INTRODUCTION Lille has always been an important trading city in the North
of France. Its history is littered with other surrounding countries
ruling it including Spain, Austria, Holland, Portugal and now France.
It has now been recognised as a tourist destination in its own right,
principally because it is now served by the Eurostar train. They even
built a completely new station just for that purpose.
Its great claim to fame, aside from tourism, is that it was the birth
place of Charles de Gaulle who controlled France during the second world
war from London.
For the tourist Lille has always ranked below Paris but once you've seen
Paris once or twice, it's time to explore more of the cities of France
and Lille is an excellent choice.
GETTING TO LILLE
Lille is easy to reach either by car or train. If you are coming from
the UK then the Eurostar is a stylish and relaxing way to get from
central London to the centre of Lille in around 90 minutes. It is
eminently possible to take a very worthwhile tourist day trip from the UK to
Lille by Eurostar. The first train of the day arrives in Lille at 09.30
and the last train of the day departs at 21.40.
The other alternatives from the UK are by the ferry, Dover to Calais is
a 90 minute ride, or through the Eurotunnel with Folkestone to Calais
taking only 40 minutes. The drive from Calais to Lille will take you
around 1 hour 15 minutes. There is lots of parking in central Lille,
with the likely cost being around €14 for 24 hours, excellent value for
a major city.
GETTING AROUND LILLE
Lille is a very compact town and with a little planning it can all be
see on foot. It also has a superb metro system with two lines. The Lille
metro was the first in the world to have driverless trains and this
explains why you wait behind doors on the platform until the train has
pulled in and stopped.
A one day pass for the metro, trams and busses
is amazingly cheap at €3.50. The other option is to buy the €18 City Pass
(€30 for 2 days) which gets you the same as the one day pass plus you
have free entry to a large range of tourist attractions. The passes are
available from the Tourist Office in Place Rihour. They can also be
pre-ordered online by
clicking here.
Do remember that some of the museums and attractions are closed on Mondays or
Tuesdays. The first weekend in September is the time of the week long flea
market and many of the attractions are closed.
TOP ATTRACTIONS If you have
limited time in Lille then the "must-see" tourist attractions (all described
below) are the following:
Palais de Beaux Arts, a first class museum packed with world
renowned paintings and sculptures
Stroll round the Grand' Place (also called the Place du Generale
de Gaulle)
Stroll around the Place du Theatre
Visit Old Lille (Vieux Lille) and wander the cobbled streets
Taste the local beer, cheese and speciality dishes.
If you still have time and want to pack in more sites in the minimum
time then take the 50 minute guided bus ride round the city for €10
(free with City Pass). Buy the tickets at the Tourist Office in Place Rihour,
the bus departs hourly just outside.
PALAIS DES BEAUX ARTS
First and most important it's shut on Tuesdays and Bank Holidays, the
locals know this but many tourists are caught out.
Admission is only €4.60. The old building itself (click the left hand picture to
enlarge it) is well worth a visit, both the exterior and interior are
spectacular.
Thought by many to be the second best art collection in France, you
will not be disappointed. Napoleon instigated this collection of art,
obtaining the paintings from churches in France and other art
collections throughout Europe.
Rubens, Van Dyck, Corot, Goya, Monet, Van Gogh, the list is endless. The
Descente de la Croix by Rubens is spectacular, art at its very best. And
make 100% sure that you don't miss the two Goyas, Les Jeunes and Les
Vieilles. These two medium sized paintings were designed to be shown
together. If you are young and believe that human beauty never truly fades,
then see these pictures. Les Jeunnes shows a rich, idle young woman reading
a letter with a washerwoman at her side. Both woman are in the prime of
youth. Contrast this with Les Vieilles, two aged women with faces and bodies
distorted by the passing of time.
Les Vieilles was painted slightly earlier than Les Jeunes and there
is no known connection between the two paintings but seeing them
together is an impressive sight and it's difficult to believe that Gaya
didn't intend them as a pair
On the left (click the picture to
enlarge it) is a picture of the relatively new extension to the Palais
des Beaux Arts. The old building can clearly be seen in the reflection.
The contrast of the ultra modern extension with the 115 year old
original building is startling. Some will find it an abomination, some
will marvel at the combination. One thing is for sure, when you first
see the two buildings side by side, they will evoke some form of
reaction.
