Editing Compiègne (section)

==Presentation of the City==
'''Compiègne''' is closely linked to the history of France from its very beginning. That makes that place especially interesting if you like lovely old buildings, monuments, history and all that stuff. Examples : '''three Kings of France were crowned here during  the 9th and 10th centuries''', '''Jeanne d'Arc''' were caught by the English in Compiègne, '''many kings and emperors of France''' have lived here at a time or another, the 1918 armistice finishing WW I were signed just next to Compiègne. <br/>
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Since 1968, '''Compiègne''' is the starting place of the '''«Paris-Roubaix»''', which is the most famous French bicycle race after the Tour de France.<br/>
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[[Image:Town Hall.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The Town Hall]]
===How to get there===

====By Car====
'''Compiègne''' is about 1 hour driving from Paris or 2 hours from [[Lille]] and [[Belgium]] thanks to the A1 motorway. 

====By Train====
It takes 45 minutes by train from the '''[[Paris]] Gare du Nord station''' which is clearly the best and cheapest way to come if you don't have a car. The '''Compiègne train station''' is just next the downtown, 5 minutes from the town hall and 10 minutes from the University.

====By Plane====
The '''Paris “Charles de Gaulle” airport''' is 40 minutes driving away, as well as the '''[[Beauvais]] airport''' (for low-cost flights).

===Transportation===

'''Compiègne''' has a FREE bus system. It's all free every day but  sunday (but you should be sleeping :) ), all the year. It's pretty efficient if you don't look to close at the time schedule. Look at the city map on each bus stop to know which bus you should take. The buses are easily recognizable : blue with the big “TUC” letters written on them. Nonetheless, if you just move between the '''train station''', '''the Castle''' and '''the University''' (high probability), I suggest you prefer walking as that area is small and not very traffic friendly.

===What to do/see===

There are many lovely monuments in Compiègne and around. First of all, see the '''town hall''' in which you'll find the '''tourism office'''. '''The two gothic churches St Antoine and St Jacques''' can be visited. Have a look on the '''Palace''' (Palais), also called Castle (Château) and '''its gardens that open to the « allée des Beaux Monts »''' (Beaux Monts Path), a several kilometers grass straight path through the forest. There are also various museums and interesting streets, ask the tourism office.

If you can move around '''Compiègne''', see the '''village of Pierrefond''' with it's castle which seems to come straight from a fairy tale. You can also visit the '''1918 armistice museum''' of Rethondes. The villages and the bike road in the forest are also very nice. The forest itself is really beautiful and worths a walk. It's all good for mountain bikes, horses, walking, running or mushroom harvesting (please be cautious to avoid any “definitive” mistake).

[[Image:Castle front.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The Castle]]