France

A weekend in Lille

Wanting to get away from Paris a bit after lockdown ended, we took the chance of my birthday to organise a weekend in Lille!

21 June 2020

Wanting to get away from Paris a bit after lockdown ended, we took the chance of my birthday to organise a weekend in Lille! It is the ideal destination for two days only an hour by train from Paris Gare du Nord and we had never been there before. The return trip by TGV cost us 36.50€ per person (from Friday midday to Sunday midday).

What to see in Lille

Around the Citadel of Lille

For our first evening in Lille, we decided to go to the Citadel of Lille, located north-west of the city centre. From our flat, we took the square Foch which led us to the quai du Wault, a basin around which there are a few restaurants.
Before crossing the Moyenne-Deûle canal, we first walked in the Jardin Vauban, a small English-style park with a grotto and a lake. At the end of the park, you can then take the footbridge to get to the other side of the bank, by the zoological park. From there, we followed the Citadel, along the voie des Combattants. This path laid out for walkers and cyclists goes around the Citadel of Lille and its moats. We felt like we were deep in the countryside, and not at all in the middle of Lille: we really recommend this nature walk!

Brick houses reflected in the still water of a basin

Barge moored along a canal lined with greenery

Tree lined canal with a barge bar and a fountain

Beds of pink flowers beside a rockery pond

Mossy artificial grotto crossed by a trickle of water

Flock of sheep grazing at the foot of a brick rampart

Ewe turned towards the lens in the middle of the flock

Monumental carved gate at the end of a shaded path

Ditch covered in green algae between two grassy banks

Green moat at the foot of an embankment, a leaning willow

Walking path running alongside the brick fortifications

Carved white facade overlooking a bridge and a lock

North of Vieux-Lille

After our walk in the Citadel park, we discovered the very peaceful district east of the park and north of Vieux-Lille, between rue Royale and rue Saint-André. So we walked in the almost deserted streets with their quite opulent, flower-filled houses: rue de Jemmapes, rue Princesse (where the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle is, currently being restored)…

Brick mullioned window filled with red geraniums

Facade covered in Virginia creeper with grey shutters

Narrow lane lined with red brick and colourful doors

Sloping street between old buildings and iron balconies

South of Vieux-Lille

One of the places we preferred in Lille is the south of the city centre, towards the town hall. Setting off from the Palais des Beaux-Arts, we took the street parallel to the boulevard de la Liberté and passed the ESJ and SciencesPo Lille. We then walked up the boulevard Papin to reach the very beautiful Porte de Paris. We were almost alone there: a joy for photographing this 17th century arch. From the gate, you get a very lovely view of the very famous Belfry of Lille, adjoining the Town Hall.
Walking back up the shopping street rue Pierre Mauroy, we did not fail to go and admire the rue des Brigittines, a beautiful, very photogenic courtyard all in brick. A must-see to view traditional Lille architecture! We were alone in this whole district where tourists do not really venture.

Vast facade of the Palais des Beaux-Arts on its esplanade

Small brick church with a steeple beside an avenue

Columned pediment of Sciences Po and the French flag

Monumental arch of the Porte de Paris and its footbridge

Porte de Paris at an angle with the belfry and formal gardens

Carved coat of arms under the vault of the arch, seen from below

Belfry of the town hall seen from a flower garden

Carved arch of the monumental gate under the clouds

Small cobbled square lined with brick houses with black shutters

Woman in a yellow outfit on the cobbles in front of blue shutters

Street with pale facades opening onto a vaulted passage

Cobbled courtyard surrounded by brick houses with blue shutters

Vieux-Lille

The historic city centre of Lille is without any doubt what makes the city’s charm and where most of the cobbled shopping streets and the main monuments are. We went through it several times and at different moments of the day to enjoy the changing light on the brick buildings.

