Lille |
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| Nord, France | "Under the watchful eye of Giants enter a city where even the manhole covers are adorned with the Fleur de Lys" |
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| Location Click on towns on map to visit other locations. Calais ¦Dunkerque¦ Cassel¦ St Omer¦ Le Touquet¦ Lille¦ Arras¦ Boulogne¦ Abbeville ¦ Douai ¦ Montreuil ¦ Ieper¦ Lens¦ Cambrai "The VAL Metro shuttles are unmanned so don't hang about while embarking / disembarking" City Tour Don't miss this city of diversity if you can help it. The city has hotels to cater for all tastes but if you are visiting for the day leave your car in the suburbs, preferably at the ends of the Metro lines (St Philibert or 4 Cantons) and utilise the cheap public transport. The VAL Metro shuttles are unmanned so don't hang about while embarking/disembarking or you could leave one of your party behind, as I did, managing to lose my wife at one station and one of my sons at another. I was forced to retrace my journey to retrieve them all. A deal worth seeking out is the Pass Libre Accès. This gives free entry to museums, and tourist sights and also pays for the Public Transport. One day passes cost €20 /£14, 2 days - €30 /£21 and 3 days €45 /£32. ![]() Starting from the triangular Euralille by the TGV/Eurostar station you have the choice of shopping or strolling into the centre of town. Euralille is home to a large Carrefour Hypermarket, a large shopping Mall with shops, banks and restaurants. Head towards the belfry and past the Opera and the Old Stock Exchange, through the Place du General du Gaulle. The Place is overlooked by two luxury hotels, the Carlton and Belle Vue as well as the headquarters of La Voix du Nord. This was the Resistance newspaper during World War Two. It is now the regional paper for Northern France. The statue at the centre of Grand Place commemorates the City's victory over Austrian besiegers. Continue to Place Rihour where the Tourist Information Office is situated in the former residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. Pick up a map and follow the suggested routes taking in many of the city's attractions. If you are not energetic or just don't feel like walking, buy a ticket for the 1 hour minibus tour of Lille. Computer monitors and multilingual headphones deliver the history and descriptions of the numerous attractions. Lille: Attractions Following the tourist circuits of Lille you will discover the Old Stock Exchange (Bourse) (Cxvii) its courtyard home to secondhand bookshops and flower stalls. Onward past the New Stock Exchange (Bourse) (1910-1924) into Vieux Lille (old Lille), with its narrow 17th Century cobbled streets and antique shops. Visit the Museum of the Hospice Comtesse founded in 1237 by Countess of Flanders, Jane of Constantinople and housing a Northern art and culture collection. There are more than one hundred masterpieces of Flemish and Dutch painting on display here, with Lillois earthenware, Delftware, silver and gold plates etc. Close to the Hospice Comtesse, is the Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-la Treille (Cix). This was completed with a space frame of glass and marble to the unfinished gable end in order to celebrate the Millennium (2000). Leaving the old quarter, there are numerous other churches, museums and buildings left to find. Following the Rue Neuve and Rue de Bethune you find yourself in the bustling shopping area. This route leads to the Place de la République which was laid out during the Third Republic. To the South stands the recently renovated Musée des Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum) Built between 1889 and 1892 it is one of the finest art galleries in Europe and second in size only to the Louvre in France. It exhibits an important collection of paintings from Rubens to Picasso and has a fine collection of Spanish paintings by Goya and others. It also has galleries of Medieval and Renaissance exhibits as well as a good selection of sculptures, drawings and ceramics. There is also an interesting display of old relief maps of regional fortified towns designed by Vauban. Leaving Musée des Beaux Arts, your gaze takes in the Prefecture, the stately palace built in 1869 at the opposite side of Place de la République. Travelling further by foot to Rue de Bruxelles you arrive at the Natural History and Geological