One of Lille’s most recognizable landmarks—and certainly its tallest—the Town Hall and Belfry that exist today were reconstructed in 1932. The original town hall and belfry in Lille were sadly destroyed during World War I. You can ascend the tower first by staircase. Then, after 100 steps, there’s mercifully an elevator to continue on. The panorama at the top continues all the way to the northern French countryside on clear days.
You’ll need a timed admission ticket to visit the Town Hall and Belfry. However, tickets are not sold on-site. You need to either book tickets at the Lille Tourist Office for €7.50 or online for a special reduced price of €6.
The Belfry is unfortunately not accessible to people with reduced mobility as the elevator only goes part of the way. There is also the option to take the stairs all the way to the top.
You can rent either audio guides or binoculars on-site for a nominal cost.
For security reasons, it’s forbidden to carry large bags and suitcases with you—only carry-on sized bags are allowed.
The Lille Town Hall and Belfry are conveniently located in the center of the city on Place Augustin Laurent—adjacent to many other popular sights of interest. If coming by metro from elsewhere in Lille, disembark at Lille Grand Palais or Mairie de Lille metro stations. Lille can be reached from Paris by high-speed TGV in just an hour and from Brussels in 45 minutes.
Lille’s Town Hall and Belfry are open Tuesday to Sunday from morning until lunchtime, and then again after a lunch break until late afternoon. The attraction is closed on Mondays. On the first Wednesday of every month, the town hall and belfry are free to the public. Keep in mind that the site gets busy at that time, and numbers are restricted to enter the belfry to avoid crowding.
There are 23 belfries in northern France that have UNESCO World Heritage status and 33 in Belgium. There are plenty worth visiting, so consider going belfry-hopping—easily combined with World War I and II sites. Take Dunkirk, for example: it’s home to City Hall Belfry and Saint Eloi Belfry, which you can climb for panoramic views. The belfry also has 50 bells which chime classic melodies every quarter hour.
