Lille City Guide

Lille has a historic town centre, cobbled streets in the old town, fantastic shopping ranging from boutiques, antique shops, to the Euralille centre next to the Eurostar station. Enjoy wandering around the museums, or just relax in one of the many cafés, patisseries or brasseries.

What to do and see in and around Lille

Grand' Place
Grand' Place is the heart of Lille, at the centre of which is the fountain, overlooked by a statue of Déesse, symbol of the Lille. The Théâtre du Nord is on the Grand' Place, as is Europe's biggest bookshop - Furet du Nord. The Grand' Place is also known as the place du Général de Gaulle.

Citadelle
The Citadelle was built by Louis XIV as one of a series of fortress towns. The Citadelle is 5 sided, built using over 16 million bricks, and is currently inhabited by the 1000 French soldiers. The main walls are 4 metres thick, and the main entrance is Porte Royale opposite the old quarter of Lille.

Vieux Lille
Vieux Lille is a maze of historic cobbled streets, and red and white brick traditional houses. Rue de la Monnaie is the oldest street in Lille, and on it is the Hospice Comtesse, a thirteenth century hospital, now home to a museum of 15th-18th century Flemish, Dutch and Northern French art. Charles de Gaulle was born in the old town and there is a museum in his birth place - 9 rue Princesse. Vieux Lille is now home to numerous boutiques and antiques shops.

Euralille
Euralille is one of France's biggest shopping and leisure centres. Euralille is situated between Gare Lille Europe (where Eurostar arrives) and Gare Lille Flanders. You can shop until you drop at 140 shops, and the Carrefour hypermarket.

Bois de Boulogne
Bois de Boulogne is the 50 hectare area of parkland that surrounds the Citadelle. There is a zoo within the park, and the river Deûle runs through the parkland.

Palais des Beaux Artes
Second only to the Louvre museum in Paris, Lille's Palais des Beaux Arts contains European paintings, sculptures, ceramics and drawings from 15th-20th century by artists including Renoir, Van Gogh, Monet, Delacroix, Rubens, Goya and Donatello. The Palais des Beaux Artes is situated south of the Grand' Place just off place de la République.

Wazemmes Market
If you're in Lille on a Sunday morning then don't miss the enormous Wazemmes market. The streets around Church of St Paul and St Pierre are filled with stalls of bargains including antiques, clothes, vegetables, flowers, and crockery. Or enjoy some paella, couscous or roast chicken from one of the street corner restaurants.

Vieille Bourse
Behind Grand' Place is the Vieille Bourse, a beautiful building which was originally a trading centre. It has recently been restored and is now home to a flower and second hand book market, and on Sundays it hosts an afternoon tea dance!

Roubaix
Roubaix is a small town 30 minutes by train from Lille. Roubaix was once a textile and factory centre but is now a lively culture and shopping centre. The Ballet du Nord frequently performs at the grand Colisée. Visit art centre at Chez Rita (an old waffle factory), the McArthur Glen outlet shopping centre for designer bargains galore, or the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie housed in the old art deco swimming pool, with its stunning stained glass window.

L'Hermitage Gantois
Today the Hermitage Gantois is a charming hotel, but the building was established in 1460 by Philippe Le Bon as a hospital. The original walls, and chapel still stand, and you can visit to see the rare fresco in the "Salle des Hospices". Better still stay in the Hermitage Gantois and visit the tiny Chapel and relax in the library.
Short breaks at the Hermitage Gantois.

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