Visit Lille in 3 days
22 must-see POIs, optimized routes and anecdotes.
POIs
22
Distance
4.7 km
Duration
17h30
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Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
You will visit the most beautiful points of interest in Lille
Rihour Square
Place du Général-de-Gaulle
Maison Meert
Rue Esquermoise
Rue Saint-Etienne
Maison de Gilles de la Boë
Ilôt Comtesse
Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral
Rue des Chats Bossus
Place du Concert
Cityhall of the North
Palace of Fine Arts
Hospice Gantois
Paris Gate
Rue de la Clef
Chamber of Commerce
Lille Opera House
Column of the Goddess
Théâtre du Nord
Lille-Flandres station
Saint-Maurice church
Hospice Comtesse
Day 1 - Lille
10 POIs to discoverDay 1 - Morning à Lille
5 Points of interest - Duration : 3h45 - Distance : 0.6 km - Walking : 0h07
01
Rihour Square
- Place Rihour highlights the Palais Rihour, the war memorial, as well as a glass pyramid marking the arrival of the metro in 1983.
- The Palais Rihour was destroyed by fire in April 1916 and today only a small part dating back to the 15th century remains.
- Lille's monument to the dead, inaugurated in 1927, commemorates the harsh living conditions during the First World War, for soldiers and civilians alike.
- Lille was the first metro in the world to be automated, on tires and without a driver.
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02
Rue Saint-Etienne
- Its name refers to the former church of Saint-Étienne destroyed during the siege of 1792.
- The Hôtel Beaurepaire was dated 1572, as the only Renaissance style building in Lille.
- The house n° 62 is classified as a historical monument since December 21, 1984.
- The house at n° 60 is also classified as a historical monument since December 21, 1984.
- The Nouveau Siècle de Lille complex replaces the "Diplodocus" project and is owned by the Regional Council of Hauts-de-France.
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03
Place du Général-de-Gaulle
- Former names: Forum, Place du Marché, Place d'Armes, Grand'Place Created in the 14th century as a market, it is the historic heart of the city and home to monuments such as the Goddess Column, the Théâtre du Nord and the Vieille Bourse.
- During the French Revolution, the grand-place was the site of executions and demonstrations.
- It was renamed in honor of Charles de Gaulle after the Second World War.
- Today, it is a place for festivities, exchanges and various events, as well as a center of commercial activity.
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04
Maison Meert
- Maison Méert is one of the oldest pastry shops still in business in the world, having its origins in 1761 in Lille.
- Madagascar vanilla-filled waffles are Méert's flagship product, packaged by the six in gilded paper or by the twelve in cardboard boxes.
- The store features a flamboyant style with Orientalist echoes, gilding, coffered ceilings and wrought-iron balconies.
- Méert has received numerous national and international awards and has played host to illustrious personalities such as Napoleon, Charles de Gaulle and Churchill.
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05
Rue Esquermoise
- One of the oldest streets in Lille, used to reach the Grand'Place and the future route to Dunkirk.
- Named after the ancient village of Esquermes. Noteworthy are the Maison Meert and five historic buildings, such as numbers 4, 6, 8 and 5, 7, with toitures and facades classified as historic monuments. Until 1858, it led towards Esquermes.
- The rue Esquermoise crossed canals, such as the Pont de Weppes, and its layout has changed over time. A passageway opened after 2005 allows pedestrians and cyclists to reach the parvis de la Treille via the rue de Weppes.
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Day 1 - Afternoon à Lille
5 Points of interest - Duration : 3h45 - Distance : 0.7 km - Walking : 0h08
01
Rue de la Clef
- This is one of the oldest and most emblematic of the Vieux-Lille district.
- It is mentioned in the medieval cartulary but not in the 1066 Charter of Endowment of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre.
- Once called "rue Marat," it regained its original name after being the site of the "Hôtel de la clef" in 1793.
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02
Théâtre du Nord
- The theater is housed in a former 18th-century guardhouse called Grand(e) Garde.
- The building was constructed in 1717 after the conquest of the city by Louis XIV and served as a guardhouse for the garrison.
- A solar sculpture on the facade recalls the annexation of Lille to France in 1667.
