On the Eurostar from London, you can be in Lille faster than it takes to travel to Margate, making it ideal for a chic long weekend away sampling the region’s best food and drink and enjoying the festival atmosphere.
The French city has been under the rule of various entities, including Flemish, Burgundian, and Spanish Netherlands, as well as Romanesque-Moorish, Gothic-Classical, Neo-Renaissance, and Art Nouveau styles. The buildings and monuments of these eras fit together like pieces of an elegant puzzle. The sheer amount of lavish buildings is almost indecent and you will spend hours taking it all in. Stroll the city’s pedestrian-friendly boulevards and the narrow streets that spider out in Vieux Lille (Old Lille), and stop for a long lunch in Place aux Oignons (named for the delicious smell from it’s estaminets – cafés, bars or bistrots typical to Northern France).
