2026 Roubaix Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in September)

#TravelGuide The Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, located in the northern French city of Lille, is said to be the second largest art museum in the world after the Orsay Museum in Paris. It's not just a Louvre branch, but a truly prestigious institution, making it even more captivating. The collection is packed with works by masters like Rubens, Goya, and Delacroix, as well as sculptures, drawings, and ancient artifacts. Art enthusiasts will love spending time there. Best of all, the relatively small crowds make for a quiet and enjoyable viewing experience, and the magnificent interior makes for a beautiful photo opportunity. 📸 The plaza in front of the museum is also charming, making it a perfect spot for a stroll before or after your visit! If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Paris and truly experience the depth of French art, the Lille Museum of Fine Arts is highly recommended. #LilleMuseumofArt #PalaisDesBeauxArts #LilleFrance #FranceTravel #EuropeanMuseum #HiddenGem

La Piscine Museum of Art and Industry opened on October 21, 2001, and was formerly a municipal swimming pool. 🛟 The swimming pool was built at the initiative of the mayor and designed by Lille architect Albert Baert between 1927 and 1932. It was a 20th-century architectural heritage site. Originally, it was open to the working class and became a cultural symbol of the industrial city. In 1985, the swimming pool was closed due to structural problems. In 1994, architect Jean-Paul Philippon successfully converted the swimming pool into a museum, preserving the historical feel and character of the site. La Piscine is definitely one of the most beautiful museums in France. The pool area is really beautiful, with fan-shaped stained glass windows reflecting in the water as the sun shines, and two rows of exquisite sculptures on either side. The center of the museum is the water surface of the original swimming pool, and the transparent design allows visitors to see each exhibition area. The original swimming pool showers and changing rooms have been converted into exhibition spaces, and the art collections are displayed in the original bathroom wings. The pump room has been converted into a restaurant, and the filter room has been transformed into a gift shop. ⏰Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday: 11:00–18:00 Friday: 11:00–20:00 Weekends: 13:00–18:00 🔒Closed: Every Monday, January 1, May 1, Ascension Day, July 14, August 15, November 1, and December 25 Free admission: Under 18s, the first Sunday of each month, and Fridays from 18:00–20:00

The first *^_^* Roubaix Pool Art Museum, French name is Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent, also called La Piscine, is located in Roubaix, Northern Province. Second*^_^*This museum was converted from a former municipal swimming pool. The original swimming pool was built in 1932 in Art Déco style and designed by architect Albert Baert. In 2000, the swimming pool was renovated and transformed into an art museum with both historical and modern beauty (Figure 1-3). The painting collection of the Third *^_^* Art Museum is mainly composed of works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Ingres's Angelica (Picture 6), Koger's Fighting Cock (Picture 10), etc. There are also many sculptures in the museum, the most worth seeing is Henri Bouchard's studio (Figure 5). Fourth*^_^* Collection size: 3.7/5 Collection quality: 3.2/5 Visitor experience: 4.2/5 Overall rating: 3.5/5 Fifth*^_^*I visited Lille last weekend because of the reduced price of Eurostar tickets. It was really a comfortable and artistic weekend. I feel that Lille is really suitable for a weekend trip. Generally speaking, it is quiet and has convenient transportation (although the subway is very narrow). The only drawback is that there are really not many people who speak English to you, so I have to use my crappy French to chat with people all the time. My friend and I had visited the swimming pool museum La Piscine before we went there on Sunday (it was also recommended by passers-by). At first, we didn’t have any expectations, thinking that it would just be a swimming pool and a few pretty collections. But it turned out that the inside really opened my eyes. vision. First of all, the courtyard and the art gallery are very well integrated. There will also be some interesting sculptures in the courtyard (such as the big rocks and frogs in the picture). In addition, a large section on the first floor contains various ancient and modern sculptures as well as some replica sculptures. It may feel overwhelming at first, but I think this may also be the curator's intention. In addition, there is a new collection exhibition recently, which includes paintings by several famous writers (such as Jean Cocteau, Victor Hugo, and Juliette Roche). It is really amazing! It makes me think about the spiritual connection between visual art and words (I don’t know what I’m talking about). The other exhibition is the Impressionist exhibition moved from the Orsay (the entire exhibition is sandwiched between the swimming pool and the courtyard). People like me who are tired of seeing so many Impressionist aesthetics still find both the collection and the curation quite interesting. It is especially beautiful when combined with the scenery and light outside the window. Finally, there is the swimming pool itself. I don’t know how to describe its magnificence and beauty. Let’s take a closer look at the pictures. It is worth mentioning that as you walk along the swimming pool, you will constantly change the scenery. Sixth address: 23 Rue de l'Espérance, 59100 Roubaix, France