Museum. In this 19th Century building you will encounter both regional and exotic, land as well as sea creatures. Along with the high quality stuffed animals there are live displays of insects and fish. Rocks, minerals and fossils from the region's coal mines illustrate the geological history of the region. Finally there is an ethnographic collection from Oceanic, African, Asian and American civilisations, including an Egyptian Mummy. Leave the museum and head for Porte de Paris erected between 1685 and 1692 by Louis XIV, to commemorate the return of of the city to France. The Beffroi, a 105 metre tower now fills your vision. Completed in 1932 it forms part of the Town Hall. At the bottom of the tower are sculptures of Lille's Giants. |
Summary Lille, capital of the region, was born in the 11th Century but displays architecture fit for the 21st Century, alongside a rich historical heritage. It is here that the world renowned Braderie (Flea market / Antiques Fair) is staged on the first weekend of September. There is much to involve the traveller from shopping in ancient streets to visiting the many museums and monuments. Tour continued
Eating Out For a few Euros more you can sample some local dishes and beer at Les Trois Brasseurs at 22, Place de la Gare (by Gare Lille Flandres). Here you can sample Lillois specialities such as Flammekeuche. It has its own microbrewery which serves up enormous jugs of wonderful beer! Alternatively try La Cloche a brasserie in the shadow of the Operá, which again serves up local; specialities such as rabbit with prunes, beef in beer, oysters and smoked eels. If you are looking for a Michelin starred restaurant then head for A L'Huitière. This Art Deco restaurant with its chandeliers and gilded mirrors is renowned for its seafood such as clams and oysters. During the Braderie the eating establishments serve up Moules et Frites (Mussels and chips). The empty mussel shells are tipped outside in the street to form huge piles. Getting thereTrain:Lille is one hour from Paris via TGV, just over two hours from London via Eurostar and one hour from Brussels. Lille has excellent TGV (high speed train) connections to the rest of France. You can book a rail ticket to Lille for £59 from . Car: Well served by Autoroutes, Lille is little over two hours from Paris via the A1 autoroute, one hour from the French Channel Tunnel Terminal via the toll free A16 and A25 autoroutes. Brussels is approximately one hour away via the A27 autoroute. Where to stay Apartments: Currently, the Citadines Apparthotel in the Euralille Centre is the only SNRT residence in the city. Address: Avenue Willy Brandt - Euralille - 59777 LILLE Tel (France) 03 20 21 40 40 Fax (France) 03 20 21 40 49 Book these apartments at a discount using the Eurapart Hotel Booking Page Hotels: Budget Lille on the next page . For extremely good deals on Mid Range and Luxury hotels look up the Eurapart Hotels Booking Page. Select an Ibis or Express by Holiday Inn Hotels for discounts off standard room rates. Tourist Information REGIONAL TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE Comite Regional de Tourisme Nord - Pas de Calais 6, Place Mendes France 59800 LILLE OFFICE DE TOURISME Palais Rihour B.P. 205 59000 LILLE Tel: 33 (0) 3 20 21 94 21 Fax: 33 (0) 3 20 21 94 20 E-mail:info@lilletourisme.com Web: www.lilletourism.com Musée Hospice Comtesse 32 rue de la la Monnaie 59000 LILLE Tel (France) 03 20 49 50 90 Musée d'histoire naturelle et de géologie 19 rue de Bruxelles 59000 LILLE Tel (France) 03 20 53 38 46 Beffroi Hôtel de ville Place Roger Salengro 59000 LILLE Tel (France) 03 20 49 50 00 Maison natale et Musée Charles de Gaulle 9 rue Princesse 59000 LILLE Tel (France) 03 20 31 96 03 Interactive Map Click on link to got to an interactive map of Lille provided by Maporama.com. Zoom in or out or look up landmarks. Interactive map Suburbs and shopping. Travel to the suburbs for shopping and further attractions Guide books Essential Lille Eurapart's recommended guide book. Save 20% by buying online. European City of Culture 2004 Lille did not require a facelift to prepare for its turn as City of Culture. Instead there are numerous outdoor art exhibits commissioned for the city, including lighting Gare Lille Flandres with pink light. The activities planned cover not just Lille but the rest of the Nord as well. |
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