Why have I never heard of Laon?

Interesting enough! One day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laon

I had a short time in Laon on my first trip to France with my husband. What
I remember best is visiting the Cathedral and then remarking on its beauty to a fellow Canadian nearby. He actually said these words ....... “Well, when you’ve seen one Cathedral you’ve seen them all.” True story.

What can you say, people read about Laon...then go to Leon.

I was there many years ago. We stayed down below and I remember the climb to the old town was very steep. It is quite a site! You can see why it would have been chosen for its defensive advantages.

It's a hill. And I mean a HILL. There was a space-age funicular railway to get up there, sadly out of service. The cathedral is beautiful, but the town is a bit grey. Amiens, Reims, Compiègne are far more interesting places to visit in the general area.

If you're at all interested in the WWI battles of Chemin des Dames and the mutiny of French soldiers as I am, this might be a stop for you. The ridge can be seen from the ramparts. I went also because, with ties to Marquette University in Milwaukee, and much study of the explorations of Marquette and Joliet in my Wisconsin school days, I wanted to see the birthplace of Father Marquette. We travel for different reasons.

Laon is certainly worth a visit if it happens you are in the neighbourhood. Think I visited the place some 15 years ago, nice but a bit quiet. It’s interesting for those who like to visit off the beaten path places, not directly for a whole day but a few hours to go inside the cathedral and strolling around is in general enough. The cathedral is famous for the life-size stone statues of sixteen oxen in the two western towers. Laying on a hill top it’s an imposing sight from the A26 toll road and the panoramic views of the surrounding countryside is another reason for visiting Laon.

I'm enjoying these tips from everyone, and it's almost making me re-think my insistence on not renting a car but depending on mass transit. Almost. It also reminds me of how RS himself remarks that the smaller towns can get drowned out or overshadowed by the places with tourist board budgets and chain hotels and restaurants that do more promotion, and that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of worthwhile things to see that don't get much press (or social media screentime).

Laon has one of the fine Gothic cathedrals in France, of which there are many. I've never been there but I was blown away by the pictures in a college art history class many years back. If I were going to be in that part of France I wouldn't miss it.

Rick Steves' guidebooks and website aren't as comprehensive as others like Lonely Planet. He doesn't try to cover every place of interest, but chooses those he thinks will appeal to Americans relatively new to European travel and with limited time. There's nothing wrong with this approach, and he encourages readers/viewers to explore beyond what he covers, "find your own back doors." At the same time, he pays much more attention to the "how to" of Europe travel than most others, providing great detail about the sights he chooses. If he ever published a book or designed a tour like "Great Cathedrals of Northern France" I'm sure Laon would have a chapter.

True on Amiens, one of my favourite cities in France.

Laon is featured in Napoleonic history. In 1814 as the Allies closed in on Napoleon in their invasion of France, Laon was a battle where he suffered a set-back.