lille bordeaux
CITY BREAKS
BORDEAUX
BEST FOR: WINE LOVERS
W
Great weekends Make the most of a short break with our guide to five fascinating cities, each with their own charm
BEST FOR: SHOPPING
T
hose who get off the Eurostar one stop sooner than Paris will be well rewarded by this vibrant northern city. Named European Capital of Culture for 2004, Lille makes a super weekend destination, or even a day trip from London. For visitors this means a feast of history, culture and sightseeing just 80 minutes from London. Lille is the capital of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, but remains compact enough to explore over a couple of days. Thanks to its regeneration, it has fantastic shopping opportunities, which – for the serious shopaholic – warrants bringing two suitcases; one of them empty and ready to fill with purchases. Start in Vieux Lille at Place Général de Gaulle, more commonly referred to as ‘Grand’Place’ (pictured above) where inside the courtyard of the Vieille Bourse, the former stock exchange (pictured right), you’ll find stallholders selling second-hand books and vintage posters.
60 FRANCE MAGAZINE
alternatively, you can visit the Meert concession on the top floor of the Printemps department store. If you’re in need of a fashion fix, Printemps (tel: (Fr) 3 20 63 62 00, www. printemps.com) also has a free personal shopping service – by appointment and with no obligation to buy. After a brief questionnaire where you can outline your budget and ask for help with anything from a one-off outfit to a makeover, you’ll be seated in the private shopping suite with pastries and drinks while staff bring a selection of French fashion. Out of town in Roubaix – but only a 30-minute métro or tram ride away – Le Vestiaire (tel: (Fr) 3 20 99 91 20, www.maisonsdemode.com) is a re-fitted industrial loft space with pop-up offerings from students and graduates from the ENSAIT fashion university. There’s fashion of a different kind back in Lille, where Funny Vintage in Rue de la Barre sells second-hand clothes, records and bric-a-brac (tel: (Fr) 9 81 34 15 69, www.funny-vintage.com). The adjacent Rue des Bouchers is home to Le Café Livres (tel: (Fr) 3 20 78 17 56, www.lecafelivres.fr) where you can enjoy a coffee among the second-hand books.
www.completefrance.com
A short métro ride in the opposite direction takes you to the Marché de Wazemmes, held around the covered halles food market. It is a great place for browsing, especially on a Sunday when brocante and marché aux puces stands are set up around the Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul church. For the ultimate shopaholic, the first weekend in September is the time to visit, when the Braderie de Lille, Europe’s biggest flea market, takes over the city streets, with antiques, books and crafts (www.braderie-de-lille.fr). For that, you’ll need two empty suitcases.
PHOTOGRAPHS: FOTOLIA; F. POINCET/OT BORDEAUX
LILLE
You can exit on to Rue des Sept Agaches for an ice-cream stop at Kokoa (tel: (Fr) 3 28 36 98 08, www.kokoa.fr) – don’t be put off by the queue, it moves quickly. You’ll also find the city’s famous Benoît Chocolatier on the corner with Place du Théâtre (tel: (Fr) 3 20 39 85 24, www.chocolats-benoit.com) for gifts to take home. It’s impossible to visit Lille and not hear about Meert, the renowned pâtisserie and home of gauffre biscuits, sandwiched together with a slick of buttery sweet vanilla bean paste. The original Meert is at 27 Rue Esquermoise, where shop assistants serve from behind mahogany counters and glass-fronted cabinets installed in the mid-19th century (tel: (Fr) 3 20 57 07 44, www.meert.fr). There is a tea room behind the shop or,
hen it comes to a wine-themed city break, Bordeaux comes immediately to mind. Surrounded by the vineyards of Médoc, Saint-Émilion and Sauternes, the capital of Aquitaine is brimming with viticultural hot spots. New arrivals should head for the Maison du Vin, headquarters of the Bordeaux Wine Council. It is housed in an 18th-century building that, with its ship’s prow shape, evokes the port’s maritime heritage. Here, two-hour introductory courses (from €39) cover local vineyards and winemaking, and offer tips on how to taste and talk like a connoisseur (www.bordeaux.com). On the ground floor, Le Bar à Vin is a stylish place to enjoy tipples by the glass. Sit under soaring ceilings and amid neo-classical columns, or take your glass on to the terrace overlooking the opera house (tel: (Fr) 5 56 00 43 47, http://baravin.bordeaux.com). Just across the road, you’ll spot the burgundy awning of La Vinothèque, a wine cellar stocking top-end and rare vintages. Within the wood-panelled interiors, staff will advise you on a bottle to your taste and you can try before you buy (tel: (Fr) 5 56 52 32 05, www.vinotheque-bordeaux.com). Another popular shopping stop is the cave L’Intendant in the Allée de Tourny, which is notable for its corkscrew-shaped staircase lined with
