Lille: Audio Guided Walking Tour (2h30 – 22 audio comments)

On this very picturesque square and often considered to be the prettiest in the city, there was not a huge onion market, but a dungeon, whose Latin name “dominium” was transformed into a “dominion” and then finally into onions.

The narrow yellow facade you see is wrongly considered to be the smallest house in Lille. It is in fact a passage that allows you to go to the Golden Lion Square on the other side, and has been since the Middle Ages.

So, yes, I admit, it is not the kind of cathedral that you are used to seeing proudly enthroned in the center of cities. But you should know that it does not look at all like what was planned!

Before 1750, Lille had 2 shores on the Deûle, small ports for the exchange of goods. The current Quai du Wault was called Petit Rivage on Haute Deûle, and the other, Grand Rivage on Basse Deûle on the other side of town.

This beautiful, white statue of a woman carrying a child is a tribute to the P'tit Quinquin song, which is undoubtedly the first Lille hit in history. If the name says something vaguely to you, but nothing more, know that it is a lullaby written in Ch'ti in 1853 by the Lille poet Alexandre Desrousseaux.

This square, much larger than Grand-Place in the end, was built after medieval times, during the expansion of the city managed by Vauban. It is the center of the new perimeter of Lille.

In this round square, which was not round at the beginning, were located in the 13th century, the new ramparts of Lille, designed after the expansion of the city. Imagine that at the time, every time you added a neighborhood and its parish to the city center, you had to push back the ramparts in a way.

The Belfry, in the heart of the Saint-Sauveur district, was built at the beginning of the 20th century as the icing on the cake for the city hall completed just before. It represents the industrial age of a booming city.

This arch, classified as a historical monument, like the hotel it hides behind it, seems a bit lost in this rather modern part of the city center. It's a piece of history that resists.

Come on, it's time for the creepy anecdote. This small, medieval-looking cul-de-sac is an ancient passage to the Brigittines convent built in 1604. It has been the scene of horrible and frankly bizarre events.

The Saint-Maurice Church could completely have been the cathedral of Lille. Its construction began in the 14th century, but it has only been as you see it today since the 19th century.

This Rihour Palace on this square of the same name is the only remnant of the Burgundy era in the city. Lille has in fact gone through several dominations, changing hands roughly every 2 centuries.

The splendid golden storefront you are now walking past is that of Maison Méert. Much more than a simple confectionery, this institution in Lille is one of the oldest patisseries still in operation in the world.

Grand-Place is where the heart of the city of Lille beats. This was already the case in the Middle Ages when it represented its geographical, but also economic, social and administrative center.

I let you admire in front of you, the imposing building of the “Voix du Nord”, unmissable in the center of the square, with its beautiful gable facade. It is the head office of the famous newspaper, which was born underground in 1941, and was the driving force behind a wave of resistance in occupied France.

Now let's cross the old stock exchange. Considered to be one of the most beautiful works in Lille, it was built in the 17th century for the union of the city's merchants.

So now, take your time as you enter this elegant square, marking the border between old Lille and the central districts. Have a coffee and sit back and relax, as there is so much to see and so many details to explore in the structures around you.

The charming little Place du Lion d'Or is the ideal place to admire the beautiful architecture typical of Lille. It housed a former hotel that also served as a post house and this is what gave it its name, which came from the distortion of the phrase “in bed you sleep”, like all the hotels in the Golden Lion in France, by the way.

You are now on the very beautiful Place Louise de Bettignie. A word about Louise first of all because we don't talk enough about the characters behind the names of the places. She was an extraordinary woman who was a spy during the war, providing vital information to the English secret services.

The only slightly sloping street in this fairly flat city, Rue de Gand is a very lively street in the city lined with numerous bars and restaurants. There you will find several buildings classified as historical monuments.

This pretty garden surrounded by colorful brick buildings is named Îlot Comtesse for Jeanne, the countess of Flanders. In 1237, she had a hospital built in her own palace without skimping on the quality or the richness of the supplies. She even gave all her windmills to the hospital.