The Makers’ side | Office de Tourisme de Lille

An open-air museum

A cultural getaway

Interior view of the Condition Publique in Roubaix, a former factory converted into a cultural venue with a glass roof, red bricks and contemporary fittings. — ©La Condition Publique in Roubaix|Roubaix Tourisme

A reinvented industrial heritage

Photographer framing a ruined red-brick façade in Roubaix, a symbol of the town's industrial past. — ©View of the roofs of Roubaix from La Condition Publique|Constance Vasse - Roubaix tourisme

Experiences to enjoy

Explore an open-air gallery

In the Creative Quarter, art is not confined to museums. It infiltrates the streets, climbs the red bricks, colours the wasteland and lights up the facades. Each fresco tells a different story of the area: its struggles, its hopes, its faces. On foot or by bike, on your own or with a guide, let yourself be surprised by this open-air gallery, alive, engaged and in perpetual metamorphosis!

Urban art is an integral part of the Roubaix landscape. There are over 80 monumental frescoes by artists from all over the world, including C215, Jef Aérosol, Mikostic, Ted Nomad, Judith de Leeuw and Jimmy C with his striking portrait of Camille Claudel.

Black and white mural of Camille Claudel by Jimmy C in Roubaix, near the Maison verte, with vegetation in the foreground. — ©Mural of Camille Claudel by Jimmy C in Roubaix.

In Roubaix, the station car park has become the ideal starting point for exploring street art. The Dép’art Urbain trail leads through the corridors to the rooftop, with its superb views over the city. Nearly forty artists from near and far have left their mark here with stencils, collages, graffiti and sculptures, making this unusual place a unique vertical gallery.

And then there’s URBX. This major urban culture festival turns Roubaix into an open-air art scene, year after year. For several days, the city is ablaze with street art, dance, sport, music and fashion. Live performances, frescoes created before your very eyes, concerts in unexpected places… URBX is more than just an event, it’s an energy, a collective moment when the city becomes a laboratory, a party and a manifesto.

But the creative momentum doesn’t stop at the gates of Roubaix. In Wattrelos, frescoes dot the town and are rooted in its working-class history. They offer walkers simple and touching little surprises as they make their way through the streets. In Tourcoing, street art is also present, appearing in small touches, subtly integrated into the urban décor. Sometimes you have to look up by chance to catch a glimpse, and that’s exactly what makes the discovery so delightful!

Discover the finest works of urban art on the Lille metropolitan area Street Art map:

Dare to visit museums out of the box

Here, culture is more than just on display. It takes you by the hand, surprising you and changing your perspective. In the creative district, each museum has its own character, its own history, its own atmosphere. Nothing slick, nothing boring. Just great encounters, to be experienced for real:

- La Piscine, André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry (Roubaix)
  Imagine an Art Deco swimming pool from the 1930s, bathed in light. The pool is still there, but today works of art are reflected in it. Sculptures, textiles, paintings… It’s a place of beauty, a blend of working-class heritage and artistic emotion. It’s a place like no other, one you won’t forget.

- MUba Eugène Leroy (Tourcoing)
  A museum full of nuances that invites you to slow down. Here you can discover major exhibitions, as well as the raw, sensitive world of Eugène Leroy. Its originality lies in the fact that the works are displayed together in a dialogue that changes regularly. It’s the perfect place to lose yourself for a while… and come away with a little something extra.

- Arab World Institute – IMA Tourcoing
  Another swimming pool transformed into a travel destination. Ancient objects, contemporary works, intersecting stories… The IMA tells the story of Arab cultures with subtlety and light. You enter to discover, you leave a little changed.

- Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires (Wattrelos)
  A simple, warm house, like returning to a grandparent’s home in the North of France. Period furniture, everyday objects, forgotten trades… Here, you can take a tender stroll through the past. It’s touching, gentle and full of charm!

These places are not static: they breathe, they vibrate, they live with you. They welcome you without fuss, and offer you what art does best: unexpected emotions. So open the door… and let inspiration do the rest.

Pssst! What’s more, all these museums are easily accessible from Lille by bus, metro or tram. This is your chance to try out the world’s first automatic metro, the only one of its kind, or to hop aboard the historic tram nicknamed the “Mongy”. A little trip within a trip!

MUba Eugène Leroy

Institut du monde arabe - Tourcoing

Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires

©Palace of Fine Arts|Laurent Javoy - Hello Lille

All museums and cultural venues

Follow the thread of bricks

A reinvented industrial heritage

To the north-east of Lille, the factories no longer smoke… but they still vibrate! The creative district is full of former industrial sites that have been transformed into places of life, culture and inspiration, where past and present are in constant dialogue.

La Condition Publique in Roubaix, a former textile factory, has been transformed into a cultural factory where exhibitions, concerts and creative workshops come together. At the Manufacture, workers’ memories are brought back to life by the sound of weaving looms still in operation, in a living museum dedicated to local textile history.

