Are you looking forward to warmer days and already planning where to go for your spring holiday? Northern France might be the perfect destination!
Of course, you won't find the Eiffel Tower, as many beautiful beaches, or the most famous film festivals here, but you can be sure that you won't have to fight for space with hordes of tourists at every turn, as is often the case in Paris and the resorts near Nice, Cannes, and Marseille.
Northern France, specifically the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions, offers plenty of attractions for lovers of history, architecture, culture, and good food and drink. In these originally industrial cities, people didn't focus on the finest wines and fashion. Instead, they made up for it with a rich cultural life, good food, and delicious beer, very similar to the Belgian kind. Even today, many theatrical performances, screenings, markets, and other gatherings take place in this area, often for free or at very reasonable prices. According to the locals, culture should be accessible to everyone.
In almost every town in Northern France, markets are held throughout the week. Most often on Saturdays, but in larger cities, they might even be held daily, each time in a different neighborhood. You can buy everything here from food and clothing to furniture. It usually takes some searching at the market, but your reward will be treasures that no one else has.
Lille – the heart of the Hauts-de-France region
Lille is a city teeming with a rich cultural life that is definitely worth visiting, even if you only have a few days to spend in France. Unconventional Flemish architecture accompanies you at every step. A walk through the cobbled, winding streets of the historic district, the so-called Vieux Lille, or a visit to the town hall tower (Beffroi), which offers a view of the entire city, is unforgettable.
History buffs can visit the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle, which is now a museum, and for artistic souls, there is the second-largest art museum after the Parisian Louvre, the Palais des Beaux Arts. In this large complex, you can admire works from prehistoric and ancient times, medieval and Renaissance art, as well as paintings by famous artists from the 16th to the 21st century.
While in the south of France you will find more Romanesque rotundas and small churches, the north offers predominantly majestic churches and cathedrals. In Lille, don't miss the neo-Gothic Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille cathedral, whose name was created in honor of the supposedly miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary from the 12th century that was housed there. The nearby Saint-Maurice church is also worth seeing. Once you've finished your morning croissant or baguette for breakfast, definitely head over to them.
For book lovers and bookworms
My personal tip is to visit the Old Stock Exchange on Charles de Gaulle Square. The exchange is located inside a square layout of townhouses, and you will find an inexhaustible amount of books, comics, stamps, coins, retro posters, old postcards... As soon as you enter the space of the exchange, you suddenly find yourself completely cut off from the outside world. The place is saturated with the scent of old books and nostalgic memories. Just walking around, looking at the displayed posters, or digging through boxes of old vinyl records is enough. There is no charge for daydreaming here.
Other towns near Lille are also worth visiting, such as Douai, Cambrai, or Arras, where Matthias of Arras, the first architect of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, came from.
Traces of war
If you are already heading to Arras, definitely combine the trip with a visit to the memorial near the village of Vimy. The memorial dedicated to Canadian soldiers who fell in the First World War is not a place that would be very well known to many. Even when you search for it on Google, you won't find many results in many languages. Nevertheless, I recommend visiting it.
Built of white stone, with the names of fallen Canadian soldiers engraved on it – the memorial is a very dignified reminder of the horrors of war. It is located on a smaller hill around which fighting took place, and thus figuratively reigns over the designated area, which also includes memorial cemeteries with flowers and rows of white crosses, trench exhibits, and a museum.
Cheers!
Reims is an important city in the former French region of Champagne-Ardenne. Yes, Champagne, it is from this very area that the real champagne comes! So if you want to stop for a glass or two, combine it with a visit to Reims.
The Gothic cathedral, which became the coronation site of French kings, is especially worth seeing here. The majestic dome is decorated with stained glass windows, no two of which are the same. And after visiting the cathedral, you can... perhaps go for another glass of champagne.
A city with a moving story
Halfway between Reims and Metz lies a town with a sad history. Although one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War took place in Verdun, today the city surprises with its calm and friendly atmosphere. In addition to its tragic modern past, Verdun offers a number of historical monuments that are worth visiting.
The Meuse River flows lazily through the center of the city, from whose banks you can admire the local historical bridges and fortifications. You can also visit the underground citadel, which houses a museum, the local synagogue, a war memorial, or one of the surrounding memorial cemeteries. Finally, climb the hill from whose summit the Notre Dame Cathedral overlooks all of Verdun.
France is definitely not just Paris, wine, demonstrations, baguettes, and berets. In this vast country, you will discover beauties of all kinds. Even the French themselves often spend their holidays in other parts of France that are fundamentally different from their own. Getting to know this whole country takes time. So go out and explore!
