Breathe, you're in Lille

Surrounded by the immense ramparts of the Citadelle of Lille, its 110-hectare park is a delight for sports enthusiasts and walkers alike. As a family, you can visit the animals at the zoo, take your children to the “Cita-parc” amusement park or take a trip on the canals aboard an electric boat without a license.

Want to get inside the Citadelle? Join the guided tour offered by the Lille Tourist Office and learn about Vauban’s genius, while observing the many references to King Louis XIV.

This English-style landscape garden is a favorite cool spot for the inhabitants of Lille. Designed in 1863 by the landscape architect and head gardener of the City of Paris, Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps, the Vauban garden is a listed historic monument.

Explore its artificial grotto, enjoy a moment of reading in the grass or take your children to the”Le P’tit Jacques” puppet theater, which presents shows from April to October.

The fruit-growing garden is located just a few yards from the Vauban garden and the Citadelle. Its vocation is to teach the cultivation of fruit trees: apple trees, pear trees, peach trees, quince trees and more. Take the opportunity to get to know the 200 or so ancient and regional varieties of apple trees and the 70 varieties of pear trees. The trees are traditionally pruned and shaped, and grown organically.

During your visit, analyze the growth and diversity of these plants. If you like to draw, the perspectives offered by this space are an undeniable source of inspiration. Come back every season to contemplate the garden’s evolution.

Both a botanical and pleasure garden, the Jardin des Plantes de Lille is located in the south of the city. Inaugurated after the war in 1948, its design, pathways and infrastructures have been preserved in the style of the period, while using today’s maintenance methods, which are more respectful of the environment and the park’s biodiversity.

Take a stroll through the rose garden, don’t miss the explosion of color in spring, relax at the foot of a tree and enjoy the peace and quiet of this vast green space.

Discover the different regions of our beautiful planet in the heart of a huge park, featuring a dozen gardens themed on a different part of the world. An invitation to travel for the whole family. With your children, immerse yourself in the colorful desert landscapes of Greece, feel the freshness of German-speaking wide-open spaces or meditate in a relaxing Japanese atmosphere.

Book your City Pass for free entry to this fabulous garden, with a wide choice of tourist and cultural sites, including transport.

There’s nothing like swimming to cool off in the summer months. Les Prés du Hem is a vast area, combining greenery and water sports, where you can enjoy a multitude of activities with family and friends. Located in Armentières, a charming commune on the French-Belgian border, it’s the closest beach to Lille.

In addition to a wide range of water sports (pedal boats, paddleboats, canoes, sailing, swimming…), there’s a whole host of adventure activities on offer, including hiking trails through an invigorating wooded landscape, huge grassy plains for sunbathing and a barefoot sensory trail.

In Villeneuve d’Ascq, take advantage of your City Pass to visit this museum that plunges you into the northern countryside as it was decades ago. Discover the trades of the time, the old houses and say hello to the animals present. During this journey back in time, take time to observe the windmill, chapels, small farms, thatched cottages, production workshops, the germoir, etc.

After your visit, enjoy your best picnic ever at the Chain of Lakes, of which the famous Lac du Héron remains the most popular. At the heart of this plant heritage lies LaM, a museum of contemporary art, modern art and art brut, also accessible free of charge with your City Pass.