Lille

The whole of Lille is laid before you from the top of the town hall’s belfry. It’s a view that stretches from the Porte de Paris, bearing the hallmark of Louis XIV, and runs to the hills of Flanders in Belgium.

Back on the ground, you can visit la Grand Place, also called Place du Général de Gaulle after the former French leader born in Lille. Here, the heroic Goddess is enthroned on a column. You can also visit the nearby Vieille Bourse, the Old Stock Exchange, with its courtyard made up of 24 identical houses decorated with coats of arms that recall a time when the wealth of this city was built on commercial trading. Stroll along the sloping cobbled lanes of Lille’s old town and look up to scan the facades of the Flemish-inspired houses. Try to find the lion, the symbol of the capital of Flanders, and experience the legendary friendliness of the people of the North.