Due to the size of its permanent collections, the Palais des Beaux-Arts of Lille is considered to be the second largest general-interest museum in France, just after the Louvre.

The building, completed between 1885 and 1892, is typical of the monumental architecture of the late 19th century.

Fully renovated in 1997, its 22,000 m² house prestigious collections of European painting (Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, Delacroix…), a few key examples of 19th century French painting (David's Belisarius, Courbet's L’après-dînée à Ornans, Puvis de Chavannes' The Slumber, …), a large collection of drawings (including 40 sheets by Raphaël), a sculpture gallery (Carpeaux, Rodin, Claudel, Bartholdi…) and 17th and 18th century ceramics. 

Also worthy of note is the presentation of relief maps of fifteen fortified towns in Northern France and Belgium (18th century models used by the French Kings during wars).

Located in the heart of Old Lille, the museum is housed in the hospital which was founded in 1237 by the Countess Jeanne de Flandre and which remained in service until 1939. The present buildings date back to the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries. They consist of a hospital ward with a panelled barrel vault ceiling, a chapel decorated with the coats of arms of the hospital’s main benefactors and buildings belonging to the community of Augustine nuns, all arranged around two courtyards and a medicinal garden.

Since 1962, these buildings are the setting for a collection of paintings, tapestries, wood sculptures and porcelain from the region, thus creating the atmosphere of a 17th century Flemish small convent.

32 rue de la Monnaie

Bus 3, 6 or 9 – Stop : Lion d’Or

Tel : +33 (0)3 28 36 84 00

Open Monday from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm, and Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
Closed on Tuesday, the 1st week-end of September (Lille Flea Market) and some bank holidays (01/01, 01/05, 14/07, 15/08, 01/11, 11/11 and 25/12).

Entrance fee: 3,50€ - Reduced price: 2€

Free the 1st Sunday of the month.

Free with City Pass

Visit the Hospice Comtesse Museum website ! (Information about the museum available only in French)

Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille on November 22nd 1890 in the house of his maternal grandparents at 9 Rue Princesse. He was baptised on the same day in the nearby Saint-André church.

Listed as a Historic Monument, the house was bought in 1967 by a group of friends of the General. Now a museum, it recreates the atmosphere of a typical late 19th century home of the Northern French industrial middle class. The family keepsakes and personal objects on display (cradle, christening robe, Saint-Cyr sword, etc.) are a reminder of De Gaulle’s younger days. A recently developed multimedia centre also looks back over the great statesman’s historic work.

9 rue Princesse

Bus 3 or 6 – Stop : Magasin

Tel : +33 (0)3 28 38 12 05

Open Wednesday to Saturday from 10.00 am to 13.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm, Sunday from 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm (in June, July and August from 10.00 am to 13.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 8.00 pm).
Last sale of tickets one hour before the closing hours.

Closed on Monday, Tuesday and bank holidays.

Entrance fee: 6€

Reduced price: 4€

Free with City Pass

Visit the Charles de Gaulle's birthplace and museum website !

Located in the former university district, this exciting museum offers a journey through time and across the continents.

Ethnographic and industrial collections have been gradually added to the original zoology and geology galleries. This type of collection is unique in France and includes over 250,000 objects. The museum regularly organises temporary exhibitions to present them.

19 rue de Bruxelles

Bus 13 or 14 – Stop : Jeanne d’Arc

Open from Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm, Sunday from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm and from 2.00 pm 6.00 pm.

Closed Tuesday  and Saturday, the 1st week end of September (Lille Flea Market) and some bank holidays (01/01, 01/05, 14/07, 15/08, 01/11, 11/11 and 25/12). 
Opening times may change according to temporary exhibitions.

Entrance fee: 3€
Reduced price: 1,50€

Free access to permanent collections every 1st Sunday of the month.

Free with City Pass

44 rue des Canonniers (entrance on rue des Urbanistes)

Bus 3, 6 or 9 - Stop : Place aux Bleuets

Open Monday to Saturday from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm.

Closed on Sunday, bank holidays and from December 15th to February 5th and the first three weeks of August.

Entrance fee: 6€

Reduced price: 4€

Free with City Pass

Visit the Canonniers Museum website ! (only available in French)

Lille's Contemporary Sacred Art Centre organises temporary exhibitions that show, in rotation, the estimated 120 works of art that make up the outstanding ‘Dunkirk Passion’ collection gathered by Gilbert Delaine.

Housed in a stunning concrete hall, these paintings, sculptures and photographs encourage contemplation and dialogue concerning Christ's Passion and mankind’s sufferings. Come discover works by Sergio Ferro, Ladislas Kijno, Jean Roulland, Andy Warhol, and many other artists.

THE CONTEMPORARY SACRED ART CENTRE IS CLOSED FOR RENOVATION.

Place Gilleson (modern crypt of Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral)

Bus 3, 6 or 9 – Stop : Lion d’Or