The Grand-Place

Belfry of the chamber of commerce rising above the rooftops

Backlit cafe terrace seen from an arcade

Shop signs and the belfry at the end of the street

Column of the Goddess in the centre of the main square

Carved facades and bell turret of the Vieille Bourse

Vieille Bourse and belfry overlooking the busy square

Place du Théâtre

The very beautiful place du Théâtre with the Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its belfry, the Lille Opera house and the rue des 7 agaches which joins the Grand Place.

Corner building and ornate street lamp against a blue sky

Brick and stone belfry on the corner of the square

Golden corner facade with baroque carvings

Carved pediment of the opera house behind a black candelabra

Low angle view of a facade striped with brick and stone

Pale corner building with windows aligned over six floors

Ilot Comtesse

Packed terrace in front of old houses and a lawn

Parasols and brick houses beside a square of grass

White chapel and wooden benches at the end of a lawn

Long brick building behind a wide stretch of grass

Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille cathedral

The very astonishing Cathedral of Lille and its modern concrete façade which stands out in the old city centre…

Contemporary marble facade pierced by a large rose window

Gargoyles and gothic buttresses seen from below

Gothic side wall and carved porch in front of bike share bicycles

Nave with tall pale columns and rows of chairs

Side aisle lit in blue and a large circular chandelier

Streets and lanes

Not to be missed: rue de la Barre, rue de la Halloterie, rue des trois mollettes, rue de Pétérinck, rue de la Monnaie, rue de la Grande Chaussée, place aux Oignons, place Gilleson, passage de Weppes…

Woman in a floral dress in a lane covered with ivy

Empty cobbled street leading to the foot of the belfry

Sloping shopping street lined with shop windows

Cobbled lane between brick walls and green shutters

Man walking on the cobbles between two rows of bollards

Colourful houses glimpsed behind a railing and a tree

Pink, yellow and burgundy houses above a bank

Terraces and parasols in the middle of a cobbled square

Busy cafe terrace on a sloping cobbled street

Yellow and red chairs in front of the shops of a pedestrian street

Open square lined with gabled houses, deckchairs in the middle

Passers by and a hanging lantern in a shopping street

Street sign and shop windows on either side of the cobbles

Pedestrian walkway alongside a long building and pink flowers

Our accommodation in Lille

We rented an entire place on Airbnb (194€ for the two nights) which we recommend for a weekend in Lille because its location is very central, equally close to Vieux-Lille, the Citadel and the Musée des Beaux Arts district. The flat is very spacious and completely refurbished, quiet as it does not look onto the boulevard de la Liberté.

Our favourite places to eat in Lille

Byblos: an excellent Lebanese restaurant, located on the boulevard de la Liberté (a stone’s throw from our Airbnb). Lots of choice and generous dishes for 36€ for two.
Alex Croquet: good pastries in the centre of Lille.
Origano: a very good pizzeria where we had a pizza and a tiramisu to take away for 20.50€.
Galette Chti’flette (Repaire du Lion) : simple, good galettes to eat quickly in the heart of Vieux-Lille.
Aux Merveilleux de Fred: how can you come to Lille and not taste the famous “Merveilleux”, made of meringue and chocolate (3.10€ for the big portion).
Restaurant Sébastopol: an excellent birthday meal in this fine dining restaurant opposite the Sébastopol theatre. The decor is modern and the single 6-course menu (45€) was very good, the dishes nicely presented.

Burrata and green crumble arranged on a white plate

Frozen dessert and a slice of bread on a grey plate

Woman in front of the ivy covered entrance of a restaurant

What we thought of Lille

This first post-lockdown getaway did us a world of good! Lille is a city we wanted to discover over a weekend, being an hour by train from Paris, and now it is done. The good weather and the sun really helped us enjoy our stay in the capital of the Hauts-de-France. We are happy to have visited the city and discovered some very good restaurants (there is no shortage of them!) but we do not think we will come back any time soon. The city is quite small in the end and a day would almost be enough to walk it up and down…
We still advise you to go at least once to enjoy the local architecture and gastronomy, all the more so as Lille really is very easy to reach from Paris.

Couple posing in a cobbled lane with blue shutters

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Thank you for your comment! Marie & Romain

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