One little secret worth sharing is the best view of Lille from the top of the imposing belfry crowning the Hôtel de Ville (the town hall), which at 104 metres, is the tallest municipal building in France. Little-known by visitors, it’s a popular place for local people to admire their city. From the top if you look to the northwest you can see the massive 17th century citadel designed by Vauban over the
huddled roofs of Vieux Lille, making a stark contrast to the extraordinary cutting-edge modern architecture of Euralille to the east. The foundations of the tower stand on the site of La Liberté, the old café where the socialist anthem l’Internationale was composed and sung for the first time in 1888.