Lille group tours
Bonjour! Discover the heart of Lille with Back-Roads.
Lille: a city founded by giants
According to legend that drifts through the streets of Lille, this city’s story began in 640 AD when it was founded by giants named Lyderic and Phinaert. Since then, it has evolved through time – fortifications, industrialisation, periods of resilience... until the modern era. What is Lille famous for today? Culture that captivates mind, body and soul – focusing on art and atmosphere. Both will twirl in your mind long after you’ve returned home from a Lille city tour, introduced by the experts in small-group touring.
Lille tours with Back-Roads
ANZAC on the Western Front
From £1,599
WWI Battlefields
From £1,479
What to do in Lille
Try famous Lille dishes
Lille has a long, flavoursome history with a dash of Flemish inspiration, keeping tradition alive and well. Here, you must try moules-frites – the national dish of France’s neighbour, Belgium. It’s a favourite amongst locals and visitors alike. Simple yet dripping with salty goodness, the combination of mussels bathing in white wine, garlic and herbs alongside golden fries will be a dish you itch to recreate in your own kitchen – if only to bring the feeling of your Lille city tour alive once more.
Explore Old Lille
Cobblestone streets that echo with hooves and carriage wheels of the past. Wafts of warm waffles catching the soft breeze between buildings. White-stoned architecture that looks like it’s been transported from the pages of a storybook. The best way to explore Old Lille is to get lost beneath its shuttered windows, letting your feet carry you wherever the French wind takes you. Undoubtedly, the chatter amongst locals and friendly shouts from shopkeepers, followed by bursts of laughter, will lead you to Grand’Place. This vast square in the centre of Old Lille is decorated by structures spanning between the 17th and 20th centuries.
Wander the aisles of Marché de Wazemmes
Bouquets of flowers in every colour of the rainbow, with scents as fresh and beautiful as their vibrant nature. Crates of oranges, pineapples and grapes that ooze with delicious sweetness. Jewellery and antiques that glint and sparkle, opening a doorway into the past – making you wonder who owned these pieces and what their tales were. Marché de Wazemmes is a celebration of local life in Lille where each corner buzzes with a cheerful atmosphere. Its stalls and traders will imprint a lasting memory of warmth and kindness long after you complete your personal Lille city tour.
Compare Monet and Picasso at Palais des Beaux-Arts
The grand doors to this art museum flung open for the first time in 1809. Inside are portals into the past – created through the stroke of a paintbrush, the moulding of clay and the forming of stone. Prepare to be transported to 460 BC, the Gallo-Roman period, the 17th century and more. As you wander through this enchanted building, compare your favourite artists and discover new additions to tuck into your memory.
Delve deeper than Lille tours
Lille is a special part of our French and Belgian battlefield tours that lead you to an area significant to many Australian and Kiwi people – grounds where ancestors fought during WWI. Will you join us in remembering their resting souls?
