Vieux Lille
North from the grand Place du Général de Gaulle, with its Flemish buildings and column of Deesse, is Lille’s Old Town, where 17th century buildings house patisseries and gift shops and close-knit, cobbled streets lead you round in circles.
Art museums
The Palais des Beaux-Arts is said to be France’s most important art museum after the Louvre, with a heavyweight collection including Monet and Rodin. For something more contemporary try the Lille Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (LaM) or Tri Postal, a club, theatre and art gallery in one.
Palais des Beaux-Arts
Open: 2pm-6pm on Mondays, 10am-6pm Wednesday to Sunday
Closed: Tuesdays, January 1st, May 1st, July 14th, first weekend in September, November 1st and December 25th
Tickets: Standard Adult ticket €7
Lille Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (LaM)
Open: 10am-6pm Tuesday to Sunday
Closed: January 1st, May 1st and December 25th
Tickets: Standard Adult ticket €7
Shopping
Yes you can stock up on cheap booze at Carrefour, but there’s much more to splurging in Lille than that, thanks to a mix of independent boutiques, designer shops and department stores like Galeries Lafayette. Every September Lille also hosts its famous annual flea market La Grande Braderie.
Roubaix
This satellite town of Lille is home to the Museum of Art and Industry, dubbed La Piscine due to is being an art gallery in a former art deco public swimming pool. Round the corner you’ll also find La Condition Publique, a complex of buildings used for club nights, gigs and exhibitions.
Museum of Art and Industry
11am-6pm Tuesday to Thursday, 11am-8pm Fridays, 1pm-6pm Saturday & Sunday
Closed: Mondays, January 1st, May 1st, during Ascension, July 14th, August 15th, November 1st and December 25th
Tickets: Temporary Exhibitions €5.50, Classic Period Exhibitions €9, Marc Chagall Exhibition €10
