Visiting Laon

[Neil Mackenzie]

I will be staying in Laon in a few weeks time and wondered if anyone could recommend any bars and restaurants there.

Many thanks.

Neil

[dycer]

Neil,

From memory plenty of Bars and Restaurants,in the old,high Town,near the Cathedral.

George

[trenchtrotter]

George you beat me too it. The square at the top by the cathederal is lovely however I would warn you that Laon is very very slepy and the bars there may be shut in the evening?

Enjoy Laon is well worth the visit.

TT

[Jonathan Saunders]

Hi Neil - just to endorse TT's warning, I seem to remember bars closing as early as 9pm when I was there (which was April a few years back).

Regards,

Jonathan S

[Dragon]

I've stopped in Laon several times en route to elsewhere. It's dull, I'm afraid, as far as eating and drinking goes.

Last time we had a lovely meal at an art deco restaurant called le Saint-Amour. Looking online, it seems to have been revamped since then and morphed into la Petite Auberge.

We've used the Hostellerie St-Vincent a few times as a stopover. It's functional, with a corporate feel, but adequate, and more comfortable than the Première Classe. It has a restaurant which purports to be an Alsacien restaurant (le Comptoir de Maître Kanter - tartes flambées, choucroute, spätzle ... ), though if you want real Alsacien food it's worth driving the remaining 300 miles. It was acceptable last time I was there.

There's a Campanile which offers the usual Campanile meals: a buffet plus menu combination. Again, not something for a romantic treat, but hot (or cold) and ok. If we stay at the St-V we don't have its breakfast; we prefer to go across the road to the Campanile for its buffet breakfast.

None of this is gourmet stuff. Laon is one of theose places where you get something to drink out of your car boot and take it to your room. Remember to pack a corkscrew, glasses and an ice bucket. Oh and brandy-snaps.

We've eaten at the Auberge de Vendeuil, which was ok then. (Halfway between Laon and St-Quentin. Useful if en route but personally I wouldn't make a detour.) We've also eaten at the main hotel in Coucy-le-Château, and lived.

I also have reasonable memories of a very traditional hotel at the foot of the hill on which stands Laon, but I can't remember its name. I'll look it up. My personal thoughts are that places near the cathedral are touristy. There were also beggars last time I was there.

Sorry not to be more positive. If I think of anything else, I'll add it.

Gwyn

[Neil Mackenzie]

Thanks guys for all your replies. It sounds like the Cathedral area is the best bet - no problem with touristy (I will be one).

It doesn't sound like a riotous sort of place - but I am a boring old s%d so I should fit right in. Not sure about bars closing at 9pm though - isn't there a law against that sort of thing!!!!!

Neil

[Dragon]

Laon is definitely not riotous. The cows at the top of Cathédrale Notre-Dame façade towers are appealing, though and the cathedral is beautiful. If you have the opportunity, it's interesting to visit both Laon and Cathédrale Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais at Soissons and compare.

Enjoy your trip! And remember the bottle opener.

Gwyn

[Martin Bennitt]

Just spent a long (laon?) weekend there and found plenty to do, and a couple of reasonable places to eat, eight years down the line from the previous posts. The Cathedral of course is absolutely magnificent, possibly the best I have visited, and well worth the detour. The mediaeval upper town is a wonderful place to explore though sadly very rundown in places, with many businesses closed and houses and apartments to let or for sale.

We stayed in the lower town, at the recently refurbished Hotel du Tramway near the railway station, which was comfortable and friendly, with a very good breakfast. The tramway, and the funicular which replaced it, are alas no more, though there is a bus up the hill every 20 minutes until 8 p.m. (but not Sundays) at the price of 80 centimes. Otherwise it's a hike up 300 steps to the top.

We ate at two good places, Les Chenizelles, which served up enormous portions of excellent food, and the Péché Mignon, but were sadly disappointed by La Bannière, which was virtually the only place open on a Sunday evening. The service was appallingly slow (more than two hours for apéritifs and a three course meal) and the food, though okay, nothing to write home about. Words were exchanged and they finally knocked off the bottle of wine we had drunk and our apéritifs.

Lots to see round about, without even going as far as the Chemin des Dames, which we already knew, including cemeteries and Art Deco churches which replaced those destroyed. Our visit coincded with the Laon classical music festival, so we took in a concert, and there were a couple of small exhibitions commemorating the war, especially the German occupation.

 

Cheers Martin B

 

 

[Fattyowls]

I've been past but not to Laon; it is certainly imposing from a distance. Sounds like a good time was had by all. The photos in the other thread are really good too; much appreciated Martin.

 

Pete.