• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Black Travel
  • Destinations
  • Travel Resources
  • Book
  • About
  • Contact
  • English
  • French
beenaroundtheworld-logo
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Black Travel
  • Destinations
  • Travel Resources
  • Book
  • About
  • Contact
  • English
  • French
beenaroundtheworld-logo

10 best things to do in Lille

16/02/2021 by Roobens 1 Comment

Visiting Lille wasn’t my first priority on my list of places to visit. I’m actually wondering why. Lille is only one hour away by train from Paris (where I live) and less than three hours away by car. Moreover, Lille is located between Paris, Brussels, London, and Amsterdam so it’s easy to get there. You have to visit Lille, I was pleasantly surprised by this city. What to do in Lille? Where to eat? What does Lille look like? Follow the guide!

pedestrianized street lille

Table of Contents

  • Description of Lille
  • What to do in Lille
    • Visit the Vieux Lille (Old Town)
    • The belfry of the town hall
    • Cathedral Notre Dame de la Treille
    • Grand Place
    • The Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange)
    • The Citadelle park
    • The palace of fine arts
    • The Wazemmes market
    • Charles de Gaulle native house
    • The piscine museum
    • Other things to do in Lille
  • Where to eat in Lille
  • How to get to Lille
  • The City Pass Lille
  • How to get around in Lille
  • Best time to visit Lille
  • Where to stay in Lille
  • Lille travel tips
    • Related Posts

Description of Lille

Lille is a welcoming and convivial city. I spent a few days there and I found people there a lot nicer and approachable than in Paris (it’s not hard!). Lille is lively, the city center is full of live and it’s enjoyable to wander in the pedestrianized streets. Moreover there are numerous cultural activities. In some areas, the architecture is Flemish, which is not surprising knowing we’re in the north of France. What are the places to visit in Lille? The Lille attractions. Here’s what to do if you plan to spend a few days there!

park lille

What to do in Lille

Visit the Vieux Lille (Old Town)

Your visit to Lille has to start by the Vieux Lille (the Old Town), you can’t miss it! You’ll wander the cobblestone pedestrian streets, you’ll admire the Flemish architecture and have a drink at a café. There are also numerous bakeries, breweries and restaurants. Locals just like visitors love the Vieux Lille, a great area to have a walk or go shopping. The Vieux Lille hasn’t changed since the 18th century, it survived the wars. Don’t miss the charming place aux oignons, a beautiful square!

For your information, you can go on a guided walking tour of the Vieux Lille. Click here for more info. You can also go on a driving tour by convertible Citroen 2CV. Click here for more info.

vieux lille
In the Vieux Lille

The belfry of the town hall

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Lille belfry is the largest one in Europe! Inaugurated in 1932 and 104 meters (341 ft.) high, it allows you to enjoy a 360 degrees view of Lille. To admire the view, you’ll have to climb 109 stairs first, and then take an elevator. Or you can keep going up by foot, you’ll have 300 more stairs to climb. It’s 7.50 euros to get in, but it’s free every first Wednesday of the month. You can take an audioguide for an extra two euros. It will explain the history of the belfry.

view from the belfry lille
View from the belfry

Cathedral Notre Dame de la Treille

The cathedral Notre Dame de la Treille offers an interesting mix between gothic style and modernity. Indeed, its building started in 1854 and was completed in 1999! Not everyone will appreciate its appearance from the outside, we can really talk about an atypical cathedral, but you have to get in. There’s a holy art center where more than 100 works of contemporary art are exhibited.

cathedral notre dame de la treille lille
Cathedral Notre Dame de la Treille

Grand Place

An impressive square in the heart of Lille! It’s officially called place Charles de Gaulle but everyone calls it the Grand Place (big square). This is the place where people meet up, the grand place is always crowded. It’s normal, there are many cafés and restaurants! Make the most of your time there to admire the architecture of the buildings and the statue of the goddess in the center of the square, built in 1842! During Christmas, there’s a Ferris wheel on the grand place!

grand place lille
The grand place

The Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange)

Located between the Grand Place and the Place du Théâtre, the vieille bourse is actually an ensemble of 24 identical small houses forming a square-shaped courtyard. In the courtyard, you’ll find many second-hand book sellers but also chess players. FYI, the vieille bourse dates back to 1652.

vieille bourse of lille
The Vieille Bourse of Lille

The Citadelle park

Lille is also a city with green spaces! With a total area of 110 hectares, the Citadelle park is a popular place among locals. Actually in the 17th century king Louis XIV asked Vauban to build the citadel to protect Lille. The park stretches all around the citadel. You’ll also find there a canal, a zoo, a merry-go-round and you can go on a treetop adventure course.

citadelle park lille
The citadelle park

The palace of fine arts

The palace of fine arts (palais des beaux arts)! Those into art will love this place! Regular readers of this blog know I’m not really into museum so I won’t linger over it, but this renowned museum is dedicated to European art in general. You’ll find work of art from Picasso, Monet, Rodin… It’s 7 euros to get in.

palace of fine arts of lille
The palace of fine arts of Lille

The Wazemmes market

Open on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings from 7am to 2pm! Like any self-respecting market, you’ll find everything you’re looking for there: fruits and vegetables, beers, waffles, cheese, flowers, jewelry, books, clothes… Very popular and convivial, don’t miss it!

wazemmes market lille
At the Wazemmes market

Charles de Gaulle native house

I didn’t go there but if you have some time, head to the Charles de Gaulle native house. He’s a former French president. This is really where he was born on November 22nd, 1890, in his maternal grandparents’ house. The house was turned into a museum and allows to see what the middle-class houses looked like at the time. Of course you’ll find souvenirs of the family, items of the late 19th century, etc. It’s six euros to get in.

