Beautiful Vieux Lille & the French Flanders
The French Flanders region is home to a charming city that is as picturesque as it is historically prominent.
Vieux Lille, the capital of French Flanders, is a cultural hotspot that travelers just can’t get enough of. Make sure your visit is more than just for a day, as you’ll want to really explore all the city has to offer.
The Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary, and Outsider Art, is a great place to start, especially if you’re a museum, culture, history, or art lover. A standout art exhibit is the Musée des Beaux-Arts and you can lose yourself in the wonderful pieces found there. Entry to the attached sculpture garden is free to enter, and is a must-see during your visit. Meanwhile, your kids aren’t left out either, as the Museum of Natural History features a range of stuffed mammals that children adore.
Many visiting during the first weekend of September annually, were able to check out the Grande Braderie de Lille— Vieux Lille’s famous flea market. The tradition spans centuries and has been growing and evolving for years. Now much like a festival of brocanteurs, there is so much to experience that it’s like being transported to another world. Unfortunately, “due to the high risk of terrorist attacks in France, the Grande Braderie de Lille 2016 has been cancelled,”—(source: fleamarketinsiders.com)
With so much to do in Lille however, you can make up for the missed festival by taking in its architectural splendor at your leisure, roaming the streets at night when the old town literally dazzles, or spend your time discovering the many culinary delights that define the region.
One such specialty is the city’s waffles, which you must taste when traveling there. If you have the time, have lunch at Le Barbue d’Anvers, a restaurant that has kept the old French Flanders style and all the taste and quality that goes along with it.
Throughout history, Lille has been associated with the working class, and over the years has become a significant industrial center. It is this background and rich history that visitors to the city are exposed to daily life.
Vieux Lille is a place where a day trip is simply not enough.
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Jacqueline “Jackie” Jones is a Barbadian author and entrepreneur who spends more time lost in the virtual world than anyone should. Jackie loves meeting new people as much as she loves traveling, and she’s often guilty of “interviewing” unsuspecting strangers whether they want her to or not. When she’s not dealing with the day-to-day of running two businesses (Originz Multimedia and Waterway Media), or spending time with family and friends, Jackie turns to words and is an accomplished speculative fiction writer.