The Aisne is located in the northeast of France, between the Belgian border and the Île-de-France region. To the east, it is bordered by the Ardennes and the Marne, and to the west by the two other Picardy departments: the Somme and theOise. This destination therefore has very different influences depending on the geographical sectors. The landscape has little relief but does not only offer long agricultural plains: one can see hills (as in Laon), forests, valleys, ponds... The great variety of landscapes of the Aisne makes it a real tourist asset. The south of the Aisne, crossed by the Aisne and the Marne, is a land of valleys and plateaus. There are vast fields of wheat, beet and potatoes, but also, on certain slopes, vineyards used to make champagne. You have to follow the route of the castles to find the most beautiful parks and gardens of the Aisne. For example, at Puisieux-en-Retz and Puisieux-et-Clanlieu, the tree-lined gardens surround an 18th century castle and are largely composed of lawns and rose bushes. The abbeys, like the castles, have parks and gardens, notably at Longpont and Vauclair with a botanical garden of medicinal plants, coupled with an orchard of hundred-year-old apple trees.
When to go to the Aisne? The Aisne can be visited all year round. Laon and its 80 listed monuments including its magnificent Notre-Dame de Laon Cathedral. All year round, sports enthusiasts can enjoy superb mountain bike trails, cycle tourism trails or hiking trails that will allow them to get as close as possible to historical sites such as the Chemin des Dames, or to follow the Route des Châteaux to find the most beautiful parks and gardens in the Aisne. In the summer, a little idleness on the pleasant sandy beaches. All year round you can go down to the cellar to taste champagne with, why not, a good slice of toast of maroilles!
The Axionese climate combines the characteristics of the oceanic and continental climates. The continental influence is sometimes manifested by heat waves in summer and harsh winters. However, temperatures are most often moderate and the thermal amplitude is low. Rainfall is quite frequent (123 days per year on average) but rainfall remains average. The average temperatures are around 5°C in winter and 20°C in summer.
