A Quaint town in Northern France

There are not many quaint towns left in the WW! part of northern France!
Have a look at Metz, or one of the towns/villages in the Champagne region.

There are quite a few lovely little villages in Champagne region. People shouldn't sleep on the region even if they don't like the beverage.

Not a " quaint town or village " but if you base around Lille a it puts you in easy striking distance for quite a number or First War sites and Memorials . A drive to Ypres should be among them . Going back toward Paris , The Thiepval Memorial and Compiegne are also important https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiepval_Memorial

I also agree the area around Lille. You can get to Ypres, Passchendaele and the other Belgian sites; Amiens and Arras and the Somme, even over to Dover.

No it isn't small, but it is the birthplace of General de Gaulle and the Belgian suburbs are pleasant as are the French suburbs. Lille is very well connected by rail. There are less well connected villages and towns between Lille and the Channel which are incredible loaded with history going back hundreds of years, some with walls and defensive fortifications.

Close to Lille is Amiens and Arrras more midsize towns, though. Lille is pretty. Amiens has a lovely cathedral and a picturesque historical center. Jules Verne lived there and I believe you can visit his house. We stayed in Arras after visited Lille for a day. From Arras, we did a day trip to Amiens. Arras has two large town squares and great restaurants.

Was originally considering Arras, but will take a closer look at Lille. Tx

How quaint ? I have been to numerous towns and villages, possible quaint places, in Northern France. Amiens, Arras , L:ille are all right if you want to be in a city.

To reach the WW1 sites I would suggest Arras (site of the British Army's Gen. HQ in WW1) and close to sites re: the Australians, Canadians, Germans, French and the US site in St Quentin, plus the German site too)

You're motorised, even better. In countryside from the Somme ie, Amiens, to Lille are evidence of the Western Front

How about Nogent-sur-Seine as a quaint small village? I like that little place. For a more "central" location re: the "war sites, etc I suggest also Cambrai, the German and British war cemeteries (major ones ) are there.

When I visited the area , I was able to find the listing in the directory for a fallen Englishman , George Butterworth was a composer ( and a skilled Morris Dancer . ) A bit of history here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Butterworth and arguably one of his best known compositions , a real beauty , " The Banks of Greenwillow " https://youtu.be/AUsisFkLCxo?si=QyjLm07xokXxMin2

Many use Amiens as a base for exploring the WW1 sites along the Somme river. The cathedral is located near Saint-Lieu, a nice district to walk around, for restaurants and pub crawling and / or to stay. Amiens is also well known for "Les Hortillonnages" , marsh land with many canals and little islands with charming gardens.

You can also stay in Albert, which is also well located for exploring the WW1 sites. I have driven through once and had the impression having a pleasant vibe. But is not really charming. As it is a poor region and much has been destroyed during WW1, you won’t find really beautiful villages in this part of France.

I like Arras as it is beautiful around it’s two main squares and has a very pleasant small town vibe. It’s also an easy place for getting in and out with a car and reasonable centrally located for the sites to visit.

Think the best place to stay in Lille is with it’s charming streets, Vieux-Lille. As it is a larger place you need more time getting in and out and you have to avoid rush hour for not getting stuck in a traffic jam. It’s an ideal hub for getting around with the train, in case you want to do that. And (together with Amiens) a good place for pub crawling in case you want to do that too.

For the WW1 sites to visit in Belgium, it’s worth to spend a night in Ieper / Ypres. It’s not only well located, but also really beautiful, actually a place you want, but won’t find in Northern France. Ypres oozes WW1 history, I would place it anyway on your list.

We stayed in Arras last week for 5 nights, and Lille before that for one night after catching the Eurostar from London.
As noted by others, most towns in the area were very heavily damaged in WWI. I think it was said that 80% of Arras was destroyed. It has, though, been rebuilt with replica buildings, so it has a very pleasant ‘old’ town. We enjoyed our time in Arras, but then we invariably enjoy smaller towns to larger. Arras has plenty of good restaurants and cafes, and a lively atmosphere in the squares. There is a large market on Saturdays. Note that quite a few restaurants seemed to be closed on Sunday and Monday.
In terms of WWI sites, the Wellington tunnels are within walking distance of the centre of Arras. We did 2 day tours (focused on the Australian battles and memorials) to see both the French and Belgian areas and Arras was quite central for that.

I second the suggestion to see Albert/Somme.

The town was basically levelled in WW1. It oozes the war. Also the Somme Museum is located across from the train station, at the foot of the centre-ville. I did 2 day trips to Albert , walked all over to explore it. The Tourist Office located in the centre-ville was very helpful in arranging a taxi ride to get me to Fricourt, another grim war site ca. 2KM outside of Albert.

This town I found quaint (relative here ) is not directly north , ie from Paris straight to the Belgian border , but one hour east of Paris, the town of Chateau-Thierry, the town that saw American troops injected in strength to blunt the last German offensive towards Paris in July 1918.

I've been there a few times, the last occasion was in 2023. Monuments and memorials to the French and British , ie the Anglo-French military cemetery are there as well those sights pertaining to the US. The town is not far from the Bois de Belleau (Bellow Wood), that tough tenacious battle, the US cemetery and that of the Germans are situated there too.

The American Church is located in Chateau-Thierry. Walking from the train station to the centre-ville, you have to cross a bridge, the bridge over the Marne River, makes one think how that site must have looked like in 1918, ie, a smouldering wreck.

The town is famous in French literature because J. de la Fontaine, a few reminders attest to that as you explore the town aside from tracking down the war sites.