Just 15 years ago Lille was an ailing industrial city. Since then, it has had a radical face-lift, attracted a stylish retail industry and got itself on the London-Paris, London-Brussels high-speed rail network. So what does it have to offer the London crowd only two hours away?
Ignore the sprawling glass structure that is the Euralille shopping centre and keep on walking past the handsome Lille-Flanders station (originally built in Paris but moved here brick by brick), cross the road and begin to breathe easy as you near the Grand' Place less than 100 yards away.
Also known as the Place du Général de Gaulle (after one of the town's more famous sons), this was originally a bustling market place that nowadays has enough cafés and terraces to make it the obvious starting point for any tour.
Notable buildings around the square include the Vieille Bourse, or old stock exchange, which was built in 1653 by Julien Destrée as a result of the persistent ill-health of the Lillois bankers and merchants. Trading had always taken place at the open the Fontaine-au-Change, whatever the weather, and the bankers endured regular bouts of flu and colds. By 1651 they had had enough and took their wheezy deputation to the Magistrate who, in turn, consulted Philip IV, King of Spain and the Count of Flanders. The result was a quadrangle of 24 ornately-decorated houses. Trading took place in the interior courtyard. Destrée, a wood-carver, fashioned lions' heads, cherubs and other symbols of wealth and power in the Lezennes limestone. Though no longer the stock exchange, there is a daily second-hand book and flower market here.
Le Grand' Garde building, on the square, was erected almost a century later by the Sun King, Louis XIV - the pediment shows his sun emblem and Lille's coat of arms - and is now the Théatre du Nord. The square is also home to the biggest bookshop in Europe, Le Furet Du Nord, with its tangle of footbridges and aerial stairways. In the middle is the Goddess statue, commemorating the Austrian siege of Lille in 1792 and the French resistance to it. You can still see cannon balls protruding from the facades of the houses in Rang de Beauregard on Place du Théatre, just behind the Vieille Bourse.
The new stock exchange, which opened in 1903, is in the Place du Théatre, and the neighbouring building is the famous Opéra du Nord.
Museums
Palais de Beaux Arts
Place de la République (Monday 2pm-6pm, Wednes day to Sunday 10am-6pm, closed Tuesday)
Lille's Fine Arts museum is regarded in France as second only to the Louvre. The 19th-century building houses masterpieces by Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya (in particular Youth and Age), Delacroix , Courbet and 40 drawings by Raphael.
Charles de Gaulle Museum
Rue Princesse (10am-noon & 2pm to 5pm except Monday, Tuesday and Bank Holidays)
Charles de Gaulle was born in this house, inhabited then by his grandmother. Souvenirs of his childhood, his military career and his presidency are displayed here.
Museum of the Hospice Comtesse Rue de la Monnaie (10am-12.30pm, 2pm to 6pm except Tuesday).
The Hospice was founded in 1237 by Jeanne of Constantinople, but is now used as a museum to "mirror Lille and the old Low Countries" through Flemish and Dutch paintings, local porcelain, wood carvings and tapestries. There are also rare and ancient musical instruments within the Hel Collection.
Shopping for fashion
Every designer label seems to have a retail outlet within the old town. It is hard to know where to flash your credit card first.
In rue Grande Chausée, the Hermès shop was "awarded" its opulent leather staircase because it has the highest turnover outside of Paris.
La Botte Chantilly sells quality branded shoes. But even if shoes are not top of the agenda, go in and look through the rear glass wall to the elegant building that was the musketeer D'Artagnan's house.
Xandres is an exclusive, chic Belgium import that has premiered in Lille, targetting women aged between 20 and 45 with a range of smart clothes and sportswear.
Deschilder (6 rue des Chats Bossus) is a "maroquinerie" selling fancy leather goods. Planet London (rue des Clefs) sells silver satin trousers and other couture to ensure clubbers look the techno part in any disco.
