Private Lille Sightseeing Tour in a Convertible Citroen 2CV

Vieux-Lille, the old town

Vieux-Lille is the oldest part of the city and the reason most travellers fall for it. Its narrow cobbled streets are lined with 17th- and 18th-century houses in red brick and pale stone, carved with garlands, cherubs and cornucopias in the Flemish style that recalls Lille's long history as a city of Flanders before it became French. Rue de la Monnaie, Rue Esquermoise and the Place aux Oignons are packed with antique shops, pastry makers and small boutiques.

Driving through Vieux-Lille in an open 2CV is a gentle way to see it: the car moves slowly over the paving stones, so you can look up at the facades while your guide points out the old guild signs and explains how the quarter was saved and restored. If you are wondering whether Lille is worth visiting, this first half of the tour usually answers the question.

The Grand Place and the Vieille Bourse

The Grand Place, officially Place du Général-de-Gaulle, is the living room of Lille. Cafés spill onto the square, the Goddess Column rises in the centre in memory of the city's resistance to the siege of 1792, and the facade of the regional newspaper building, crowned with gilded figures, closes one side. Next to it stands the Vieille Bourse, the old stock exchange built in 1652 and 1653, the finest piece of Flemish Renaissance architecture in the city.

Behind the richly decorated walls of the Vieille Bourse is an arcaded courtyard where second-hand booksellers set up their stalls and local players gather around chess boards on summer evenings. On the tour the car circles the square and pauses for photos, and your guide explains how the Grand Place has been the market and meeting place of Lille since the Middle Ages.

The opera house and the Chamber of Commerce belfry

A few steps from the Grand Place, Place du Théâtre gathers two of the city's landmarks. The opera house, finished in the early 1920s, has a white stone facade with columns and sculpted groups representing music and tragedy, and it hosts a full season of opera, concerts and dance. Facing it, the Chamber of Commerce wears a neo-Flemish brick and stone dress and a slender belfry topped by a clock, one of the most photographed silhouettes in northern France.

From the open car you get the best angle on the belfry, framed by the sky above the rooftops. Your guide tells the story of the rebuilding of Lille in the early 20th century and shows how these grand public buildings were designed to echo the older Flemish houses around them. It is a short stop, but one of the most photogenic moments of the drive.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille cathedral quarter

The cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille stands on a small rise in the north of Vieux-Lille. Work began in the 1850s in neo-Gothic style, but the building was only completed in 1999, when a striking modern west front of thin translucent marble was added. Seen from outside in daylight it looks pale and abstract; seen from inside, the marble glows with soft light. The streets around it are among the calmest in the old town.

On the 1-hour option the 2CV winds through this quarter and past the cathedral square, where the guide explains why Lille waited so long for its cathedral. The tour does not include entry to monuments, but the cathedral is usually open to visitors, so you can come back on foot after the drive and step inside to see the marble facade from within.

Citadelle, Porte de Paris and the museum district

Travellers who choose the 1.5-hour extended option add the outer sights of the city. The Citadelle is a vast star-shaped fortress built in the 1660s, still used by the army, and the park and woods around it are the green lung of Lille. In the south of the centre, the Porte de Paris is a triumphal gate from the late 17th century, decorated with trophies and statues, standing beside the town hall and its tall belfry.

The extended route also passes the Palais des Beaux-Arts, a major fine-arts museum with European paintings, sculpture and a remarkable collection of scale models of fortified towns. These sights are seen from the car and during photo stops; if you plan to visit the museum afterwards, our team can suggest the best time of day to go.