- Le théâtre du Nord offers numerous plays covering a wide variety of genres and eras.
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03
Lille Opera House
- In 1668, the city of Lille became French, and operatic activity developed rapidly with performances organized in the town hall.
- At the end of the 18th century, a larger hall was built, inaugurating in particular the French premieres of famous operas.
- A fire destroys the opera house built in 1785, leading to the construction of a new building in 1903.
- The new opera house is occupied by the Germans during the First World War and used for German performances.
- After the end of the war, the opera house is restored and reopens in 1923 for its "French premiere".
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04
Chamber of Commerce
- Lille's Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1715.
- The building was constructed between 1910 and 1921.
- Its famous 76-meter-high neo-Flemish belfry features an automated carillon of 26 bells, playing the European anthem or "le P'tit Quinquin" depending on the time.
- It's often nicknamed the "New Stock Exchange," in opposition to the Old Stock Exchange opposite.
- During the German occupation in 1940, the New Stock Exchange served as the headquarters of the regional Kommandantur.
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05
Column of the Goddess
- Since 1845, the monument has commemorated the heroism of the people of Lille during the 1792 siege of Lille by the Imperial (Austrian) army.
- The statue of the goddess at the top holds a boutefeu in her right hand and points to the inscription on the plinth, echoing the response of the mayor of Lille refusing to surrender the besieged city to the Imperials.
- The statue of the goddess is in bronze, stands three meters high, and is an allegory of the city of Lille.
- At its base, the column is surrounded by a basin making a fountain, added later.
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Day 2 - Lille
8 POIs to discoverDay 2 - Morning à Lille
5 Points of interest - Duration : 3h30 - Distance : 1 km - Walking : 0h13
01
Maison de Gilles de la Boë
- This house, also known as the Bon Bouillon, was built in 1636 near the old port of Lille for spice and cloth merchant Gilles de la Boé.
- It also housed an estaminet called "Au Bon Bouillon", hence its nickname.
- The ensemble is richly decorated with heavy fruit garlands linking thick brackets together.
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02
Rue des Chats Bossus
- The "street of hunchback cats" is one of Lille's oldest streets.
- The street owes its name to an old estaminet (tavern).
- The former fishmonger's A L'Huîtrière has been a Lille institution for over a century, an essential part of Lille's heritage for its interior and art deco façade.
- An enigmatic golden arm hanging for several centuries on the corner of the street keeps all its mystery.
- Cherubs adorn the street, looking at each other to indicate the same house and turning back to back to mark the neighborhood boundary.
- Boats float on the walls and balcony of some buildings.
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03
Place du Concert
- It is so named because of the presence of a conservatory concert hall.
- Originally, the square was called "place du cloître Saint-Pierre" and stood on the site of the canons' enclosure of the collegiate church of Saint-Pierre.
- The canonical buildings damaged during the siege of 1792, as well as the collegiate church, were destroyed from 1794 onwards.
- The square was renamed "Place du Concert" in 1803.
- Lille's School of Fine Arts, which stood opposite the conservatory until 1964, extended into Rue Alphonse Colas.
- An archaeological dig carried out at 12 Place du Concert revealed features dating back to the 11th century, when the town originated.
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04
Ilôt Comtesse
- L'ilôt comtesse refers to the garden of the Hospice Comtesse, founded in 1237 by Joan of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders.
- A fire in 1468 destroyed the original establishment, but parts were rebuilt over the centuries.
- Recreated in the 1980s, the garden houses some thirty period medicinal plants, testifying to the use of these plants in the 13th century.
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05
Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral
- The cathedral stands on a miraculous statue venerated since the 13th century.
- Construction began in 1856 and was completed almost 150 years later after many compromises, in 1999, due to numerous financial difficulties.
- The project aimed to rebuild a large church in the heart of the city, as well as to promote the creation of an episcopal see in Lille to reinforce its status as a religious capital.
- A model of the original project is present in the cathedral (pictured).
- In Gilleson Square, which surrounds the cathedral, you can also admire the Campanile Saint-Nicolas, the bell tower that stands alone from the cathedral.
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Day 2 - Afternoon à Lille
3 Points of interest - Duration : 2h45 - Distance : 1 km - Walking : 0h13
01
Lille-Flandres station
- Lille-Flandres station is the main railway station in the French city of Lille, inaugurated in 1848 and renamed in 1993.
