Lille Travel Guide Maps 15 Cultural Stops From the Grand Place to Louvre-Lens
A guide for Lille, France, in 2027 emphasizes its strategic position at the convergence of France, Belgium, and the U.K. Eurostar trains connect London in under 90 minutes, while Brussels is accessible in less than an hour, and Paris is just about an hour south via the TGV. The Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, which was finished in 1892, features an extensive collection including works by Monet, Goya, Delacroix, Rubens, and Van Dyck. La Piscine, a museum housed in a former swimming pool, reopened in Roubaix in 2001. The Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille cathedral was completed in 1999. The Vieille Bourse, built in 1653, is home to booksellers, and the Citadelle, constructed between 1667 and 1670, remains an active military site. The Louvre-Lens opened its doors in 2012, and cross-border excursions lead to Tournai and Kortrijk.
Key facts
- The Eurostar connects London to Lille in under one and a half hours, with Brussels under an hour and Paris about an hour by TGV
- The Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille was completed in 1892 and holds paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, Delacroix and Monet
- La Piscine in Roubaix opened as a swimming pool in 1932, designed by Albert Baert, and reopened as a museum in 2001
- Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille was begun in 1854, completed in 1999 and became a cathedral in 1913
- The Citadelle de Lille was built between 1667 and 1670 by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban and remains an active military site
- The Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse was founded in 1237 by Jeanne de Constantinople, Countess of Flanders
- The Louvre-Lens opened in 2012 in a SANAA-designed building on a former coal mine, with free entry to its main gallery
- UNESCO inscribed Notre-Dame de Tournai in 2000, and its belfry, begun in 1188, is the oldest in Belgium
Entities
Artists
- Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban
- Albert Baert
- Georges Jeanclos
- William Burges
- Charles Leroy
- Jean-Baptiste Wicar
- Auguste Rodin
- Camille Claudel
- Philip the Good
- Jeanne de Constantinople
- Charles de Gaulle
- Childeric I
- Louis XIV
Institutions
- Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
- La Piscine
- Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent
- Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille
- Vieille Bourse
- Citadelle de Lille
- Rapid Reaction Corps — France
- NATO
- Zoo de Lille
- Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse
- Louvre-Lens
- Louvre
- SANAA
- La Voix du Nord
- Meert
- Brasserie Duyck
- Brasserie Thiriez
- Brasserie d'Annœullin
- Maison Folie Moulins
- Texture museum
- RC Lens
- Stade Bollaert-Delelis
- UNESCO
- Eurostar
- TGV
- Marché de Wazemmes
- La Braderie de Lille
Locations
- Lille
- France
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- London
- Brussels
- Paris
- Roubaix
- Vieux Lille
- Grand Place
- Place du Général de Gaulle
- Place de la République
- Place Rihour
- Wazemmes
- Fives
- Moulins
- Lens
- Nord-Pas-de-Calais
- Jenlain
- Esquelbecq
- Annœullin
- Tournai
- Wallonia
- Kortrijk
- West Flanders
- Leie
- Lyon
- Ghent
- Bruges
- Madrid
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Schengen area
Sources
- Quartz —