The
Route nationale 17, or
RN17, is a trunk road (
nationaleA route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
) in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
connecting
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to the frontier with
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
.
The majority of the route runs close to the
A1 autorouteThe A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of 211 km , it connects Paris with the northeastern city of Lille...
. As a result north of
SenlisSenlis is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.-Geography:The town is situated on the Nonette River, which is a tributary of the Oise River.-History:...
the road has been downgraded and re-classified as the
RD1017 and
RD917. There is a small section of the RN17 remaining between
ArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
and
LilleLille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-
SenlisSenlis is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.-Geography:The town is situated on the Nonette River, which is a tributary of the Oise River.-History:...
-
ArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
-
LensLens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
-
LilleLille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
-
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
The road starts north of Paris as a branch of the
RN2The Route nationale 2 is a route nationale in northern France.-History:The N 2 was initially defined in 1811 as route impériale 2, running from Paris all the way to Amsterdam via Brussels, Antwerp, Breda and Utrecht. The territory north of the present border with Belgium was removed from France in...
, opposite the Airport Paris-Le Bourget, and heads north east as the Av du Mai 1985 and then Route de Flandre.
The
Route nationale 17, or
RN17, is a trunk road (
nationaleA route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
) in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
connecting
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to the frontier with
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
.
Reclassification
The majority of the route runs close to the
A1 autorouteThe A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of 211 km , it connects Paris with the northeastern city of Lille...
. As a result north of
SenlisSenlis is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.-Geography:The town is situated on the Nonette River, which is a tributary of the Oise River.-History:...
the road has been downgraded and re-classified as the
RD1017 and
RD917. There is a small section of the RN17 remaining between
ArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
and
LilleLille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
Route
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-
SenlisSenlis is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.-Geography:The town is situated on the Nonette River, which is a tributary of the Oise River.-History:...
-
ArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
-
LensLens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
-
LilleLille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
-
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
Paris to Senlis (0km – 31km)
The road starts north of Paris as a branch of the
RN2The Route nationale 2 is a route nationale in northern France.-History:The N 2 was initially defined in 1811 as route impériale 2, running from Paris all the way to Amsterdam via Brussels, Antwerp, Breda and Utrecht. The territory north of the present border with Belgium was removed from France in...
, opposite the Airport Paris-Le Bourget, and heads north east as the Av du Mai 1985 and then Route de Flandre. The road skirts the western edge of the Airport Charles de Gaulle, crosses the RD104 and then through open countryside.
After the village of Survillers the road enters the
Parc Naturel Régional de Oise Pays de France. The road now passes through the
Forêt du Chantilly before reaching the
CathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
City of
SenlisSenlis is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.-Geography:The town is situated on the Nonette River, which is a tributary of the Oise River.-History:...
.
Senlis to Arras (31km to 162km)
At Senlis there are junctions with the RN330, RN324 and
A1The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of 211 km , it connects Paris with the northeastern city of Lille...
. The road heads north through the
Forêt d'Halatte crossing the
River OiseThe Oise river is a right tributary of the Seine River. Its length is 302 km in Belgium and France. Its source is in the Belgian province Hainaut, south of the town Chimay. It crosses the border with France after approx. 20 km. It flows into the Seine in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris...
at
Pont-Sainte-MaxencePont-Sainte-Maxence is a commune in the Oise department in northern France....
crosses marsh and woodland before open countryside. There is a junction with the RN31 (E46) between
BeauvaisBeauvais is a town and commune and capital of the Oise department in northern France. Population : city: 57,355; city and suburbs: 59,003; metropolitan area: 100,733. It lies about north of Paris.-History:...
and
CompiègneCompiègne is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.The city is located along the Oise River. Its inhabitants are called Compiégnois.-Administration:Compiègne is the seat of three cantons*Compiègne-Nord...