bottles from every region of Bordeaux (tel: (Fr) 5 56 48 01 29). Walk down towards the banks of the River Garonne and you’ll pass the Place de la Bourse, where the first official classification of Bordeaux wine took place in 1855. From here, hop on a tram to the Chartrons quartier, where the city’s wine industry first flourished. The Musée du Vin et du Négoce (tel: (Fr) 5 56 90 19 13, www.mvnb.fr) gives a history of the trade and has a tasting room at the end of the exhibition. To explore a little further, you can take one of the wine-themed cruises from Chartrons quayside to various vineyards and châteaux (tel: (Fr) 5 56 39 27 66, http://bordeaux-river-cruise. com). Then you can round off the day in a historic square such as Place du Parlement (pictured below) and enjoy a glass or two as the sun goes down. WHERE TO STAY: Petit Hôtel Labottière (14 Rue Francis Martin, tel: (Fr) 6 75 67 86 21, www.petithotel labottiere.fr) is a restored 18th-century mansion near the botanical gardens. Rooms from €190. WHERE TO EAT: La Tupina (6 Rue Porte de la Monnaie, tel: (Fr) 5 56 91 56 37, www.latupina.com) feels more like a country kitchen than a city restaurant and serves robust regional dishes. Menus from €18. Zoë McIntyre ➳
WHERE TO STAY: Hôtel Barrière de Lille (777 Bis Pont de Flandres, tel: (Fr) 3 28 14 47 77, www.lucienbarriere.com) brings a splash of ultra-modern glamour to Lille with its geometric glass tower. Doubles from €126. WHERE TO EAT: Bloempot (22 Rue des Bouchers, www.bloempot.fr) is run by Florent Ladeyn – finalist on Top Chef, France’s popular TV cookery competition – and his friend Kevin Rolland. Booking is compulsory, online only. Eve Middleton
www.completefrance.com
FRANCE MAGAZINE 61
BORDEAUX
BEST FOR: WINE LOVERS
W
Great weekends Make the most of a short break with our guide to five fascinating cities, each with their own charm
BEST FOR: SHOPPING
T
hose who get off the Eurostar one stop sooner than Paris will be well rewarded by this vibrant northern city. Named European Capital of Culture for 2004, Lille makes a super weekend destination, or even a day trip from London. For visitors this means a feast of history, culture and sightseeing just 80 minutes from London. Lille is the capital of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, but remains compact enough to explore over a couple of days. Thanks to its regeneration, it has fantastic shopping opportunities, which – for the serious shopaholic – warrants bringing two suitcases; one of them empty and ready to fill with purchases. Start in Vieux Lille at Place Général de Gaulle, more commonly referred to as ‘Grand’Place’ (pictured above) where inside the courtyard of the Vieille Bourse, the former stock exchange (pictured right), you’ll find stallholders selling second-hand books and vintage posters.
60 FRANCE MAGAZINE
alternatively, you can visit the Meert concession on the top floor of the Printemps department store. If you’re in need of a fashion fix, Printemps (tel: (Fr) 3 20 63 62 00, www. printemps.com) also has a free personal shopping service – by appointment and with no obligation to buy. After a brief questionnaire where you can outline your budget and ask for help with anything from a one-off outfit to a makeover, you’ll be seated in the private shopping suite with pastries and drinks while staff bring a selection of French fashion. Out of town in Roubaix – but only a 30-minute métro or tram ride away – Le Vestiaire (tel: (Fr) 3 20 99 91 20, www.maisonsdemode.com) is a re-fitted industrial loft space with pop-up offerings from students and graduates from the ENSAIT fashion university. There’s fashion of a different kind back in Lille, where Funny Vintage in Rue de la Barre sells second-hand clothes, records and bric-a-brac (tel: (Fr) 9 81 34 15 69, www.funny-vintage.com). The adjacent Rue des Bouchers is home to Le Café Livres (tel: (Fr) 3 20 78 17 56, www.lecafelivres.fr) where you can enjoy a coffee among the second-hand books.
www.completefrance.com
A short métro ride in the opposite direction takes you to the Marché de Wazemmes, held around the covered halles food market. It is a great place for browsing, especially on a Sunday when brocante and marché aux puces stands are set up around the Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul church. For the ultimate shopaholic, the first weekend in September is the time to visit, when the Braderie de Lille, Europe’s biggest flea market, takes over the city streets, with antiques, books and crafts (www.braderie-de-lille.fr). For that, you’ll need two empty suitcases.
