Palais des Beaux Arts

Top choice in Lille


Inaugurated in 1892, Lille's illustrious Fine Arts Museum claims France's second-largest collection after Paris' Musée du Louvre. Its cache of sublime 15th- to 20th-century paintings include works by Rubens, Van Dyck and Manet. Exquisite porcelain and faience (pottery), much of it of local provenance, is on the ground floor, while in the basement you'll find classical archaeology, medieval statuary and 18th-century scale models of the fortified cities of northern France and Belgium.

The free, interactive Visioguide app offers five itineraries through the museum. You can download the app to your smartphone at the ticket desk or via the website.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lille attractions

1. Porte de Paris

0.29 MILES

Rising 32m high and topped by two sculpted angels, this triumphal arch was built between 1685 and 1692 to commemorate Louis XIV's conquest of Lille. Its…

2. Hôtel de Ville

0.32 MILES

Built between 1924 and 1932, Lille's city hall is topped by a slender, 104m-high belfry that was designated a Unesco-listed monument in 2004. Climbing 100…

3. Vieille Bourse

0.44 MILES

Ornamented with caryatids and cornucopia, this Flemish Renaissance extravaganza was completed in 1653. It consists of 24 separate houses set around a…

4. Opéra

0.48 MILES

Lille's Louis XVI-style opera house was built between 1907 and 1913 by French architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier, who was responsible for many of northern…

5. Chambre de Commerce

0.5 MILES

Designed by architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier and built between 1910 and 1921 in neo-Flemish style, Lille's landmark Chamber of Commerce building is…

6. Le Tripostal

0.61 MILES

Splashed with street art murals, this cavernous red-brick postal sorting centre was transformed into an arts centre in 2004, when Lille was the European…

8. Wazemmes

0.69 MILES

For an authentic taste of grassroots Lille, head to the ethnically diverse, family-friendly quartier populaire (working-class quarter) of Wazemmes, 1.3km…