Lille, verdict by verdict

Lille is the France that feels Flemish: stepped gables and brick facades rising around the Grand Place, cobbled Vieux Lille lanes lined with estaminets pouring Trappist beer, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts holding a collection second in France only to the Louvre at a fraction of Paris prices. Twenty minutes away by metro, Roubaix's La Piscine turns an Art Deco swimming pool into one of the most beautiful museum interiors in the country, and Louvre-Lens hangs 250 Louvre works in a single chronological hall without the Paris scrum. Eurostar drops you in the centre in about ninety minutes from London, no onward transfer.

The fair trade-offs are northern ones. Pack a layer even in summer. The kitchen runs rich on cheese, beer and carbonnade rather than light Mediterranean plates, and lighter eaters flag how filling a tasting crawl gets. The cobbles tire feet quickly and turn slick in rain, the old town and Grand Place carry weekend noise into top-floor hotel rooms, the Beaux-Arts' Tuesday closure catches people out, and the citadel is a free park rather than an open fortress. Several headline sights also sit beyond the walkable core.

Two days covers the Grand Place, Vieux Lille, the Beaux-Arts and an estaminet evening; add a third for La Piscine and Louvre-Lens, or a day hop to Bruges for the postcard version next door. Sleep between the Grand Place and the two stations for the easiest base, but pick a courtyard or higher-floor room if Saturday noise matters. Lille rewards 48 hours more than a week and suits travelers who like their France with Flemish brick and serious beer.