Whether you plan to indulge yourself in a foody weekend, or you fancy a shopping binge in different surrounds, a weekend break in Lille offers the ideal treat.

The first tip is try to find a hotel near the extensive Metro system (the world's first entirely automated underground system), which stays running all night long.

Antique hunting can be had along the labyrinthine streets of the Old Town

The most popular include Lapin aux pruneaux, or Potjevklesh, a combined dish of veal, ham and rabbit, Carbonnade Flamande which is beef marinated in beer and onions or the creamy fish soup-stew of Waterzoï au Poisson. To round off any meal, there is the pungent, creamy Vielle Lille cheese and the traditonal gaufres (waffles).

The city's oldest sweetshop, the Meert Confiserie, at 23-27, Rue Esquermoise, has been selling ices and quaint sugar-sticks since 1839. There is also the 300 cheese-stocked fromagerie of Les Bon Paturages, on 54, rue Basse, which started life in 1949 and Pauls, a bakery chain throughout Lille, which has been baking its Flemish and French bread since 1889. The glamorous - though pricey - Art-Nouveau styled L'Huitrière, at 3, rue des Chats Bossus, is both delicatessen and restaurant combined.

Lille's commercial heritage is evident in its large modern shopping centres. Try Euralille, a vast shopping mall with 140 boutiques, and a hypermarket on two floors, or Le Furet du Nord, on the main square of Place du Général De Gaulle, which claims to be the biggest bookshop in the world (predominantly for French language works).

Several designers too have made Lille a stopping off point, with an Agnès B on the rue Basse, and the designer wear of Sonia Rykiel, on the rue des Chats Bossus.

La Vielle Bourse: the old stock market hosts a daily flower and book market

But it is the antique shops which leave the strongest impression, because of their quirkiness and style. The best hunting ground is down the labyrinthine streets of the Old Town, around the curving rue Basse, and elegant façades of the rue d'Angleterre. In this area, you can count on finding many gems.

Alain Demory admits that he loves toys so much he is a collector too, but at his dollhouse-like shop, Le Chat qui Pêche, at 17, rue des Débris St Etienne, there's still plenty on display with a mix of both antiques and limited edition copies of antique goods.

There are toys for children of any age - whether the neat rows of tin tiny soldiers staring fixedly out, the brash Dinky toys, water-coloured Victorian pencil boxes or fading Edwardian dolls.

To add to its idiosyncratic charm, there are instructions tacked on the door if ever the shop is closed, with a phone number to call. Minutes later, the proprietor will arrive, bristling to quote prices. When visited, these ranged from EUR 8 for a page of cut out figures, to toy trains going for about EUR 450. For the serious toy fanatic, he has another display of 30,000 objects stored away in another outlet, (by appointment only).

Jean-Paul Dewasmes' goods in La Marbrerie, on 61-63, rue Léonard Danel, are not so unusual - 18th century and 19th century furniture and china - but what is rare, is the way he lovingly presents his finds.

A stone 19th century fountain is appropriately set in a plant-filled courtyard, and a Normandy 18th century marriage cupboard is surrounded by velvet drapes. He specialises in northern French furniture, tissanières and Lille 18th-century tiles.

The selection ranges in price from EUR 55 a for a single tile, to a 30-tiled tableau selling at EUR 300.

Just one hour from Paris by train, Lille is an ideal weekend change of scenery

From an impressive array of twentieth century lithographs, an original litho entitled Soleil au Cheval Rouge was going for EUR 480, along with works by Paul Delvaux, Juan Miró and the studio of Henri Matisse. On the cheaper end, there were some 18th-century engravings of a Belgian map, priced from around EUR 30.

For more information:

Lille tourist office (Office du Tourisme): tel: 03 20 21 94 39 or at: www.lilletourism.com

Getting there:

TGV high speed train from Paris (gare du Nord), journey time about one hour. Other TGV links from provincial cities.

By car (220 kilometres) - via the A1 motorway north of Paris (journey time from the capital is about two and a half hours), motorway links to Paris from across France, or, from Lyon via the A31-A26 motorway leaving A6 from Beaune (directions Calais).  

Updated December 2004

© Expatica France

Subject: France, Lille, travel