Soissons is relatively compact. From the gare SNCF (with good services to Laon and Paris) the main square is a fifteen-minute walk away along avenue du Général-de-Gaulle and then rue St-Martin. The gare routière is closer to the centre by the river on Le Mail: infrequent buses leave for Compiègne and Laon. The tourist office is on place F.-Marquigny by the cathedral (mid-June to mid-Sept Mon–Sat 9.30am–6.30pm, Sun 9.30am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; mid-Sept to mid-June Mon–Sat 9.30am–12.30pm & 2–6.30pm, Sun 9.30am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; tel 03.23.53.17.37).the town is a useful and attractive place to stay if you're exploring this part of the country, and there are a couple of moderately priced hotels: the Terminus by the station (tel 03.23.53.33.59; under €30; closed Sun & Aug) and the Pot d' Étain, 7 rue St-Quentin (tel 03.23.53.27.39; under €30), which is more central and also has a decent restaurant (from €11). Alternatively there's a campsite (tel 03.23.74.52.69), 1km from the station on avenue du Mail. An excellent place for crêpes and galettes is La Galetière (closed Mon) at 1 rue du Beffroi by the cathedral, and there's a good Tunisian restaurant, the Sidi Bou, on rue de la Bannière, down towards the river.
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