A cultural tour of Lille and a visit to several of its monuments

The starting point is Place de la République, served by metro line M1 (République-Beaux-Arts station). By car, the most convenient parking is at the Esplanade du Champs de Mars (citadel); then walk up Boulevard de la Liberté to Place de la République (prefecture).

(S/E) From the centre of Place de la République, opposite the Prefecture, turn right and cross Boulevard de la Liberté at the pedestrian crossing. Cross the square (Place Richebé), passing to the left of the statue of General Faidherbe. Then turn left to leave the square. Continue straight ahead, diagonally to the right, towards Place de Béthune. Then turn left onto Rue de l’Hôpital Militaire. At the junction, turn right onto Rue Pierre Dupont. Cross Rue des Fossés on the right-hand side and turn left into Square Morisson.

(1) At the next junction, turn right onto Rue du Palais Rihour. Pass the Tourist Office on your left and continue along the same street, which soon turns left. Continue along Rue Jean Roisin and, at the junction with Rue Nationale, go straight on into Rue de Pas. This will take you to Place Pierre Mendès-France (on the left, the “Nouveau Siècle” building, home to the Lille National Orchestra).

(2) Turn right onto Rue Saint-Étienne. At the end, turn left onto Rue Esquermoise and ignore a street on the right, then one on the left. Then turn right onto Rue Basse. At the next junction, turn left into Rue Bartholomé Masurel. Turn right onto this street and you will arrive at the forecourt of Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral.

(3) Walk round the cathedral on the left and head towards its north gate. Turn left, then right into Ruelle Cour à l’Eau. Cross Place aux Oignons diagonally to the right and walk up Rue de Pétérinck. At the end, turn right into Rue de la Monnaie. Walk past the Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse on your left.

Leave Place Louise de Bettignies on your left and turn right into Rue des Chats Bossus. Take the third street on the left, Rue de la Grande Chaussée. At the end, turn left and cross Place du Théâtre to the entrance of Lille Opera House (on the left).

(4) With your back to the entrance to the Opera House, go straight on and walk up Rue des Manneliers, which leads to Place Charles de Gaulle. Go straight on and pass La Voix du Nord. At the corner of the square, turn left onto Rue Neuve, then take the first left onto Rue Saint-Nicolas. At the end, turn right onto Rue Pierre Mauroy. You will reach the forecourt of Saint-Maurice Church.

(5) Go round the church on the right, join Rue du Priez and follow it to the left. At the end, turn right and you’ll arrive at Place de la Gare.

(6) Walk round Lille-Flandres station on the left and cross Place des Buisses diagonally to the right. Then turn right and follow Avenue Willy Brandt. Walk past the postal sorting centre on your right. Continue straight ahead, then climb the steps on the right to reach the level of Pont de Flandres. Cross at the pedestrian crossing.

(7) Turn left and walk past the casino on your right. At the corner of the building, turn right onto Allée du Fort Sainte-Agnès and walk along Parc des Dondaines. Cross Avenue Willy Brandt on the right-hand side, then turn right onto Rue de la Chaude Rivière. Continue straight on until you reach Pont de Flandres.

(7) Turn left and cross the railway tracks. Walk past the Zenith Arena on your left, then Lille Grand Palais. Cross Boulevard des Cités Unies on the left and continue along Avenue du Président Hoover.

(8) Just before the roundabout, turn right twice and follow Avenue du Président Hoover in the opposite direction. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Rue Georges Lefebvre. Turn right onto Rue Paul Duez and walk alongside the International University of Lille. At the junction, continue left onto Rue Charles Debierre (on your left, the Debeyre University Sports Hall, and opposite you, Saint-Sauveur Church).

(9) At the front of the church, turn right onto Rue du Croquet and immediately right onto Rue des Moulins de Garance. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Avenue du Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Go straight on and follow the Palais des Sports Saint-Sauveur on your left. At the traffic lights, turn left into Rue Saint-Sauveur. Shortly afterwards, turn left into Square Augustin Laurent. Cross the square and exit on the other side onto Place Saint-Augustin, opposite the town hall. Then turn right and walk past the base of Lille’s Belfry. Turn left to reach the Porte de Paris roundabout.

(10) Go round the roundabout on the left and follow Boulevard Papin. At the junction, first turn left then right onto Boulevard Jean-Baptiste Lebas. Just before the junction with Rue Camille Guérin, on the left-hand side, turn right into Parc Jean-Baptiste Lebas. Turn left immediately and walk to the middle of the park. Then turn right and leave the park. Cross the boulevard at the pedestrian crossing and follow Rue Gosselet opposite. Walk past the Museum of Natural History and Geology on your right.

(11) Turn right onto Rue de Bruxelles and continue straight ahead. Cross Rue Jean Bart and turn left into Rue Auguste Angellier. Continue straight ahead, cross Rue de Valmy and continue along Rue Gauthier de Châtillon. At the corner of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, turn right to reach Place de la République (S/E).

Tourist Office and War Memorial. The Christmas market takes place on Place Rihour.
(3) Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral, its façade lets light through; its neo-Gothic crypt is open to visitors. The Centre for Sacred Art is also located here, an exhibition space for works by contemporary artists on Christian iconography. Nearby, the Hospice Comtesse houses the Lille Museum of Art and History.
The Palais de la Bourse, the Opera House (a neo-classical theatre), the Vieille Bourse (explore its ever-bustling inner courtyard), the Grand'Place with its Goddess atop the column (commemorating the heroism of the people of Lille during the 1792 siege of Lille by the imperial army), the La Voix du Nord shopping arcade (shops) and the headquarters of the La Voix du Nord newspaper.
St Maurice’s Church (a listed building, a Gothic and Neo-Gothic hall church), Lille-Flandres Station and the Tri Postal (now an exhibition space for contemporary art)
(7) The Barrière Casino, Parc des Dondaines (4.54 hectares developed as an adventure and leisure park), Le Shake (a mixed-use development with a predominance of commercial and service sector units).
Headquarters of the Lille European Metropolis with its ground-floor Biotope (150 trees), headquarters of the Hauts-de-France region with its 67-metre-high glass belfry.
The University of Lille headquarters, with its sports hall dedicated to martial arts.
St-Sauveur Church, the Hôtel du Département du Nord, the St-Sauveur Sports Centre where Lille Métropole Basket trains, Lille Town Hall with its belfry listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Porte de Paris, a 17th-century arch. St-Sauveur Station, a former railway station converted into a cultural centre, leisure space, exhibition venue and dining area. The Natural History Museum (which will close in spring 2024 for renovation work). Palais des Beaux-Arts.