Fly from Nice to Lille

While there’s much to do as a family - visiting the Museum of Natural History or the Citadel Park and its zoo for example - the county seat of Hauts-de-France is also great for couples and groups of friends for a weekend of art, history and hedonistic pleasure.
In 2004, Lille became part of the Who’s Who of cultural destinations when it became European Capital of Culture. Time has passed, but the city and its surroundings have kept the artistic flame alive with a multitude of sites, museums, and galleries. They are both the guardians of the past and the cradle of the future with theatres such as the Folies Moulins and Folies Wazemmes, two former industrial wastelands that today put on quite the show!
But Lille isn’t just for contemplation and inspiration. They also know how to have a great time here. Which isn’t surprising as half of the locals are students. And that means there’s a party spirit in the air. A gourmet party at that: take time to sample local foods such as a Maroilles tart, a bowl of chips with frikandel (the sausage of the North), or chicons-gratin, an endive gratin that will make you forget endives could ever be bitter. And with artisanal beers that are every bit as good as their Belgian counterparts, you’ll never go thirsty!

• Stroll around the Grand Place, one of the most beautiful squares in France. The oldest cobblestones here date back to the Middle Ages. Since then it has never stopped changing.
• Climb up to the belfry of the Hôtel de Ville, the beacon of Lille at 104 metres tall. Listed as a World Heritage Site, it offers a breath-taking view over the city.
• Take in the collections of the Palais des Beaux Arts, one of the most beautiful museums of France with its Rubens, Goya, Delacroix, David and Courbet, its Rodin and Claudel sculptures and drawings by Raphael...the list goes on!
• Take time to linger in the timeless streets of Old Lille and in front of the Rang de Beauregard, a rank of 14 houses from the 17th century. Try to find the twelve cannonballs stuck into their façades from when Louis XIV laid siege to the city.
• Discover one of the most remarkable fortresses Vauban ever envisioned: the Lille Citadel. Built using 3 million stones and 60 million bricks, it is nicknamed the “Queen of Citadels”.
• Bathe in science and culture at the Piscine de Roubaix, a former city swimming pool converted into a museum of art and industry. Its unique setting brings out the best in its collections dedicated to painting, sculpture, ceramics, fashion, and design.
• Escape to Vauban Gardens, an English-style park classified as an historic monument. Designed in the 19th century by the creator of the Parc Monceau and the Luxembourg Gardens, it’s a tremendously charming place with narrow, shady alleyways, a cave, a waterfall and a thatched cottage.
• Read! The Grand Place is home to Europe's largest bookshop: the Furet du Nord. Just nearby, the courtyard of the Vielle Bourse - one of the most beautiful buildings in the city - is home to several more bookshops.
• Enjoy a Flemish carbonade (a type of beef stew) or chicken with maroilles in an estaminet, a distinctly Northern type of pub. Here you’ll find a rustic setting and traditional cuisine. Here are a few estaminet worth trying: Au Vieux de la Vieille, Chez Raoul, Barbue d’Anvers, and Well Welsh.
• Try a waffle that’s good enough to make even Belgians jealous: that of the Maison Méert. Created 250 years ago, this delicacy is handmade using Madagascar vanilla.