A weekend in Lille, our must-see and must-do things

The architecture of the houses in the historic center and Vieux-Lille testifies to the important role it played in the history of Flanders. This Flemish influence is found in the 17th-century brick houses, the cobbled alleys, and the central Grand Place.

Several iconic buildings are found on this square: the Opera House, the Rang de Beauregard, the Lille Chamber of Commerce (New Stock Exchange) and the Old Stock Exchange.

Standing 76 meters tall, the magnificent Guildhall of the Chamber of Commerce in Lille dominates the Opera House and the entire Theatre Square. Unfortunately, it is not possible to climb all the way to the top, except for a few lucky guests during events organized inside the Chamber of Commerce. Not to be confused with the Town Hall Belfry.

This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings in Lille's historic center. Composed of 24 identical houses containing a cloister, the Old Stock Exchange now houses booksellers in its inner courtyard.

Open daily from 1 pm to 7 pm except on Mondays, you enter via Théâtre Square, opposite the Opera, or Grand'Place.

The Grand'Place or General de Gaulle Square is Lille's central square. With its 155 meters in length and 72 meters in width, it features the iconic Old Stock Exchange, the Theatre, and the iconic Column of the Goddess with its fountain in the center.

Located Place Rihour, a few tens of meters from Lille's Grand'Place, the Palais Rihour was built in the 15th century by the Dukes of Valois-Burgundy. Today, the guardroom houses the Lille Tourist Office.

The Republic Square is surrounded on one side by the Lille Fine Arts Palace and on the other by the Prefecture. This urban space, a little removed from the historic center, is perfect for strolling among the plane trees and fountains.

The Coilliot House is an Art Nouveau style house. It was built by the architect Hector Guimard at the end of the 19th century. It is located at 14 Rue de Fleurus in Lille.

With its small garden and colourful houses, the Passage de Weppe is well-known to lovers. It is located between rue Esquermoise and the Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral.

The Loos Abbey Garden is a small haven of peace located in the heart of Old Lille.

Rue des Vieux-Murs is a typical alleyway in Old Lille. It has several great addresses, such as Les Frères Pinard, Tamper!, Le Barbier qui fume, and the must-see Merveilleux de Fred.

In the heart of the Rue des Vieux-Murs, you'll find the authentic Place de l'Oignon with its cobblestones, typical houses, and lovely terraces in the summer.

Comtesse Island is a small green space surrounded by typical red-brick houses on one side and the Comtesse Hospice Museum on the other. An unusual square where you can stop for a coffee, tea, or lemonade (to your taste) between two shops in Old Lille.

Near Gand Square, one finds one of Lille's unusual places: the High House. It's impossible to miss, as it stands out from the surrounding houses by being taller and much narrower. The High House is a testament to the lack of space Lille experienced in the 19th century.

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Belfry of the Town Hall dominates Lille with its 104 meters in height. Once the entrance is passed, you will need to climb the first 100 steps on foot. At the end of these, two options are available to you: continue ascending the remaining 306 steps to the top on foot or take the elevator.

By choosing the steps, you discover explanations on each floor that retrace the history of the Belfry. You learn more about its construction and the roles it has played since. It even hosted the first television studio and the first regional broadcasts of France. On the base of the Belfry of the Town Hall are sculpted Lydéric and Phinaert, the 2 founding giants of the city of Lille.

At the summit, the 360° view of Lille is breathtaking. We enjoyed finding all the buildings on the indications, like the Chamber of Commerce, the Palais Rihour, the Place de la République, Saint-Sauveur Church, etc. Our favourite view is the bird's-eye perspective of the beautiful Porte de Paris and the play of light and shadow with the sun.

The Belfry of the Town Hall is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5:30pm. We strongly advise you to book online (24 hours before your visit) to be sure to climb to the top at your desired time. Furthermore, the price drops from €7.50 to €6.00 if you book online.