In rue Esquermoise, fashion shops include Clergerie, whose fabulously expensive clothes are frequently paraded in Elle. Accessoir'In is best described as a designer version of Accessorize and alongside the unusual jewellery is a collection of gloves, bags, scarves and hats by Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint-Laurent, Kenzo and Karl Lagerfeld.
At La Compagnie Des Marques, there is a daily delivery of branded clothes at reduced prices and, with a little digging, you can uncover some good bargains.
But serious bargain-hunters should head for the factory shopping outlets of L'Usine or McArthur Glenn in Roubaix, 10 minutes outside Lille. Both offer great savings on quality clothing.
Shopping for food
Philip Olivier Fromagerie 3 rue du Curé Saint-Etienne
Lille has its own pungent but tasty cheese called Vieux-Lille. Buy it here along with other regional cheeses such as Maroilles.
Chocolat Passion Trogneux 67 rue Nationale
Chocoholics are in good hands here for this is where the Chocolate Passion Club is based. Be adventurous and try the chocolates à les bière de Jenlain - a dark chocolate mixed with Jenlain beer.
Comtesse du Barry 21 rue Esquermoise
Among the deli products here, try Flemish goodies such as prunes in armagnac tart as well as the typically French foie gras de canard - duck's liver paté.
Le Vins Gourmands 33 rue Esquemoise
A quaint outlet offering not just wine, but also a range of regional spirits.
The local market
The district of Wazemmes, about a mile from the old town, refuses to modernise. Shopping is done on Sundays in the famous market, where everything from antiques, fresh food and vegetables, flowers and regular jumble are on sale. The local shops in Rue Leon Gambetta stay open late to accommodate the extra custom.
Where to eat
There are restaurants galore in Lille offering food from all over the world. But it would be a shame to miss out on the city's unique Flemish cuisine. If you find dishes you cannot get your tongue around, you know they have to be Flemish. The two most popular are potjevleisch , comprising a terrine of three meats - veal, pork and rabbit, or chicken, duck and rabbit - cooked with onions, garlic, white wine, lemon and tomatoes and served cold in a golden jelly. The second is Carbonnade à la Flamande , a beef stew dish slow-cooked in beer and onions then sweetened with brown sugar. Wash it down with a regional beer and finish it off with the local tipple, genièvre.
Hochepot 6 rue du Nouveau Siècle
Regional food with a dash of pananche in the 17th-century Porte de Gand. Menu from FF185.
La Terrasse des Ramparts Logis de la Porte de Gand, Rue de Gand
Mini menu from FF95, à la carte from FF180.
Estaminet Trijsel 25 rue de Gand
For authentic Flemish food and atmosphere, this café has simple wooden furniture brightened up by antique pots, jugs and other earthenware, and is decorated with hops and barley. From approx FF60.
Where to stay
Mister Bed 57 rue de Béthune, tel: 03 20 12 96 96.
A simple but clean hotel situated in a central pedestrianised zone - from FF160 to FF329.
Le Breughel 3/5 parvis st Maurice, tel: 03 20 06 06 69.
Charming two-star opposite the magnificent Saint Maurice church in the heart of Lille, from FF245 to F420 a night.
Carlton Hotel 3 rue de Paris, tel: 03 20 13 33 13
Facing the opera house, this is elaborately furnished with Louis XVI and Louis XV antiques and has marble bathrooms. Pavarotti, Yehudi Menuhin and Kiri Te Kanawa have all stayed here when performing in Lille. Rooms from FF840 to FF2,600.
The practicals
Eurostar Holidays Direct (08701 676767) is offering a day-trip to Lille plus two-course lunch with drink and coffee in a restaurant for £60pp for travel until September 17. A regular return fare on Eurostar (08701 606600) costs £90 return including a Saturday night stay.
Sharron Livingston is the author of a series of Channel Hopper's Guides. The Lille edition, published by Passport Guides, is due out next month, and is available direct from the publisher (020-8905 4851) for £5.99.
