| WHY GO |
| Once an island, now just two stops from Waterloo, the old capital of Flanders mixes local tradition with modern design and is making its mark as a cultural centre. The European Capital of Culture for 2004, Lille is a prosperous place, with a quaint old core filled with chic boutiques, luxury food shops and superior restaurants specialising in northern French cuisine. The town is also home to the Palais des Beaux-Arts, widely touted in France as second only to the Louvre. The place to shop is the Vieux Lille, the city's 17th-century Flemish heart just behind the classical opera house, the tall, narrow buildings housing the shops are themselves worth a look. |
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