We fell in love with the view of the Paris Gate from the Belfry of the Hôtel de Ville. Once our feet were back on the ground, we decided to extend our walk through the neighborhood and discover the Paris Gate from the ground. A remnant of the Lille fortifications, it was built in the 12th century and now stands in the middle of a cobblestone square.

Easily accessible from Lille city center (Lille-Flandres) by public transport, Roubaix is a city renowned for its cultural heritage. After purchasing a ticket, we're on our way to Roubaix to discover the Villa Cavrois and La Piscine (André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry). We dedicated a whole article to this Roubaix getaway where you can find our account of this vibrant afternoon at our story.

El Market is a concept store offering an eco-friendly selection of beauty/wellness products, home goods, zero-waste products, children's items, and a beautiful women's and men's fashion corner. It features brands offering social or environmental value-add.

The design shop Atelier Kumø is an independent décor shop combining design objects, stationery, furniture, and a corner for children. One can also find the beautiful posters of the designer Marie-Lou.

The Gallodrome is a shop offering t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and other items proudly displaying the colors of the North in a graphic and quirky way.

Mouflette is a concept store where you can find decorative objects, lifestyle items, and kids' products. A lovely selection in a small shop in Old Lille.

The Célestin Beer Cave is a cool little shop where you can find the various beers brewed at Célestin as well as a selection of special French, Belgian, or American beers. If you want to go further, they organize brewery tours with a tasting at the end.

A dynamic city with a rich cultural heritage, Lille also boasts a wealth of great places to eat. In 3 days, we weren't able to try all the recommended restaurants. Below, you'll find our favorite places to eat in Lille.

The Pinards Brothers is a wine bar and specialty grocery store. All wines on the menu can be ordered by the glass. Accompanying them are well-stocked prepared or customizable charcuterie boards. Favorites include the Roussette de Savoie Altesse 2016 from Domaine Eugène Carrel et fils (White) and the Côtes de Provence 2018 from Domaine Fouquette (Rose).

The Bloemeke is an establishment by Florent Ladeyn who participated in season 4 of Top Chef. Located above the Bierbuik (Florent Ladeyn's pub and brewpub), the Bloemeke offers a unique formula (appetizer/main course/dessert) for 25€. A regional cuisine cooked over wood fire with 100% local produce. In addition to the Bierbuik and the Bloemeke, Florent Ladeyn offers gourmet cuisine at his restaurant, the Bloempot.

Grand Scène, it's the new temple of Lille street food. It features 10 restaurants, 2 bars, and a coffee shop in a family-friendly and colorful setting. Here, no arguments about whether to eat a burger, Italian, Greek, or Syrian food: everyone orders what they want and we all gather around a common table. We arrived a little late not knowing the food stalls' hours and several were closed. We finally found our happiness at Ataya, a Syrian caterer offering mezze, "sandwiches" and composed dishes. We enjoyed it, with special mention for the chicken marinade.

During our stay in Lille, we had the opportunity to have some meals in our accommodation. We have thus tested and approved the cheeses from Philippe Olivier (3 rue Cure Saint-Etienne), the breads from Alex Croquet (66 rue Esquermoise) and the deli of Petit Fermier (103 rue Esquermoise), all available in the historic center of Lille.

It's very easy and quick to travel to Lille by train from Brussels. In 34 minutes, we arrive at Lille-Europe by TGV from Brussels-Midi station. We booked our tickets 2 weeks in advance on the website sncf-connect and they cost us 38€ per person round trip. An affordable and eco-friendly train journey.

It will take you between 1h30 and 2h to travel to Lille from Brussels. We did not choose this option and therefore cannot provide information on parking and measures to consider during your stay in Lille.

In a weekend or 3-4 days in Lille, you really have time to discover a good part of the city. There are several must-sees that we haven't been able to do yet, such as the Citadel, the Quai du Wault, the Napoleon Bridge, the Fruit Tree Orchard, the famous Wazemme Market, etc. This is an opportunity for us to return and perhaps even discover the surroundings of Lille.

You can find all our good addresses and places to see on our Mapstr account (@lesexplorateursdumonde). Don't hesitate to follow us there! 😉