Grand'Place & Place des Héros
Arras owns two of the most theatrical public squares in northern France, lined shoulder-to-shoulder with 17th-century Flemish baroque façades that survived two world wars by sheer luck and heroic reconstruction. Standing between them on a sunny morning, cobblestones glowing gold, feels like wandering onto a film set — except every gabled house is real and lived-in.
The Architecture
The 155 houses encircling Grand'Place and the adjacent Place des Héros share the same DNA — steep Flemish gables, arcaded ground floors called 'loges', and pale limestone that catches the northern light beautifully. No two façades are identical; count the pilasters, volutes and carved keystones as you walk the full perimeter.
The belfry of the Hôtel de Ville punches 75 metres into the sky from Place des Héros and is the anchor of the whole ensemble. It was rebuilt after WWI using the original plans and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the belfries of Belgium and France.
Making the Most of Your Visit
Arrive before 9 am to photograph the squares without tour groups; the low morning light rakes across the gables and turns the cobbles amber. Return at dusk when the facades are floodlit and the café terraces fill with locals sipping Leffe.
Climb the belfry (lift available) for a rooftop panorama over the terracotta roofscape — the ticket desk is inside the Hôtel de Ville and costs around €3. The giant figures of 'Colas' and 'Jacqueline', the town's folkloric giants, are stored in the entrance hall and worth a look.
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