Saint-Amand-les-Eaux

Located not far from Lille and its important heritage, the city of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux has many tourist attractions, in all possible areas.

Famous for its mineral and thermal waters, the city of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux hosts very popular thermal baths. Health cures, wellness or beauty treatments and various sports activities are offered there from March to November. The waters of Saint-Amand are particularly renowned for treating all problems related to rheumatology or the respiratory tract.

The town of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is home to the national forest of Raismes-Saint-Amand-Wallers, a massif of more than 4,800 hectares. This forest, the second largest in the region, is dotted with swamps and other ponds. It has been laid out for visitors, with pedestrian or cycle paths, bridle paths, or even picnic areas everywhere. In particular, you can admire a wide variety of species throughout the walks.

The abbey is one of the most important monuments of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. From its dismantling, only two buildings remain, an abbey tower 82 meters high with a different architectural order on each floor and an aldermen. Inside the tower, you can admire a museum presenting beautiful earthenware from local factories and objects related to religious art, and you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama.

Entirely in red brick, the Saint-Amand-les-Eaux station deserves a little while to admire its typical architecture of the region. About 800 meters away, you can take the Scarpe Valley tourist train, a steam train running on the bank of the Scarpe, for more than two kilometres.

The city also has a river port which offers many activities to take advantage of the Scarpe canal. For boaters, 34 rings are present to welcome you throughout the year. And if you want to practice outdoor activities, you've come to the right place with the program: rental of electric boats, kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, paddle boats, dragon boats or bicycles!

At the heart of the spa town, the casino is a veritable leisure complex combining a 1,000-seat multipurpose room, a stage for shows, slot machines and table games, restaurants and a three-star spa boutique hotel. All in a prestigious and elegant setting. Come and enjoy a pleasant evening at the casino.

The Scarpe Valley Tourist Train will take you along the Scarpe canal at a gentle, slow pace.

The aquatic center Au Dragon d'Eau offers various aquatic activities for young and old!

Retrace the history and industrial past of the city thanks to the Historial Amandinois.

Finally, some information about the Santiago de Compostela circuit which crosses the territory of La Porte du Hainaut, passing by Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. Come and discover these different stages independently or by taking advantage of the highlights offered by the Tourist Office of La Porte du Hainaut.

Spa town full of life, the city of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux is the scene of various events that recall the cultural richness of the city.

A food market takes place every Friday morning, in the Davaine car park, with more than a hundred exhibitors. From early to mid-June, the city also offers a record fair, with an exhibition, listening workshops, as well as a fair where around twenty exhibitors offer different styles of music on vinyl, CD or K7 audios. A Christmas market also takes place in December.

The rendezvous of the bubbles, a comic strip festival, takes place in the spa from the end of March to mid-April each year. You can discover many designers for dedications, as well as publishers' stands.

Every year from the beginning of May to the end of July, the May of calligraphy allows you to admire various works of illuminations and calligraphy. This festival devoted to the art of beautiful writing is an opportunity to learn about contemporary artists.

In June, make way for the famous Saint-Amand-les-Eaux Water Festival. In the city center and on the river port, various activities are offered, such as an aquatic show, street performances, nautical activities, workshops for the youngest, or even a "mouth-watering" market.

Between May and June, a horse show is organized in the city. Show jumping events are scheduled to amaze you, as well as entertainment for families to have fun.

Saint-Amand-les-Eaux offers its famous carillonnades, the international carillon festival, every August. The opportunity to attend exhibitions, activities for children or concerts by artists from all over the world.

• Hikes are essential around Saint-Amand-les-Eaux such as:

• The Mare à Goriaux circuit in Arenberg which will take you to a slag heap, a mining pond classified as an ornithological reserve in the heart of the national forest of Raismes-Saint-Amand-Wallers.
• The circuit from Sabatier to Raismes, next to the forest house, climb the slag heap located in the heart of the forest to discover an incredible panorama at its summit.
• The Ways of Santiago.
• The Bassin Rond circuit where anchors along the route inform you about the history of the Bassin Rond and the shipping industry.
• The Coucou circuit, which is a small family circuit that takes the paths and forest roads of the Raismes-Saint-Amand-Wallers massif.

• Hikes dedicated to cyclists are also to be discovered:

• Between Scarpe and Rural Heritage is a 31.4 km loop suitable for all ages and which offers very beautiful landscape perspectives along the Scarpe and in the Amandinoise countryside.
• La Forestière is a 33.1 km loop in the heart of the territory of La Porte du Hainaut where you will stroll between the national forest, the mining heritage listed by UNESCO, the remarkable religious heritage, hydrotherapy but also the wetlands of the Scarpe.

• The Leisure and Nature Park of La Porte du Hainaut, located in Raismes, offers many activities, most of them free! On site, you will find a skate park, a fishing pond, mountain bike trails, children's games, water games, mini-golf, a zip line and even water activities. To relax, a solarium is available as well as a snack. And finally, to discover, you will find in the surroundings: the Maison de la Forêt, a Pure Adventure Accrobranche Park, as well as a restaurant.
• The Wallers-Arenberg Mining Site is part of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tours are scheduled to discover or rediscover the history of the Arenberg pit and its mining town. On the edge of the national forest, the mining site is a few steps from the famous Trouée d'Arenberg of the mythical Paris-Roubaix cycling race or the Tour de France.
• As for the museums, you will find on the territory of La Porte du Hainaut:

• The Regional Center of Photography (CRP) Hauts-de-France in Douchy-les-Mines.
• The Railway Museum in Denain.
• The Museum of Photographic Art in Mortagne-du-Nord.
• The forest house in Raismes.
• The Tour d'Ostrevant museum in Bouchain.
• The Thiant local history museum and many other emblematic museums.

• If you want to experience thrills during your stay, go to the Le Fleury amusement park located in Wavrechain-sous-Faulx.
• The Center de Plein Air du Bassin Rond located in Bouchain will welcome you in a bucolic setting.