One evening in August 2026, we went to see Chroma, the light show projected onto the façade of Amiens Cathedral. Then we walked to the belfry, just a few streets away. Around it, the Halles quarter has become, alongside Saint-Leu, a place where people go out and party in the evening. An evening that is mostly free, and done entirely on foot.
- Where
- Amiens, France
- When
- Visited in August 2026
- On the programme
- 3 stops
Chroma: the cathedral bursts into colour at nightfall
- Place
- Amiens Cathedral (Notre-Dame d'Amiens) · Open in Maps
- Dates
- In summer (July to mid-September) and in winter (during the Christmas market)
- Price
- Free
Chroma is a light show projected onto the façade of Notre-Dame Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For twenty minutes, the images bring the façade to life. Then, for half an hour, the statues on the portals stay lit in the colours they had in the Middle Ages.
We watched it on 22 August from the street leading up to the cathedral square, in the middle of the crowd, and we stayed on for the colours of the portals. We even went back five days later.
Read our story “Amiens Christmas market 2025 with kids”
The square fills up quickly: arrive a little early if you want to see the portal head-on, especially with children.
The illuminated belfry, a few streets away
- Place
- Beffroi d'Amiens, place au Fil · Open in Maps
After the show, we walked to the belfry: it only takes a few minutes from the cathedral. The tower, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the belfries of Belgium and France, is lit up in the evening, and its dome glows above the square.
The evening carries on at the foot of the belfry.
“With the belfry at night, the Halles quarter has become, alongside Saint-Leu, a place where people go out and party.”
The Halles quarter, the other place to go out
- Place
- Ô Pas Sage, 1 place Léon-Debouverie · Open in Maps
Around the belfry, the Halles quarter has become, alongside Saint-Leu, a place where people go out and party. In the evening, people head out around the Halles: to Ô Pas Sage, a cocktail bar serving sharing boards, and to the bars nearby.
Saint-Leu, the old quarter criss-crossed by canals, is still the other go-to spot for nights out in Amiens. You can walk from one to the other.
On a summer evening in Amiens, you can do it all on foot: Chroma on the cathedral façade, for free, then the illuminated belfry, then a drink in the Halles quarter or in Saint-Leu. And if you visit in winter, Chroma returns during the Christmas market.
Our tips before you go
- Chroma starts at nightfall: 22:30 in July, 22:00 in August, 21:45 in September (2026 times).
- The show is free and you watch it standing on the cathedral square: get there a little early so you are facing the portal.
- Stay on after the show: for thirty minutes, the statues on the portals keep their medieval colours.
- From the cathedral to the belfry, then on to the Halles: it is all just a few minutes' walk.
- In winter, Chroma returns during the Christmas market (in 2025: from 28 November to 28 December, at 19:00).
