Lille is an old city with lots to see and do. You should start with vieux Lille (old Lille), the historic centre. Around this area you can see historic buildings such as the Bourse (stock exchange; a building in the main square used for commerce in the 17th century), the Church of the Sacred Heart (Sacre Coeur) and the Palais des Beaux Arts (fine art museum), which is one of the finest art galleries in all of France. In fact Lille is full of museums and places of historic interest.

Other tourist attractions include a zoo, a variety of public art displays and - one of Lille's major selling points - a lot of shopping opportunities. It's home to one of the world's biggest flea markets every September, and a lot of people come to visit the Christmas market as well as to do their shopping all the year round.

Lille is an especially popular destination from the UK, as it's very easy to reach on the Eurostar train.