In the area around Villers-lès-Guise, the Route Touristique de la Vallée de l’Oise runs between Guise and Hirson along the Oise through bocage landscapes with fortified churches.
Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Villers-lès-Guise can consider the town as a travel destination.
Culture and history
The Site Abbatial de Saint-Michel is a well-preserved Benedictine abbey founded in 945; it is home to the large Boizard organ dating from 1714. The Museum of Rural and Forestry Life at the Site Abbatial de Saint-Michel displays extensive collections on basketry and the use of wood, with more than 15,000 objects.
The Château Fort de Guise is a medieval castle with a keep. In the 16th century, one of the largest bastioned fortresses in northern Europe was built there, later attracting Vauban’s attention. Since Maurice Duton founded the Club du Vieux Manoir in 1952, the Château Fort de Guise has been brought back to life through activities for young people and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Jean-Baptiste André Godin created the Familistère de Guise, also known as the Palais Social, in the second half of the 19th century as a social project for his employees. Visitors can see the museum, a model apartment, the courtyards of the residential pavilions, the ornamental garden, the Economats, the theatre, and the laundry and bathhouse.
The Musée Camille Desmoulins displays objects and works of art relating to the life and work of the revolutionary Camille Desmoulins, who was born in Guise. The museum can only be visited by prior appointment.
The Protestant temple of Villers-lès-Guise was demolished in 1685. The fortified Église Saint-Médard was built in the middle of the 16th century and has a square defensive tower with two cylindrical towers.
Parfondeval is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Its Protestant temple dates from 1858 and has deliberately simple interior furnishings. The village also has a fortified church from the 16th century with an accessible shelter; the small streets reveal the rural heritage. An interactive column at Parfondeval’s Protestant temple provides information about the history of Protestantism. Parfondeval also offers a 1.25-kilometre micro-hike with an audio guide.
Nature and routes
In Thiérache, hilly landscapes, forests, and small villages offer opportunities for hiking and cycling. L’Aisne à vélo: la Thiérache bocagère follows small roads along the Sambre-Oise Canal and then along the Oise to the Château Fort de Guise. The route from Guise to Proisy leads to a several-hour discovery tour around the Proisy dam and past the fortified churches of Thiérache.
Farm and regional products
SAS Prouvost produces apples, pears, potatoes, cereals, and sugar beet and welcomes visitors to the farm. Some of the fruit produced is processed into apple and apple-pear juice. Regional products from Thiérache include Maroilles, cider, and craft beer.
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