Mechanical loom on display in a textile museum in Roubaix, with threads stretched during weaving. — ©La Manufacture loom

©Fablab Condition Publique|Louezna Khenouchi

Red brick chimney photographed from a low angle, a symbol of Roubaix's industrial past. — ©Chimney at the Roubaix factory

The Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, housed in the imposing Motte-Bossut spinning mill, preserves the memories of the working world and major social struggles. For a more light-hearted break, head for the Usine de Roubaix, a former textile site turned outlet brand centre, where you can shop in the shadow of yesterday’s machines.

Not far away, in Croix, the Villa Cavrois displays its geometric elegance in the heart of a well-kept park. Designed in 1932 by Robert Mallet-Stevens for a textile manufacturer, this avant-garde residence embodies both modern comfort and architectural daring. A truly contemporary château, conceived as an art of living.

In short, the bricks here have a long memory… but above all, a long future!

Perspective view of the Villa Cavrois in Croix, modernist architecture in yellow brick with a white pool and railings. — ©21 Swimming pool ®jean Luc Paille Cmn|© Jean-Luc Paillé / Centre des monuments nationaux

A bird's-eye view of the garden and rectangular pool of the Villa Cavrois in Croix, bordered by tall trees. — ©Villa Cavrois in Croix|Loïc Trinel - Roubaix Tourisme

An interior staircase in white marble with geometric lines, bathed in natural light at the Villa Cavrois. — ©Stairs Villa Cavrois 2021 Roubaix Tourisme Loic Trinel 5|Loïc Trinel - Roubaix Tourisme

Vestibule of the Villa Cavrois in Croix, a modernist interior with geometric lines, marble, illuminated panels and sober furniture. — ©Vestibule of the Villa Cavrois in Croix.|Colombe Clier - CMN

An exterior staircase in yellow bricks at the Villa Cavrois in Croix, with sober geometric lines integrated into the garden. — ©Villa Cavrois|Colombe Clier - CMN

A room in the Villa Cavrois in Croix, with modernist dark wood furniture, a built-in bed and a table and armchairs with pure lines. — ©Room at the Villa Cavrois in Croix|Colombe Clier - CMN

Symmetrical view of the Villa Cavrois in Croix, reflected in the pool in the foreground under a clear blue sky. — ©The Villa Cavrois and its pool|© Jean-Luc Paillé / Centre des monuments nationaux

A creative scene on the move

But the spirit of the creative quarter doesn’t stop at the old factories. It spills over into sometimes unexpected, joyously hybrid venues, where culture is freely invented. In Tourcoing, Le Grand Mix has established itself as one of the region’s temples to contemporary music, with a daring, inspired… and lively programme!

A little further afield, the Fort de Mons, a former military barracks that became the Maison des Folies, is now home to exhibitions, a media library, a conservatoire… and a whole lot of imagination.

And then there’s Le Grand Bassin, in Roubaix: a collective shop of local designers where each object has its own story. Fashion, decoration, design, know-how… here, you can stroll, exchange ideas and consume differently!

We tell you all about ...

Roubaix: creative effervescence

Roubaix, a former textile town that has become a laboratory for new trends, will surprise you with its energy. From street art to alternative venues and a reinvented heritage, discover our ideas for exploring the city from a whole new angle.

What to do in Roubaix Our ideas for visiting the city in a different way

©20130928 Bad Roubaixpiscine 003 Large|Jan D_Hondt

Experiences to live

Hand of a craftsman operating a traditional loom with blue threads stretched during weaving. — ©Weaving loom La Manufacture|Michel Verpoorten

Visit a former factory

Woman with headphones and smartphone in front of the brick entrance to La Piscine, a museum of art and industry in Roubaix. — ©Podcast Vos Vies Antérieures in Roubaix|Elie Leon

Relive your past lives in Roubaix

Get creative with your shopping

View of the Villa Cavrois from the garden — ©Villa Cavrois|Jean-Luc Paillé CMN

Explore the Villa Cavrois, a modern château

Dive into art in a different way at La Piscine

There’s one place in Roubaix that’s like no other. La Piscine, housed in a former Art Deco swimming pool from the 1930s, plunges you into an atmosphere that is both poetic and striking. The pool is still there, bathed in light, surrounded by works of art that interact with the architecture: sculptures, textiles, paintings, ceramics… Each room reveals a facet of the city’s rich industrial and creative past. You’ll enter with curiosity, and leave touched.

In addition to the permanent collection, the museum regularly hosts superb temporary exhibitions. The museum itself is well worth a visit, with its colourful stained-glass windows, its cabins transformed into display cases and its interior garden – everything you need to stroll around, contemplate and feel. Whether you’re an art lover or simply curious, you’ll leave with stars in your eyes. It’s a visit not to be missed if you want to discover Roubaix in a different, gentler way… and in light.

Discover La Piscine

Visit come and meet us!

The team at the Metropolitan Tourist Office welcomes you with a smile to its 5 branches in Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Villeneuve-d’Ascq and Armentières! Come and explore the richness and diversity of the Lille metropolitan area, and let us guide you as you discover its hidden treasures. We look forward to seeing you and sharing all the facets of our beautiful region!