Designated the “European Capital of Culture” in 2004, this bustling university town boasts everything you would anticipate from any cultural capital worth its salt, from a bustling gastronomic scene to troves of art work and architectural marvels. Bordering France and Belgium, the Flemish-influenced old city, Vieux Lille, is très charmant and centers around La Grande Place, a 17th-century sq.. A go to to the city is incomplete and not using a cease on the Opéra de Lille (remodeled in the early 1900s after the 18th-century authentic went up in flames), the Palais des Beaux Arts , and Méert, a patisserie famed for its gaufres . When it comes to the crème de la crème of day journeys, a go to to Chantilly — the house of whipped cream’s classier ancestor, Chantilly cream — is up there. Less than 30 minutes from Paris by train, the primary draw of this area …