel overview: Aisne.