Vieux Lille
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Lille

The east side of the Grand' Place is dominated by the old exchange building, the lavishly ornate Ancienne Bourse, as perfect a representative of its age as could be imagined. To the merchants of seventeenth-century Lille, all things Flemish were the epitome of wealth and taste; they were not men to stint on detail, neither here nor on the imposing surrounding mansions. Recently cleaned up, the courtyard of the Bourse is now an organized flea market, with stalls selling books and flowers, afternoons only. A favourite Lillois pastime is lounging around the fountain at the centre of the square, in the middle of which is a column commemorating the city's resistance to the Austrian siege of 1792, topped by La Déesse (the goddess), modelled on the wife of the mayor at the time – hence the square's alternative moniker.

In the adjacent place du Théâtre, you can see how Flemish Renaissance architecture became assimilated and Frenchified in grand flights of Baroque extravagance. The superlative example of this style is the so-called Opéra, whose facade sports sculptures symbolizing music and tragedy, with Apollo among the muses. Closed several years ago for safety reasons it is due to re-open, refurbished and rendered safe, in time for the 2004 celebrations. It was built at the turn of the twentieth century by Louis Cordonnier, who also designed the extravagant belfry of the neighbouring Nouvelle Bourse – now the regional Chamber of Commerce – a small part of which is given over to the city's most central post office.

From the north side of these two squares, the smart shopping streets, rues Esquermoise and Lepelletier, lead towards the heart of old Lille, a warren of red-brick terraces on cobbled lanes and passages. It's an area of great character and charm, successfully reclaimed and reintegrated into the mainstream of the city's life, having been for years a dilapidated North African ghetto. To experience the atmosphere of Vieux Lille, head up towards rue d'Angleterre, rue du Pont-Neuf and the Porte de Gand, rue de la Monnaie and place Lion-d'Or. Places to eat and drink are everywhere, interspersed with chic boutiques.

Vieux Lille's main sight is the Hospice Comtesse on rue de la Monnaie. Twelfth-century in origin – though much reconstructed in the eighteenth century – it served as a hospital until as recently as 1945 and its medicinal garden, a riot of poppies and verbena, is a delight. The old ward, the Salle des Malades, often used for concerts, and the chapel can be visited (Mon 2–6pm, Wed–Sun 10am–12.30pm 2–6pm; €2.30).

Charles de Gaulle was born in this part of the town, at 9 rue Princesse, in 1890. His house is now a museum and among the exhibits is the bullet-riddled Citroën in which he was driving when the OAS attempted to assassinate him in 1962. Another must for military buffs is the citadelle that overlooks the old town to the northwest, constructed in familiar star-shaped fashion by Vauban in the seventeenth century. Still in military hands, it can be visited on Sundays from May to August by guided tour (€7; Tours depart from the citadelle's Porte Royale at 3pm) – note that in recent years security measures have often led to the cancellation of these tours. To get there go along rue de la Barre from Vieux Lille.

Amid all the city's secular pomp, Lille's ecclesiastical architecture used to seem rather subdued. However, the facade of the cathedral, Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille, just off rue de la Monnaie, breaks this mould. The body of the cathedral is a fairly homogeneous, but not unattractive, neo-Gothic construction begun in 1854, but the new facade, completed in 1999, is completely different. – a translucent marble front supported by steel wires, best appreciated from inside, or at night when lit up from within. More traditional, but also impressive, is the church of St-Maurice, close to the station off place de la Gare, a classic red-brick Flemish Hallekerke, with the characteristic five aisles of the style.