. The road then passes the villages of
Estrées-Saint-DenisEstrées-Saint-Denis is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.-References:*...
and
CuvillyCuvilly is a commune in the Oise department in northern France....
passing the grounds of the
ChateauA château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
de
TilloloyTilloloy is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France.-Geography:Situated in the far east of the department, some southeast of Amiens, on the N17 road...
. The road crosses the autoroute and heads round the village of
RoyeRoye is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France.-Geography:Situated at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 road, on the banks of the Avre, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-History:...
. The bypass runs next to war-graves on the bank of the
River AvreThe Avre is a river in Picardie and is the principal tributary, from the left side, of the Somme. At 66 kilometres long, it drains a relatively important basin of 1,150 km² but only flows at best 5,1 m³/s near its confluence at Longueau.
...
.
The RN17 then crosses the
A29The A29 is a motorway in Normandy, northern France. The road is also European Route 44.-Route:The road connects the port of Le Havre with the A26 autoroute at Saint-Quentin...
(E44) and then the RN29 before entering the
Somme RiverThe Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
valley. The road crosses the river at
PéronnePéronne is a commune of the Somme département, in France.
It is close to where the Battles of the Somme took place during World War I...
and continues north over
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
battlefields passing French, British and German cemeteries. The road crosses the
A2The A2 Autoroute is a French autoroute that travels 95 km from the A1 near the commune of Combles in Picardie to the border with Belgium, where it continues on as the Belgian motorway A7...
and the A1 again before reaching the town of
BapaumeBapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads.-Population:-History:The...
. The road then continues north to
ArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
.
Arras to Frontier with Belgium (162km to 227km)
At Arras the road has junctions with the RN25, RN39 and
A26 autorouteThe A26 is a 394 km long French motorway connecting Calais and Troyes. It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais as it is the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the channel tunnel to most parts of France and often contains large numbers of British cars, particularly during the...
E15E15, E-15, E.15 or E 15 may refer to:* HMS E15, a United Kingdom Royal Navy submarine which saw service during World War I* E15 is a European route* E15 fuel contains 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline...
to Calais. The road crosses the river
ScarpeThe Scarpe is a river in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, left tributary of the Scheldt.The Scarpe is about a hundred kilometers long, of which two thirds has been turned into canals....
and heads north over the Vimy Ridge past the war memorial to Canadian troops.
The road then reaches the industrial town of
LensLens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
, the landscape is dotted with
slag heapA slag heap is a pile built of accumulated tailings, which are either the by-products of mining or smelting...
s from the coal mines nearby. In Lens through traffic takes the A211
autorouteAutoroute is the French word for a major high-speed road restricted to motor vehicles without crossings and having limited access. Those are similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries.Autoroute may refer to:-Roads:...
and then the
A21 autorouteThe A21 autoroute is a toll free highway in north western France it is also known as the Rocade Minière.-Completed:*01 D301 Start of autoroute Towns at junction with D937 Towns served: Barlin...
. The town is also served by the RN43 and RN47. Thereafter the RN17 heads northeast to
CarvinThis article refers to a French commune. For the guitar manufacturer see Carvin Corporation. For the late New Orleans political consultant see Jim Carvin.Carvin is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France....
and leads onto the
A1 autorouteThe A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of 211 km , it connects Paris with the northeastern city of Lille...
E17European route E 17 passes through the following cities:Antwerp - Ghent - Kortrijk - Lille - Arras - Cambrai - Laon - Reims - Châlons-sur-Marne - Troyes - Langres - Beaune
...
. The old RN17 is now the RD925 through
SeclinSeclin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole.-References:*...
into the city of
LilleLille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
After Lille the road heads north from the City Centre passing west of
TourcoingTourcoing is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is located near the cities of Lille and Roubaix and the Belgian border.-Main sights:...
and onto
HalluinHalluin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Geography:It is located at the north of the Lille Urban Community, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen.-Twin towns:...
where the road crosses into
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
over the river
LeieThe Leie or Lys is a river in France and Belgium, and a left tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is ....
where the road becomes the RN32.