Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville
Lille's Art Deco belfry, completed in 1932 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rises 104 metres above the Place Roger Salengro and offers the best panoramic view of the city — and on a clear day, a horizon that stretches deep into Belgian Flanders. It's far less visited than the Grand'Place and all the better for it.
The View
From the observation platform you can pick out the spires of Vieux-Lille to the north, the green wedge of the Citadelle park to the west, and the industrial horizon of the Lille métropole stretching south — a landscape that honestly tells you more about this city than any guidebook.
On the clearest winter days (low humidity, sharp light) you can see the flat Belgian plain rolling away towards Ghent. Bring binoculars if you have them.
The Tower Itself
The belfry is attached to the Hôtel de Ville — Lille's city hall — and the pair together form one of the finest examples of northern French Art Deco civic architecture anywhere. The brick detailing, the elongated proportions and the giant stone lions flanking the entrance are worth examining closely before you go up.
The lift takes you most of the way; a short stair leads to the open platform. The whole visit takes about 45 minutes and is rarely crowded, even in peak summer.
Getting There
The Hôtel de Ville sits in the Saint-Sauveur neighbourhood, about a 15-minute walk south of Grand'Place — an easy and pleasant walk through the city's less-photographed but equally characterful streets.
Combine the visit with a coffee at one of the café terraces on Place Roger Salengro, where you can sit and look back up at the tower from below.
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