This famouse French Art Gallery can be found at Palais des Beaux Arts, 1 allee du Musee, south of the Lille city centre.

The Palais des Beaux Arts is France's second museum after the Louvre. It is renowned for its fabulous art collection, that was originally bought to Lille under order from Napoleon. Nearest metro: Republique. It is housed in a beautiful 19th century building that overlooks the Place de la Republique. In this museum you will discover paintings from European painters Goya, Van Dyck, Rubens, Picasso and Raphael.

In front of the museum, there's a nice fountain with a small park. The inner courtyard is very spectacular. A glazen 'wall' reflects beautifully the old facade of the building.

There is also a display of display of old relief maps of regional fortified towns Works by Monet and Renoir are among the collection at the Musee des Beaux-Arts (place de la Republique, south of the city centre, while the Musee d'Art Moderne, 1 allee du Musee, with its Picassos, Braques and Derains, is the main attraction of the suburb of Villeneuve d'Ascq, a 15-minute metro ride to the east

Lille - Porte de Paris - The city gate that leads to Paris

There were four different gates to enter Lille, Porte de Paris being the most famous one. There are only three remaining gates left. The port De Paris is the most striking of them. It is close to the Town Hall and the belfry. It was erected between 1685 and 1692 and it features figures of Mars and Hercules symbolising War and Power.

There is a drawbridge which crosses the moat garden. The only downside to this magnificent site is that it stands on a very busy roundabout. In 1667 Louis XIV of France besieged and captured Lille. To mark his victory, he ordered to build a huge triumphal arch similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It's a unique and beautiful gate which was part of the city wall. The tower on the right is the belfry of the town hall, built in 1932 . You can climb the 104 m-high belfry for a splendid view of Lille.

Travel books