Hôtel de Ville Belfry Terrace
At 75 metres, the UNESCO-listed belfry of the Hôtel de Ville is the tallest point in central Arras and its open terrace delivers a 360-degree panorama that puts the twin squares, the surrounding Artois plain and — on clear days — the distant slag heaps of the mining basin into breathtaking perspective.
The climb and the view
A small lift does the heavy work, depositing you on an enclosed observation level before a short stair leads to the open-air terrace. From here the geometry of the Grand'Place and Place des Héros is fully revealed — the cobblestone patterns, the rhythmic gabled rooflines, the tiny figures of market-goers below.
On a clear winter morning with frost on the rooftops the view is extraordinary. To the north you can pick out the flat agricultural plain of Artois stretching towards Lens; to the south the Scarpe river valley curves away into woodland.
Lions, giants and the belfry's story
The belfry houses two giant carnival figures — Colas and Jacqueline — who are paraded through the streets during the city's summer festivals. You can see them up close in the Hôtel de Ville's ground-floor hall before or after your ascent.
The original medieval belfry was destroyed in WWI and the current structure is a 1924 reconstruction, yet it received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2005 as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France group — a testament to the quality of the rebuild.
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