Why go?
Lille’s old town has cobbled charm in spades: elegant Franco-Flemish houses in sherbet shades, hole-in-the-wall patisseries, sunny squares crammed with cafes. Even better, it’s a mere 80 minutes from London on Eurostar, and is so compact you can tick off all the sights in a weekend – leaving time for lazy lunches of moules frites.
The perfect weekend
Start the day with a café au lait in Lille’s hub, the imposing Grand Place with its tinkling fountain. Then pop over to Place Rihour, where the tourist office is housed in a 15th-century palace built for the Duke of Burgundy. Pick up a city pass (£35 for two days) for access to all the sights. Next, amble to the Vielle Bourse, with its elaborate Rennaissance facade, and rummage for second-hand tomes at the book market in its inner courtyard. On nearby Rue des Chats Bossus, at No. 3, you’ll find L’Huîtrière (00 33 320 554341; mains around £40), one of France’s most famous fish restaurants and an Art Deco treat. If you don’t fancy paying Michelin-star prices, prop up the bar in the attached fishmonger’s instead and order oysters and fizz. For pud, pick up something sweet from Patisserie Meert (27 Rue Esquemoise), famous for its waffles, or brave local cheeses such as pongy Vieux-Lille (nicknamed ‘the Lille stinker’) at Fromagerie Philippe-Olivier (3 Rue du Curé Saint-Etienne). Pick your way through narrow lanes to Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille for a digestive pause while ogling its 30m high facade made of translucent marble – on sunny days, the interior has an amber glow. Round the corner is the Musée de l’Hospice-Comtesse (32 Rue de la Monnaie; £3), founded in 1237 and filled with art and antiques. End up in pretty Place aux Oignons, where Au Vieux de la Vieille is an estimanet (pub-restaurant) that dishes up specialities such as carbonnade flamande (beef in beer).Next morning, jog in the Bois de Boulogne, then potter to Place du Concert with its morning food market. Or catch the metro to Gambetta to the vast Wazemmes market, selling everything from Moroccan spices to lacy bras. Finish with a visit to the Palais des Beaux Arts (www.pba-lille.fr; £5) – it has an art collection second only to the Louvre.
Where to stay
Couvent des Minimes (00 33 320 306262, www.alliance-lille.com; doubles from £205, room only) is a 17th-century former convent, with a glass-roofed restaurant. Hotel Brueghel (00 33 320 060669, www.hotel-brueghel.com; doubles from £60, room only) is central and filled with antiques.
Advertisement
Eurostar (08432 186186, www.eurostar.com) has returns from London St Pancras from £65. Railbookers (020 3327 0800, www.railbookers.com) has two nights’ B&B at a three-star from £149pp, including return Eurostar tickets.