This is the North!
Lille enjoys a privileged location between Paris, Brussels and London.
No wonder if, every weekend, we hear English and Dutch spoken in the streets of the capital of Hauts-de-France.
Beyond the highlights (such as its famous clearance sale every first weekend of September, canceled in 2021 due to the health context), the metropolis offers a rich cultural life in perpetual renewal.
To discover
Lille: the Figaro travel guide
The arrival
TO VISIT
The Lille tourist office offers City Passes of 24, 48 and 72 hours, sold respectively for 25, 35 and 45 €.
These passes give access to 29 sites and tourist offers in the metropolis and allow you to use the public transport network at will.
Purchase online (10% reduction, sent by post within five days) or directly from the tourist office, at the Palais Rihour.
MOVE
To travel by metro, tram and bus on the Ilévia network, opt for single tickets (€ 1.70) or for a 1-day (€ 5) or 2-day (€ 9) pass.
The subscription to self-service bicycles (Vlille) costs € 1.70 for 24 hours or € 7.40 for seven days;
the first 30 minutes are free, the following at 1 €.
The city has two stations, 500 meters apart: Lille-Flandres (TGV, Ouigo and TER) and Lille-Europe (TGV only).
Be careful to check your station of departure so as not to miss your train.
Be careful, some Ouigo depart from Tourcoing, thirty minutes by metro from Lille.
MORE INFORMATIONS
Lille tourist office
: lilletourism.com.
Read also: From the Bay of Somme to the Château de Chantilly, the Hauts-de-France in twelve unmissable sites
What to do now
THE EXPO TO SEE
The exhibition Colors, etc., at the Tripostal in Lille, invites us to question our relationship to color.
Maxime Dufour Photographs
An art center located near the Lille-Flandres train station, the Tripostal is hosting the
Colors
exhibition
, etc.
until November 14, 2021
.
: colors and meaning in the design
.
Co-organized in partnership with the Design Museum of Ghent, Belgium, it invites us to question our relationship to color through a series of installations that stimulate all our senses.
An exhibition that literally makes us take color.
Le Tripostal, avenue Willy Brandt, 59000 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 14 47 60. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm.
Full price: € 9 (online reservation recommended).
Other exhibitions.
At the
Palais des Beaux-Arts
, the 7th edition of Open Museum (until November 8, 2021), which allows creators of all kinds to revisit the museum's collections in their own way, gives carte blanche to the author of comics Lille François Boucq.
China is in the spotlight at
the Hospice Comtesse museum
with the exhibition KĀIWÙ: art and design in China (until September 12) which examines the place of the object in the daily life of Chinese people in China. yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Read also: What to visit in Lille, from Saint-Sauveur station to the Citadelle Vauban
THE RIGHT TABLE
To enjoy a cocktail, lunch or dinner, enjoy a 360 ° C view from the top of the Nū Restaurant.
Nū Lille
Nū Restaurant
Opened in May 2021, the Nū is the first bar-restaurant in Lille to have a rooftop.
And what a rooftop!
Located on the sixth floor of a building just emerging from the ground between the two stations, the Nū terrace offers a 360 ° C view of Lille.
A privileged place to enjoy a cocktail (11 to 13 €) and dishes to share at the end of the day.
On the kitchen side, we find chef Maxime Schelstraete, who has worked with the famous Lille house Méert, determined to take us on a journey with his traditional French dishes tinged with exoticism (23 to 30 €).
Nū Restaurant, 93 avenue le Corbusier, 59000 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 78 37 03.
THE HOTEL IN SIGHT
OKKO Hotels Lille Center
Both living room, office and dining room, the Club is the centerpiece of Okko hotels.
Jerome Galland
The young French hotel brand Okko Hotels opened its eleventh address on the main shopping street in Lille in May 2021.
Sleek design, ecological approach and affordable price ... This four-star hotel with 120 rooms is.
After a day of walking and before going to dinner, nothing better than to take advantage of the aperitivo offered to all hotel guests from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Okko Hotels Lille Center, 13 rue d'Amiens, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 48 19 40. From 95 € the Classic room.
Read also: The Okko hotel in Lille, the expert opinion of
Le Figaro
DAY 1: ON THE PAVERS OF OLD LILLE
Booksellers, record stores and chess players gather on the patio of the Vieille Bourse.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP
Morning
At the exit of Lille-Flandres station, you are first led by rue Faidherbe towards Place du Théâtre. Bordered by the opera house and the belfry of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is the gateway to the historic city. Lovers of vinyls and old and second-hand books will be delighted to enter the
Vieille Bourse
, the haunt of second-hand booksellers and record stores. Every summer Sunday, the place turns into a dance floor for tango lovers.
