A WEEKEND IN VALENCIENNES
What to do, Where to go, What to visit
A WEEKEND IN VALENCIENNES
A WEEKEND IN VALENCIENNES
Have you heard about Valenciennes ? Do you know where it is ? Well, if the answer is no it’s actually quite normal, you’re not alone. Even my French friends can’t really tell where it is. Some of them even think that it’s in the south of France.
Valenciennes is in the north of France, near the Belgium border and near the capital of the north of France Lille. It is about 40 minutes drive from Lille, 2.5 hours drive from Paris or less than 2 hours trip by train from Paris.
In December 2017 I went to Valenciennes twice, the second trip I went there because I was invited by the Tourist Office of Valenciennes to write some articles and take some photos for Etincelles, the city’s leisure magazine so now I can write a blog post with the list of THINGS TO DO and what to visit while in Valenciennes :
MUST DO
1) THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
This place is beautifully restored, especially the old Jesuit library inside it. There is a free guided tour every Saturday morning, I highly recommend it.
2) THE OLD TOWN
A stroll in the old town is very pleasant. The city has some pretty streets and facades. You can find a lot of places for your Instagram posts easily.
3) MINING HISTORY CENTER IN LEWARD
We LOVE this place. Family friendly, your kids will not give you a hard time here. It is a fun museum, very interactive, and you’ll learn a lot of things about the mining industry in the region. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED & SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES. You need to have a car to come to this place (it’s in another city nearby).
4) “L’OBSERVATOIRE DU TERRIL DE SABATIER” (spoil heaps/ a hill formed by mining waste). The north of France has some spoil heaps, this one is very close from Valenciennes. It’s quite impressive and offers a pleasant place to have some nature walk. The view from the top is definitely worth the effort.
WHEN YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA TIME :
4) GOLF
One of the oldest gold course in France. Located in Marly (5 minutes drive from Valenciennes), the golf course has 9 holes on 3 hectares of hilly and woody domain.This family friendly local golf has some very friendly staff. When the weather is great, clients can enjoy some drinks or meals with very green surrounding.
5) MUSEE DES BEAUX ARTS DE VALENCIENNES
I didn’t have time to visit this place myself because my teen kids are not too keen to visit museums but the building is very impressive and it has a good reputation.
6) PARK LA RHÔNELLE
English style garden dated from 1904, this is the biggest park in the city.
WHERE TO STAY
- Le Grand Duc - A very unique bed and breakfast. I already wrote a blog post about this place here.
- Maison Mathilde - it is also a very nice bed and breakfast, we stayed there during our first trip.
FOOD AND WHERE TO EAT
I will cover this with another blog post because there a lot to discuss about :)
The Mining History Center in Leward:
View from the top of a hill formed by mining waste:
Golf of Valenciennes:
