Lille: Hotels & Evening Entertainment

Things to do during the day

• The Grand'Place, officially Place du Général de Gaulle, is the central square. A column topped by the statue known as the Goddess stands above its fountain, and the facades around it mix several architectural styles.^{1, 2, 3}
• The Vieille Bourse, the Old Stock Exchange, was built from 1652 to 1653 by Julien Destrée. Its 24 identical houses surround a courtyard where booksellers set up their stalls and chess players meet.^{1, 2, 3}
• The belfry of the town hall is 104 metres high and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town hall was built between 1924 and 1932 by the architect Émile Dubuisson, and the top of the belfry gives a view over the whole city.^{1, 2, 3}
• The Palais des Beaux-Arts, in a 19th-century building, holds European paintings, sculpture and ceramics, a Medieval and Renaissance department and relief plans of towns fortified by Vauban.^{1, 3}
• Vieux-Lille, the old town, is a district of cobbled streets and red brick and stone houses in the Flemish style, with many shops and cafe terraces.^{2, 3}
• The Citadel, a star-shaped fortress built in 1670 by Vauban on the orders of Louis XIV, is still an active military base, and its grounds give the city a large park.^{2, 3}
• The Braderie de Lille, a street market that fills the city, takes place on the first weekend of September.^{1, 2}

Evening ideas

• Casino Barrière Lille, 10 minutes on foot from the Grand'Place by its own account, is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m.^{5, 6}
• The theatre at the casino seats 1,200 and programmes concerts, comedy, dance, plays and dinner shows.^{6, 7}
• The Gare Saint-Sauveur, a former freight station, is now a cultural venue that hosts concerts. The Tripostal, once a postal sorting centre, shows contemporary art.²

Restaurants and bars

• Estaminets are the traditional restaurants of the city. Local dishes include flamiche, a tart made with Maroilles cheese, the Welsh, bread soaked in beer and topped with ham and melted cheddar, and waterzooi, a chicken stew.²
• Meert, a patisserie in the old town, is known for a vanilla waffle made to a recipe that dates back to 1849.¹
• At the Resort Barrière Lille, La Terrasse du Parc serves regional and seasonal dishes at lunch from noon to 2.30 p.m. and at dinner from 7 p.m. to 10.30 p.m., with a brunch on Sundays. Inside the casino, Le Café des Sports is open from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. and the Bar Lounge from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.^{9, 10, 11}

How to get around