After a tour of the
Grand-Place
, which gives an overview of the typical architecture of the Flemish Renaissance, we take the rue de Béthune, the main shopping street in Lille.
It leads to the Place de la République, surrounded on one side by the Prefecture du Nord and on the other by the
Palais des Beaux-Arts
.
We will make a passage in the basement of the museum, where relief maps give an overview of several towns in the region several centuries ago.
Lunch break
The
Grand Scène
food court
, with ten restaurants, two bars and a coffee-shop, opened last June in the former Galeries Lafayette in Lille.
Caroline Dejonghe
As soon as the belly cries out for famine, go to
Grand Scène
. “Eat, drink, have fun”: this is the slogan of this
food court
inaugurated in June 2021 on the site of the former Galeries Lafayette. This two-storey temple of street food has ten restaurants, two bars, a coffee-shop and a stage with regular concerts and shows. On the menu: tacos at La Güerita, French pizzas at Pizzou or gourmet burgers at the Flying Counter, all at fair prices and with local products. Another new gourmet hall, smaller and located in the Tanneurs shopping center: the
Kitchen Market
, which places more emphasis on world cuisines. Rather Breton pancakes or pad thai?
To read also: The Hauts-de-France of Grand Charles
Afternoon
Bars, shops, tea rooms ... The cobbled streets of Vieux-Lille are ideal for an afternoon strolling.
Shutterstock / Juriaan Wossink
A district deserves a whole afternoon of visit:
Old Lille
. With its cobbled streets and old houses, it is a place that has preserved its architectural authenticity. The best is to get lost in it and sweep your gaze over the colored facades. Your steps will perhaps lead you to 9 rue Princesse, where the
birthplace of Charles de Gaulle is located
, which reopened last June after several months of renovation. At snack time, we salivate in front of
Les Merveilleux de Fred
. From the outside, we see pastry chefs making wonderful, Lille specialties based on meringue, whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
After this gourmet four-hour trip, we stop at
the Hospice Comtesse museum
.
This old, very well-preserved medieval hospital sheds light on the political, economic and social life of Lille through the ages since its foundation in the 13th century.
Before returning to the Grand-Place, stop at the Parvis de la Treille where stands an atypical cathedral, the last of the second millennium in France.
Begun in 1854, the construction of
Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille was
not completed until 1999. Hence the futuristic aspect of its marble facade.
Evening
The playful soul? Head to the 300 slot machines and 19 table games at
the Barrière casino,
which occupies the resort of the same name. City within the city, there is a 5-star hotel, a theater and a wellness area. Rather inclined to good laughs? Head to the
Spotlight
, a 150-seat bar where local actors perform their shows several times a week (less than 20 euros per seat). But before that, nothing better than a Flemish carbonnade or welsh au maroilles (baked bread) accompanied by one in one of the traditional restaurants of Vieux-Lille, gathered mainly in the rue de Gand.
At Taaable
,
Chez Raoul Estaminet
or
Le Barbue d'Anvers
... the choice is wide!
Read also: And the beaches closest to Lille by car are ...
DAY 2: BELFRY AND POOL
The Porte de Paris, at the foot of the Belfry of Lille which rises to 104 meters.
OTCL Lille / Maxime Dufour Photographs
Morning
We start the day at an altitude of 104 meters, at the top of the
Belfry of Lille
, a UNESCO heritage site.
The building, built in 1932 at the same time as the new Town Hall, does not go unnoticed in the “flat country” horizon.
In the distance, you can see the slag heaps of the mining basin or the mountains of Flanders, including the highest of them, Mont Cassel (176 m).
Lunch break
Tuesday and Thursday, but even more on Sunday mornings, Lille life revolves around the
Wazemmes market
, one of the largest in France.
If this popular district represents little tourist interest, we take a tour to enjoy the atmosphere.
Simply have a coffee on the terrace or have a quick bite to eat in the midst of a merry hubbub.
Afternoon
"Museum of art and industry", the Roubaix swimming pool is fitted out in shower-baths created in 1932 to ensure the hygiene of the workers.
Brad Pict - stock.adobe.com
Direction the surroundings of Lille. Take metro line 2 to Gare Jean-Lebas Roubaix station (30-minute journey). From there, walk down Avenue Jean-Lebas to
La Piscine
. These old art deco style baths and showers are inseparable from Roubaix's rich industrial past. The place opened in 1932 to ensure the hygiene of workers who did not have running water at the home. Centerpiece of the building: its Olympic basin, in which are reflected the stained glass windows which symbolize the rising sun and the setting sun. This “museum of art and industry” reopened in October 2018 after two years of expansion work.
Not far from La Piscine, another architectural curiosity is worth a detour: the
Villa Cavrois
.
From Eurotéléport, take the tram to the Villa Cavrois stop in Croix.