The piscine museum

It’s not in Lille but in Roubaix which is not far! The Piscine museum! Piscine means swimming pool but you’re not going to a swimming pool, it’s an art and industry museum. It’s called Piscine museum because it used to be a swimming pool in the past… You’ll find there paintings, sculptures but also fabrics, graphic art or photography. It’s 9 euros to get in. I wrote a whole post about my visit to la piscine museum.

la piscine roubaix
The piscine

Other things to do in Lille

There are so many things to do in Lille. You can visit its museums like the hospice comtesse, the manufacture of the doll and old toy museum. You can wander rue de Béthune to go shopping, admire the opéra de Lille or head to place Rihour. If you go to Lille early September, don’t miss the Braderie de Lille (flea market). It takes place on the first weekend in September. It’s the largest flea market in Europe, and it attracts more than two million people!

opera of lille
The opera of Lille

Where to eat in Lille

First off, you have to go to la Maison Meert to taste their waffles filled with vanilla from Madagascar! Sooo good! Meert is an institution in Lille, it first opened in 1849! Since we’re talking about desserts, head to aux merveilleux de Fred. For those who don’t know, a merveilleux is a delicous meringue covered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Succulent!

Looking for a “real” meal? I suggest you to go to Tous les jours Dimanche. It’s a bistro which is much bigger than it looks from the outside, and the food is great. There’s also le Basilic café for a brunch, le broc for cheese-based dishes, Il Ristorante if you’re looking for an Italian restaurant or l’auberge du temps jadis for local dishes!

aux merveilleux de fred
Aux merveilleux de Fred

By the way what are local dishes? What do they eat in Lille? La carbonnade is a Flemish beef and onion stew with beer, thyme, juniper berries, mustard and spiced bread. Le potjevleesch which is a meat-based dish with gelatin. Le welsh is a hot cheese-based sauce served over slices of toasted bread. Let’s not forget all the beer, the waffles, the moules-frites (mussels and French fries), etc.

I really enjoyed my visit to Lille. I don’t regret going there. If you have the opportunity, do no hesitate, you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was! It’s one of the most beautiful cities in France!

How to get to Lille

There are many options! If you’re getting there by car, Lille is one hour and a half away from Brussels, two hours and a half away from Paris and three hours away from Amsterdam. It’s more or less the same by bus. FYI, I paid one euro the one-way ride from Paris with Flixbus! Click here to check the prices! Otherwise you can get there by plane. Click here to check the latest flight prices!

The City Pass Lille

I strongly suggest you to get it. If you visit Lille for one or two days, the City Pass Lille will allow you to enjoy dozens of tourist attractions in the city. Entrance fees are included in the pass, among others the Charles de Gaulle natal house, the Piscine museum, the palace of fine arts, etc. Click here to buy it!

How to get around in Lille

Honestly you don’t need a car in Lille. It’s super easy to visit the city center by foot. Otherwise public transportation serves the whole city, and you have multiple options: subway, tramway, bus, bikes for rent…

Best time to visit Lille

The temperatures are not really high in the north of France… I suggest you to get there between April and September. For your information, Lille is quite empty betwen mid-July and mid-August. It’s perfect if you want to visit Lille with less people. However, many bars, restaurants, stores… are closed.

Where to stay in Lille

If you plan to visit Lille on a tight budget, Eklo Hotels is a nice hostel. The staff is friendly and their breakfast is really good. Click here to book your stay. If you prefer mid-range hotels, the Hotel Kanai is perfectly located, the staff is attentive and the beds are comfortable. Click here to book your stay. If you’re into luxury hotels, you have to go to hotel Barriere. Click here to book your stay. Otherwise click here to check what are the hotels available in Lille.

Lille travel tips

  • Traveling soon? Check out my travel resources page! This list of travel accessories can also be useful!
  • Never ever travel without a travel insurance! Here’s why get travel insurance!
  • Want a tailor-made trip in Lille? Get a free quote here!
  • Always use a VPN when traveling. I use ExpressVPN and I love it. Here’s why use a VPN when traveling.

Sign up for exclusive updates in your e-mail address!

Related Posts

  • la piscine museum roubaixVisit to la piscine museum in Roubaix
  • manneken pis brussels2 days in Brussels weekend itinerary
  • amsterdam3 days in Amsterdam itinerary
Share
Tweet
Pin607
607 Shares

Filed Under: France

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Top cities to visit in France that will make you want to skip Paris says:
    21/07/2021 at 21:54

    […] are tons of places to visit in Lille, some, part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, most of them located in the Vieux Lille (Old Lille). […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

I wrote a book

About Me

profile

Blogger & Traveller

Hi! I'm Roobens, from Paris. Wanna know what it's like to travel in some areas of the world as a black person? There's not much info online about black travel, so follow my journey here!

About Me
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Sign Up For All the Latest Updates

Be the first to know about where I've been, special offers, and travel news.

Privacy policy

Search

Latest Blog Posts

boskovice

Exploring South Moravia in Czech Republic

moravske namesti brno

10 best things to do in Brno

dunia travel

I launched my online travel agency

the peninsula chicago

Where to stay in Chicago: the best areas and hotels

hyatt regency austin

Where to stay in Austin: the best areas and hotels

As Seen On...

Hi, I'm Roobens

About-Roobens

Hi! I'm Roobens, from Paris. Wanna know what it's like to travel in some areas of the world as a black person? There's not much info online about black travel, so follow my journey here!

Sign Up for All the Latest Updates

Sign up for exclusive updates in your e-mail address!

© 2021 Been Around The Globe. • Privacy policy • Mentions légales • Disclaimer policy

  • English
  • Français
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok