Take a slow boat ride in Amiens

In Amiens, there is a place where the city suddenly feels quiet. A narrow canal. A wooden boat. Green islands of gardens drifting past. This is the hortillonnages: the floating gardens that have shaped Amiens for centuries. SLOWDOWN was created to help visitors experience this side of the city without rushing, and to make “slower” travel feel natural and attractive. 

The idea is simple: change the pace, change the visit. SLOWDOWN builds experiences around gentle mobility and local discovery, especially by water, connecting travellers to landscapes, stories and everyday life that are often missed on a standard city break. It also helps spread visitor flows across different routes and times of year, so the experience feels calmer for guests and more manageable for the destination. 

What makes it a best practice is how it links tourism and place. The project brings partners together, supports local operators, and creates a clear, shared way to invite people to explore responsibly, without turning it into a lecture. It keeps the focus on the feeling: quieter, closer, more real. 

And visitors are key part of the engine. This model runs on choice: when travellers book a slow boat trip, follow these routes, and use local services, they sustain the businesses behind the experience and help keep coordination and quality in place. In the end, a calmer visit becomes something that lasts, for visitors, and for Amiens.