Laon is an easy day trip from Paris by train. It's also a city most American tourists do not visit…read more... because they don't know about it. If you only have time for one day trip while in Paris, I recommend skipping the clusterfuck that is Versailles and going to the quaint city of Laon. The cathedral of Laon is one of France's lesser known great Gothic monsters and was started 8 years before Paris' Notre-Dame. It escaped World War I unharmed and sits up high on a plateau overlooking the town. You can take the Poma directly up the hill from right outside the train station. One of the interesting architectural bits to notice are the stone oxen sitting up high in the towers. Legend has it that an exhausted ox was pulling stones to the top of the cathedral during construction when one appeared out of nowhere to replace it. Once it helped deliver the stones to the top, it disappeared. Walking through the streets of Laon, you will feel the eerie quiet of the past. There is no hustle and bustle. Sometimes, there seems to be literally no one around but you. This is an unusual find. I'd have known nothing about it if it were not for a friend's husband who happened to spend a couple of years living in Paris. Go there ... you will be among the roughly 200 American tourists a year who do. If you need advice on how to get there, send me a PM. It's a painless 85 mile straight shot from Gare du Nord.

This is the medieval abbey church in Reims. It was opened in the 11the century where St. Remi was…read moreburied. The architecture is Romanesque. It's a huge church. It was on this site that Saint Rémi was buried in 533.

This church while not as grand on first look as the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims, also has a…read moreimpressive history and style that are worth taking a look at. The Basilica was the abbey church, and was consecrated in 1049. If you stroll around the outside of the Basilica you will find the remains of the abbey buildings and walls. This Basilica has conserved and protected the relics of Saint Remi who died in 553 since 1099. Saint Remi was the one who converted Clovis, King of the Franks to Christianity in AD 496. The church is built in the Romanesque-Gothic style. The church is open to view from 8 am until sundown. The tomb of Saint Remi is impressive and has sculptures etched into every side of the tomb. This Basilica is part of the UNESCO world heritage site along with the Cathedral and the Tao Palace in Reims.

Beautiful church and magnificent architecture one of the best churches I've seen. Simply amazingread more

This is a very impressive, historical cathedral, and one I never heard of. But that's not saying…read moremuch I know. This cathedral was the site of the coronation of almost all subsequent French kings dating all the way back to the very first king of France, Clovis (aka King Louis the 1st) , in the year 816. That's a lot of history! This cathedral is also larger than the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris! There are a variety of stained glass generations present, ranging from modern replacements to the older medieval ones which are darker blue in hue. This cathedral was also heavily damaged during World War 1 and subsequently rebuilt. Well worth a visit and it really illuminates the long and storied history of France in this region!