This city was the privileged place of residence of the industrialists of the North;
it is, even today, one of the richest in France.
After five minutes of walking, we arrive in front of the work of Robert Mallet-Stevens, representative of modernist architecture.
This contemporary yellow brick castle, built for the Cavrois family, reopened in 2015 after twelve years of renovation.
Read also: Destination Roubaix, for its industrial heritage and its cultural abundance
20 minutes from Lille, the LaM brings together 7,000 works from the 20th and 21st centuries, mainly produced by northern artists.
Max Lerouge
The
LaM
in Villeneuve d'Ascq, closer to Lille than Roubaix, can serve as an alternative to the Villa Cavrois and La Piscine.
Located in Parc du Héron, one of the metropolis' green lungs, this modern art museum presents 7,000 works from the 20th and 21st centuries, many of them regional artists.
Before coming in
After a good day of walking, nothing better than a gourmet break at the unmissable
Méert
pastry
shop
, located a few steps from the Grand-Place.
Eat in or take away, taste the Madagascan vanilla waffles that make the reputation of this pastry shop, installed at 27 rue Esquermoise since the reign of Louis XIV.
Before boarding the return train, you can also buy some marvels at Les
Merveilleux de Fred
which has a shop inside Lille-Flandres station.
Address Book
RESTAURANTS
The Grand Scène food court, with ten restaurants, two bars and a coffee-shop, opened last June in the former Galeries Lafayette in Lille.
Caroline Dejonghe
Le Bierbuik-Bloemeke, 19 rue Royale, 59000 Lille.
Le Bloempot, 22 rue des Bouchers, 59800 Lille.
Le Babe, 48 rue de l'Hôpital Militaire, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 74 46 06 84.
Le Barbue d'Anvers, 1 rue Saint-Etienne, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 55 11 68.
In Taaable, 62 rue de Gand, 59000 Lille.
Phone.
: 09 51 42 04 15.
Food courts: Kitchen Market, 80 rue des Tanneurs, 59800 Lille;
and Grand Scène, 31 rue de Béthune, 59800 Lille.
COFFEE & BARS
La Biche et le Renard, 14 rue de Gand, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 06 45 50 39 65.
La Capsule, 25 rue des Trois Mollettes, 59800 Lille.
Les Frères Pinard, 26/28 bis rue des Vieux Murs, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 55 62 67.
L'Impertinente, 9 boulevard Papin, 59800 Lille.
Wally's Coffee, 133 rue du Molinel, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 28 38 97 51.
Monsieur M, 4 rue des Sept Agaches, 59000 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 74 06 33.
SHOPPING
Memento Mori, 122 rue Esquermoise, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 20 55 38 38. A contemporary cabinet of curiosities where Italian designers, regional designers and international artists come together.
Cigoire, 91 rue Esquermoise, 59800 Lille.
Tableware, decoration, cosmetics ... Designer objects to offer or to afford which are renewed over the seasons.
HOMA Café Boutique, 36 rue des Tanneurs, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 74 67 59 57. A decoration shop in a tea room, original!
Le Grand Bassin, 27 rue de l'Espérance, 59100 Roubaix.
Near the La Piscine museum, a concept store showcasing designers (fashion, jewelry, ceramics, etc.) from Hauts-de-France.
OR SLEEP ?
Moxy Lille City Center
Opened in October 2020, the Moxy Lille City occupies the former Lille Faculty of Medicine, whose facade is listed in the inventory of historical monuments.
Moxy - Cathrine Stukhard
Moxy, the lifestyle brand of the Marriott group, opened at the end of 2020 its third French hotel in the former faculty of pharmacy in Lille.
Behind the facade classified as historical monuments, 127 minimalist rooms.
Located a little away from the historic center, the three-star will mark you more with its gigantic lobby which brings together a bar, a restaurant and several living spaces.
An address that will appeal especially to young customers and small budgets.
Moxy Lille City, 3 rue Jean Bart, 59000 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 59 61 40 40. From € 75 in a double room, breakfast included.
Read also: Hotel Le Moxy Lille "City Center", the expert opinion of
Figaro
Mama Shelter Lille
Located between the two stations in a district that has just emerged from the earth, the Mama Shelter dust off the image of the Lille hotel industry with its quirky design and its slightly crazy universe.
The concept imagined by Serge Trigano (former President of Club Med) will particularly appeal to young customers looking for an offbeat atmosphere.
Above the gigantic restaurant, 112 ultra-modern rooms with five-star beds.
Mama Shelter Lille, 97 place Saint-Hubert, 59800 Lille.
Phone.
: 03 59 82 72 72. From 89 € in Small Mama Double, breakfast in supplement (18 €).
Read also: Hotel Mama Shelter in Lille, the expert opinion of
Figaro
