Tours to France

Below is a short account of major tourist attractions in Lille.

La Vieille Ville: The fascinating old town of Lille, La Vieille Ville is popular among tourists for its interesting narrow streets and old Flemish town houses. It's a nice place for strolling or enjoying delicious cuisines and beverages at a café and watch life go by. The Gothic style cathedral at La Vieille Ville is a must see tourist attraction in Lille.

Musée des Beaux-Arts: It's one of the finest museums in France, displaying a rich collection of 15th through 20th century paintings. Popularly regarded as the France's second best museum after Louvre Museum in Paris, the Musee des Beaux Arts displays paintings of renowned French artists such as Donatello, Raphael, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, El Greco, David and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Center Commercial Euralille: The Center Commercial Euralille or Euralille Shopping Center is another must visit tourist attraction in Lille. It was built by famous town planner Rem Koolhaas in 1994, between the Eurostar and Lille Flandres stations. The shopping complex houses a hypermarket with over 120 shops, restaurants and cafes.

Place Général de Gaulle (aka Grand' Place): Situated in the center of Lille, Place Général de Gaulle is a beautiful square and pedestrian area, close to the Voix du Nord and Vieille Bourse (the Old Exchange) buildings. In the center of the square is a column with a statue of goddess on top of it. The Column commemorates the siege of Lille by the Austrians in 1792.

Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse: A beautiful hospice and museum in Lille, Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse is one of the oldest buildings in Lille, founded way back in 1237 AD. It displays a good collection of gold, silver and earthenware antiquities, tapestries, paintings by the Watteau brothers, and several classic Flemish works.

Other major tourist attractions in Lille include the Maison Natale Charles de Gaulle, Cathedrale Notre Dame de la Treille, Porte de Paris, P'tit Quinquin, and the La Vieille Bourse. Parc Zoologique de Lille or Lille Zoo, near the Citadelle Vauban, is another worth visiting tourist attraction in Lille, sheltering over 100 species of wildlife, including rhinos, snow panthers, zebras, llamas and monkeys.