Nord / Pas-de-Calais

  3 - Lille

With over a million inhabitants, Lille, the capital of Flanders, is the most important city in northern France. It is a sprawling modern metropolis with a lively historic heart, a marvellous Flemish architecture, and an excellent art museum. 

Every year, on the first weekend in September, Lille holds its famous traditional Braderie, that draws two million people from all over Europe. The whole city centre transforms into one huge market with a party atmosphere. The traditional meal at the Braderie is the famous moules-frites (mussels and fries). Each year millions of mussels are eaten during this festival, and each restaurant competes with the others to have the largest mountain of mussels at the entrance.

    Lille, Place Rihour

  Lille Station

Porte de Paris

Citadel

Rihour Street

Mussels at the annual Lille Braderie

Garden of plants

Subway "le Val"

Museum of fine art

Facade of the old Bourse

Belfry

Porte de Paris

Grand Place (Place du Général de Gaulle)

For everybody, it is the Grand Place, but it carries the name of a famous child,  born here in 1890: Charles de Gaulle. In the center, a goddess rises up on a tall column which symbolizes the heroism of the Lille residents during the siege of 1792 by the Austrians. Many fine historic buildings flank the square including the Furet du Nord, with eight floors, which is the largest bookstore in the world.

Facade place Louise de Bettignies

Coilliot house - Fleurus Street

Place du Lion d'Or

Vieux Lille - Quai of Wault

Vieux Lille - Péterinck Street

Bell