- Terminal station for high-speed, medium-distance and regional trains, with connections to Belgium via the SNCB.
- The station features a neoclassical design dating from 1867, with a facade removed from the Gare du Nord in Paris to be reassembled in Lille.
- Rail services include high-speed lines to Paris, Mulhouse, and intercity connections to various cities in France and Belgium.
- Lille-Flandres station was used by around 17 million passengers in 2007, offering a wide range of regional and national connections.
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02
Saint-Maurice church
- Its construction began in the late 14th century and was completed in the late 19th century.
- Over the centuries, the church has been enlarged, with additions to various parts, including the choir and tower in the 15th century, and the side chapels in the 16th and 17th centuries.
- The church was damaged by arson in 2001 and has undergone extensive restoration since then.
- The church interior houses paintings, sculptures and stained-glass windows by renowned artists.
- The church has two organs: a grand gallery organ built in 1877 and a choir organ built in 1882.
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03
Hospice Comtesse
- Hospice Comtesse (also known as Hospice Notre-Dame) is a former hospice in Lille founded by Joan, Countess of Flanders, in 1237.
- The hospice remained Lille's main hospital until the late 18th century, and then became a hospice for the elderly and orphans after the French Revolution.
- Since 1962, it has housed a museum of Art and History that presents the social and cultural life of Lille in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Regular exhibitions are organized in the patients' room, and the dormitory is dedicated to exhibiting contemporary works tracing the history of the city.
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Day 3 - Lille
4 POIs to discoverDay 3 - Morning à Lille
4 Points of interest - Duration : 3h45 - Distance : 1.5 km - Walking : 0h19
01
Cityhall of the North
- In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte created the position of prefect to represent the state in the departments.
- The first prefect of the North moved to Douai before being transferred to Lille in 1803.
- In 1865, the prefecture moved permanently to Place Napoleon III, which became the Place de la République.
- The new building is a monumental structure with a Second Empire aesthetic.
- In 1782, major renovation work was carried out to transform it into a hospital named "Hôpital Scrive" in homage to the general physician Gaspard Scrive.
- In 1999, the Ministry of the Interior purchased the site to house the services of the prefecture of the North.
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02
Paris Gate
- In the past, here was the "door of the sick", leading to a leper colony founded around 1233.
- Louis XIV entered the city through this gate in 1667 after a 10-day siege and Lille became French a year later at the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
- The construction of the Paris Gate was commissioned by Louis XIV to commemorate Lille's accession to France.
- Its structure presents two different facades, the entrance of the city created in the 17th century and the exit of the city, at the end of the 19th century.
- Above the vaulted corridor, one can see the sculpted coat of arms of the city of Lille and the royal coat of arms, as well as baroque figures representing "Renommée" and "Victoire".
- The cast-iron grenade decorations symbolize the incendiary bombs used when King Louis XIV's army took the city.
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03
Palace of Fine Arts
- Founded in 1792, the museum was initially made up of works confiscated from émigrés and religious institutions after the French Revolution.
- The museum has grown over the years thanks to gifts, bequests, and acquisitions by the city, including works by great artists such as David, Goya, Delacroix, Courbet and Corot.
- In 1892, a Palais des Beaux-Arts was built to house the growing collection, becoming one of France's largest art collections outside Paris.
- Today, the museum offers nearly 2,000 works for viewing, including sculptures, paintings, ceramics, drawings, prints and coins ranging from the 15th to the 20th century.
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04
Hospice Gantois
- It was founded in 1462 for the purpose of sheltering thirteen destitute elderly people.
- It was initially attached to the collegiate church of Saint-Pierre.
- Ebetween the 18th and 20th centuries,the hospice was transformed into a modern hospital.
- During World War II, it took in modest elderly people, then wounded soldiers and prisoners.
- It was listed as a Lille Historical Monument in 1923 and 1967.
- The hospice operated until 1995, later becoming a luxury hotel, the Hermitage Gantois in 2003.
- The building included a sick room, a chapel, buildings around four courtyards, and was enlarged in the 17th and 18th centuries.
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