Palais des Beaux Arts

Often considered the second most important museum in France after the Louvre due to the significance of its collections, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille is a must-see in the capital of Flanders. Housed in an imposing late 19th-century building opposite the prefecture, it first impresses with its monumental architecture and light-filled atrium. Inside, the artistic journey is complete: masterpieces of European painting (Rubens, Goya, Delacroix, Courbet) are displayed alongside an exceptional sculpture gallery and rare archaeological artifacts. The museum is particularly distinguished by its collection of Relief Maps, giant scale models of cities fortified by Vauban in the 17th century, of surgical precision and unique historical value. The modern scenography, which creates a dialogue between classical works and contemporary installations in the vaulted cellars, breathes new life into this palace of glass and stone. It is a place where the grandeur of art history meets the warm conviviality typical of the North.