The stylish and pintoresque Picardy is located in the Hauts-de-France region (formerly Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy) which borders Paris. It is one of those places that visitors often leave off the radar, however it offers a huge variety of things to do from gorgeous beaches, captivating castles, historic cities, Champagne vineyards and a lot more. There are around 40 villages in the south of the region which are part of the world famous Champagne growing area. The vineyards of Chateau Thierry in the Marne Valley have been included in the Champagne production zone since 1936. The wild coast road running south from the bay as far as Le Tréport passes some wonderfully quaint seaside towns.