GRAND' PLACE (PLACE DU GENERALE DE GAULLE)
The correct name for this square is the Place du Generale de Gaulle but
it is most frequently called the Grand' Place by tourists and locals
alike. This is the central and
most popular square in Lille, bustling with students, shoppers and
tourists constantly. The majority of it is pedestrianised but for some
peculiar reason traffic is allowed round two sides of it. The only
indication that the roads are present are low level railings.
You
don't need to be interested in architecture to be impressed by the
buildings in this square. In the centre is the statue of Deesse, the
symbol of Lille.
The statue commemorates the Austrian siege of Lille from 29 September to
October 7 1792. Between 15,000 to 25,000 Austrians under the command of Duke
Albert of Saxe-Teschen bombarded the city day and night. The inhabitants of
Lille with a very small garrison (commanded by General Rualt) in the town
withstood the siege. In early October reinforcements for the Lille garrison
arrived and on October 7 the Austrians lifted the siege and withdrew. Over 200
buildings had been reduced to rubble during the siege.
Above is a video of Grand Place showing La Voix du Nord building and others in
Grand Place.
The buildings forming the Grand' Place are all beautiful in
their own way and should be admired whilst seated in one of the cafes
and sipping a coffee or local beer. Perhaps the most spectacular is La Voix du Nord building (see left hand picture).
Topping the Voix du Nord are the three Graces who represent the the
three provinces of Artois, Flanders and Hainaut. Opposite the Voix du
Nord building is the Le Furet de Nord which, at nine stories in height,
claims to be the largest book shop in Europe.
The Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Market) is without doubt the grandest
of the buildings lining Grand' Place. It was built in 1653 and was the
financial centre of Lille for several hundred years.
Immediately above the entrance to the Vieille Bourse there are two
lions holding the Fleur de Lys. The two lions reflect the fact that 1653
Lille was a part of the Netherlands and the Fleur de Lys are the city's
emblem. To the left is the courtyard within the Bourse, nowadays it
serves as a antique book market.
PLACE DU THEATRE
The Place du Theatre is dominated by the Opera hose (see left) built in
the early 1900s.
To right is a picture of the Chambre de Commerce
belfry tower. It was built in 1902 and the tower reaches a height of 76
metres.
If you look closely at some of the shop fronts in the Place du
Theatre you will find a couple of cannonball lodged in the bricks. One
result of the 1792 siege.
OLD LILLE (VIEUX LILLE)
Thirty years ago Old Lille was so run down that it was threatened with
demolition and rebuilding. To counter this threat the local residents began a
restoration project giving us Old Lille as it is today. This is an area for
gentle strolling around, enjoy some shopping and buy some local cheese and beer.
TASTE THE LOCAL CUISINE
When going for a meal in Lille, avoid those on or very near Grand' Place and
Place du Theatre. You'll get much better food at lower prices simply by walking
down the side streets. Old Lille (see above) is an excellent choice for
restaurants and bars.
As far as speciality dishes are concerned, three stand out as
being typical of Lille. First is the readily available Carbonnade Flamande which
is small chunks of beef cooked in a beer sauce. We tried a couple of times and
it's delicious. The meat should be cooked long and slow so that it is almost
falling apart. The second typical dish is waterzoi, chucks of chicken or
fish in a cream sauce. Finally, you must try the local speciality of moules-frites,
fried mussels with baby vegetables. Many restaurants and cafes off an
assiette (mixed plate) of local delicacies. Check carefully what comes on
the mixed plate but most times you won't be disappointed.
The final mention of food in Lille must go to their cheeses.
Browse the shops in Old Lille and you will quickly learn that the inhabitants of
Lille love cheese from all around the world. From cheddar to camembert, it's all
there and it's top quality. All tastes vary but there is one particular cheese
to Lille that interested us. Commonly known as Vieux Lille or Puant de Lille. It
stinks, absolutely stinks! But try some and the taste is delicious, strong and
salty. It goes extremely well with strong coffee or a robust local beer.
BEER IN LILLE
Lille is about the only place in France where beer is brewed in small local
breweries. Try the bar Les Brasseurs opposite Lille Flanders Station. They
always have four local brewed beers on sale and a large variety of other beers.
Basically, if you prefer dark beer then stick to that, or stick to light (in
colour) beers if that's your choice. But beware, the alcohol content is
sometimes astonishingly high!
If Leffe beer is your tipple then try the Cafe Leffe, I think
they have all seven varieties of Leffe beer that are produced. Don't go for the
food though just the beer! They serve it in the correct glasses and at the
correct temperature, delicious.
