Lille City Guide - Tours of the City

The tourist office (tel: (03) 5957 9400 or 0891 562 004 (from France only); website: www.lilletourism.com) organises a daily guided walk in the Vieux Lille (Old Town). Departures Mon-Fri 1500 (from May to Dec), Sat 1030 and 1500 all year, and Sun 1500 in Jul-Aug. There is also a 50-minute minibus tour of the city, taking in the Old Stock Exchange, the Opera, the Comtesse Hospice, the Charles de Gaulle Museum, the Petit Quinquin, the Paris Gate and the Citadel (the old part of central Lille), which departs most days every hour, throughout the day. On Saturday, the tourist office organises tours on segway, an original and ecological way to discover the city. The focus is on green spaces and monuments.

Or take a self guided tour of the city with Allo Visit (tel: 0892 683 314 or 3223 ALLOVISIT, code 008000), which provides audio commentary direct to your mobile. There are seven stages of about three minutes (£1) each, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MP3 downloadable audio tours (website: www.zevisit.com) are also available, free of charge.