As you head south from Amiens towards Paris, the countryside becomes broad and flat - agricultural, though not rustic. BEAUVAIS , 60km south of Amiens, seems to fit into this landscape. Rebuilt, like Amiens, after the last world war, it's a drab, neutral place redeemed only by its radiating Gothic cathedral, the Cathédrale St-Pierre , which rises above the town, its roof, unadorned by tower or spire, seeming squat for all its height. It is a building that perhaps more than any other in northern France demonstrates the religious materialism of the Middle Ages - its main intention to be taller and larger than its rivals. The choir, completed in 1272, was once 5m higher than that of Amiens, though only briefly, as it collapsed in 1284. Its replacement, only completed three centuries later, was raised by the sale of indulgences - a right granted to the local bishops by Pope Leo X. This, too, fell within a few years, and, the authorities having overreached themselves financially, the church remained unfinished, forlorn and mutilated. The appeal of the building, and its real beauty, lies in its glass, its sculpted doorways and the remnants of the so-called Basse-Oeuvre, a ninth-century Carolingian church incorporated into the structure. It also contains a couple of remarkable clocks, including one 12m high that features the Archangel Michael helping to weigh souls at the Last Judgement.

Stopping at Beauvais to break your journey, you'll probably want to give the rest of the town no more than a passing look. However, the church of St-Étienne , a few blocks to the south of the cathedral on rue de Malherbe, houses yet more spectacular Renaissance stained-glass windows. There's also the Galerie Nationale de Tapisserie behind the cathedral (Tues-Sun 9.30-11.30am & 2-6pm; 25F/?3.81), a museum of the tapestry for which Beauvais was once renowned, and the Musée Départemental (daily except Tues 10am-noon & 2-6pm; 10F/?1.52), devoted to painting, local history and archeology, in the sharp, black-towered building opposite. The rousing statue in the central square is of local heroine Jeanne Hachette, a fighter and inspiration in the defence of the town in 1472 against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.

Beauvais is an hour by train from Paris, and the gare SNCF is a short walk from the centre of town - take avenue de la République, then turn right up rue de Malherbe. Opposite the Galerie Nationale de la Tapisserie, at 1 rue Beauregard, the tourist office (Mon 10am-1pm & 2-6pm, Tues-Sat 9.30am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm; tel 03.44.15.30.30, fax 03.44.15.30.31) can provide exhaustive information. If you want to stay , three inexpensive choices are the Hôtel du Commerce , 11 rue Chambiges (tel 03.44.15.34.34, fax 03.44.15.34.33; under 160F/?24), Le Brazza , 22 rue de la Madeleine (tel 03.44.45.03.86; under 160F/?24), between the station and the centre of town, and Hôtel du Palais , within sight of the cathedral, 9 rue St-Nicolas (tel 03.44.45.12.58, fax 03.44.45.66.23; under 160F/?24). There's a camping municipal (tel 03.44.02.00.22; closed mid-Sept to mid-May) just out of town on the Paris road.

For fine food on the square, call in at Le Marignan , 1 rue de Malherbe (tel 03.44.48.15.15), which has menus from 65F/?9.91 in the brasserie downstairs, and from 99F/?15.09 in the very good restaurant upstairs.