Weekend Getaway to Lille

I should add Lille to my list of great day trips from Paris as at one hour each way on the TGV it’s a feasible trip from the French capital or even from London for that matter. A day trip wouldn’t do the city justice though, there are so many cultural sights to see, parks to picnic in and amazing food to try. My three days in Lille was nowhere near enough and I’m already planning a return trip this summer.

I was in Lille in December as it was the first stop on my Christmas market tour. The market was quite small but very popular and while I had some great Christmas food the real foodie treats are found in Vieux Lille.

I could go on and on about where to eat in Lille. We ate at some amazing places. If you want to try local specialities, any of the Estaminet’s found around the city are worth a try. Estaminet’s are pub/bistro type places serving traditional meals and local brews. There are quite a few around Rue de Gand but we went to Au Vieux de la Vieille in Vieux Lille. This is the perfect place to try one of Lille’s most famous dishes, Carbonnades Flamandes which is beer braised beef.

Many of the dishes have beer in them or maroilles, the local cow’s milk cheese, so be prepared for rich, heavy food. Don’t fill up too much though because less than 100m down the road is one of the best desserts you’ll find anywhere in France, the Merveilleux. Layers of meringue coated with fresh cream and rolled in chocolate. Heaven!

Speaking of desserts, Meert is also located in Vieux Lille. They’ve been around a while, since 1761 to be exact, and are most well known for their sweet vanilla stuffed waffles (which are too sweet for me) but also for their salted butter caramels and very fruity pâtes de fruit. You can order takeaway from the shop or sit in the wonderful cafe next door.

Being only 15 kilometres from chocolate haven Belgium, it’s not surprising Lille is big on chocolate. Weiss and Benoit Chocolatier are great places to stock up on delicious hand made chocolates.

The Wazemmes Sunday food market is another great foodie location in Lille and is the ideal place to pick up picnic supplies or just wander around and snack at the international food stalls.

Having beer drinking Belgians as neighbours has also worked out well for the Lillois as they love their beer too. Belgian Kriek beer (with sour cherries) has a quite unusual flavour and I tried one with orange peel.

More to my liking was the cider which you can get just about everywhere and it comes in sweet, semi-sweet and dry versions. The hot cider from the Christmas markets was my preferred drink on this trip to Lille. It’s much sweeter than the hot wine and they don’t put spices in it which I normally find overpowering.

If you want something a little stronger go for the local genievre spirit, derived from juniper berries. It’ll keep you warm on the wet, wintery days they often have in the north of France. The region is also well known for speculoos and you can even get speculoos liquor.

That’s just the beginning of my foodie discoveries but there are plenty of other reasons to visit Lille. There’s the UNESCO World Heritage listed Belfry which you can climb for the best views of the city and over to Belgium.

Just next to the Belfry is the Porte de Paris which celebrates the victories of Louis XIV.

If you’re interested in architecture or the Art Nouveau period head over to 14 rue de Fleurus to see one of Hector Guimard’s finest works, Maison Coilliot. I’ve previously written about Hector Guimard’s work in Paris and it was great to see another of his creative designs in Lille.

Then of course there is Place Charles de Gaulle with its adorable Flemish style architecture.

Lille has some fantastic museums and in particular I’d recommend the LaM modern art museum. I haven’t always liked modern art but am definitely starting to appreciate it more. There were some great works by Picasso, Modigliani, Miro and I quite liked this piece by Daniel Buren.

If you plan on visiting a number of museums and monuments, I’d recommend getting the Lille City Pass which gives you access to the museums as well as a 1 hour city bus tour, a guided walking tour of the old town and all public transport.

Day Trips from Lille

If you happen to be in Lille on the second Sunday of the month, I’d suggest a day trip (or an afternoon trip) to the nearby village of Fromelles. Fromelles is the site of one of Australia’s deadliest battles with 5,533 Australian soldiers being killed or wounded in the World War I battle. You can visit the battlefields and the new military cemetery as well as the museum at the town hall. Ask at the tourist office on Place Rihour for information on how to get there. This was one of the most interesting museum visits I’d had in quite some time and you can read about the Battle of Fromelles and the mass graves here.

Where to Stay

On this weekend trip to Lille I stayed at the modern Kanai Hotel located just down from the Grand Place, not far from Vieux Lille and the two main train stations. I love small, boutique hotels like this one and the free wifi was a bonus. Read my full review of Kanai Hotel here.

Weekend Getaway to Lille

This was actually my 3rd trip to Lille but my first as a tourist. It really is one of the most beautiful cities in France and a personal favourite. There is plenty to see on a weekend trip but a longer trip would give more time to try some of the amazing restaurants and bakeries which is what I’ll be doing on my next visit.