PHOTOGRAPHS: FOTOLIA; F. POINCET/OT BORDEAUX
LILLE
You can exit on to Rue des Sept Agaches for an ice-cream stop at Kokoa (tel: (Fr) 3 28 36 98 08, www.kokoa.fr) – don’t be put off by the queue, it moves quickly. You’ll also find the city’s famous Benoît Chocolatier on the corner with Place du Théâtre (tel: (Fr) 3 20 39 85 24, www.chocolats-benoit.com) for gifts to take home. It’s impossible to visit Lille and not hear about Meert, the renowned pâtisserie and home of gauffre biscuits, sandwiched together with a slick of buttery sweet vanilla bean paste. The original Meert is at 27 Rue Esquermoise, where shop assistants serve from behind mahogany counters and glass-fronted cabinets installed in the mid-19th century (tel: (Fr) 3 20 57 07 44, www.meert.fr). There is a tea room behind the shop or,
hen it comes to a wine-themed city break, Bordeaux comes immediately to mind. Surrounded by the vineyards of Médoc, Saint-Émilion and Sauternes, the capital of Aquitaine is brimming with viticultural hot spots. New arrivals should head for the Maison du Vin, headquarters of the Bordeaux Wine Council. It is housed in an 18th-century building that, with its ship’s prow shape, evokes the port’s maritime heritage. Here, two-hour introductory courses (from €39) cover local vineyards and winemaking, and offer tips on how to taste and talk like a connoisseur (www.bordeaux.com). On the ground floor, Le Bar à Vin is a stylish place to enjoy tipples by the glass. Sit under soaring ceilings and amid neo-classical columns, or take your glass on to the terrace overlooking the opera house (tel: (Fr) 5 56 00 43 47, http://baravin.bordeaux.com). Just across the road, you’ll spot the burgundy awning of La Vinothèque, a wine cellar stocking top-end and rare vintages. Within the wood-panelled interiors, staff will advise you on a bottle to your taste and you can try before you buy (tel: (Fr) 5 56 52 32 05, www.vinotheque-bordeaux.com). Another popular shopping stop is the cave L’Intendant in the Allée de Tourny, which is notable for its corkscrew-shaped staircase lined with
bottles from every region of Bordeaux (tel: (Fr) 5 56 48 01 29). Walk down towards the banks of the River Garonne and you’ll pass the Place de la Bourse, where the first official classification of Bordeaux wine took place in 1855. From here, hop on a tram to the Chartrons quartier, where the city’s wine industry first flourished. The Musée du Vin et du Négoce (tel: (Fr) 5 56 90 19 13, www.mvnb.fr) gives a history of the trade and has a tasting room at the end of the exhibition. To explore a little further, you can take one of the wine-themed cruises from Chartrons quayside to various vineyards and châteaux (tel: (Fr) 5 56 39 27 66, http://bordeaux-river-cruise. com). Then you can round off the day in a historic square such as Place du Parlement (pictured below) and enjoy a glass or two as the sun goes down. WHERE TO STAY: Petit Hôtel Labottière (14 Rue Francis Martin, tel: (Fr) 6 75 67 86 21, www.petithotel labottiere.fr) is a restored 18th-century mansion near the botanical gardens. Rooms from €190. WHERE TO EAT: La Tupina (6 Rue Porte de la Monnaie, tel: (Fr) 5 56 91 56 37, www.latupina.com) feels more like a country kitchen than a city restaurant and serves robust regional dishes. Menus from €18. Zoë McIntyre ➳
WHERE TO STAY: Hôtel Barrière de Lille (777 Bis Pont de Flandres, tel: (Fr) 3 28 14 47 77, www.lucienbarriere.com) brings a splash of ultra-modern glamour to Lille with its geometric glass tower. Doubles from €126. WHERE TO EAT: Bloempot (22 Rue des Bouchers, www.bloempot.fr) is run by Florent Ladeyn – finalist on Top Chef, France’s popular TV cookery competition – and his friend Kevin Rolland. Booking is compulsory, online only. Eve Middleton
www.completefrance.com
FRANCE MAGAZINE 61
