On a clear day, England's white cliffs of Dover are visible from the coast of Northern France, marking the narrowest point of the English Channel. The obvious choice as the connection point for the revolutionary Channel Tunnel, ingeniously bored from the sea floor below the Channel's frigid waters, millions of travellers disembark at its stations yearly. High-speed Eurostar trains leave from central London, reaching the region's capital city of Lille and nearby Calais in less than two hours.

The area's attractions are well worth slowing down for, however. The influence of nearby Belgium is evidenced by examples of Flemish Renaissance architecture, characterized by the the soaring chimneys and airy arcades of the Vieille Bourse in Lille, and the Gothic, gabled buildings of Laon. The people of the Nord are observers of tradition, and a medieval festival, the Giants of Douai Festival in Douai, celebrates a local family of giants. Ever resourceful Romans drained the marshes around Amiens for cultivation, lands that are now planted with extensive gardens called the Hortillonnages.