The principal sights in Arras, historic captial of the Artois region, are its two main squares, the…read morehuge Grand Place and the smaller Place des Héros. Both are lined with 17th and 18th century houses, most designed individually, but built to a common overall plan in terms of their height and style. Their facades are lovely compositions of typically Flemish architecture. The Grand Place is, as its name suggests, the larger of the two, and contains some older houses dating back to the 15th Century. It's one of many claiming to be France's largest 'proper' town square, but its size, to my mind, is its undoing: it's just too large to work properly as a public space, feeling empty and bleak, despite the architecture. Much nicer is the smaller and more intimate Place des Héros, which is still spacious, but with more life and bustle to it, with plenty of good bars and restaurants. It's graced by the town's impressive Town Hall, which boasts a 75m belfry. Destroyed in the First World War, it was rebuilt in an elaborate version of the decorated Gothic style, and is beautifully maintained. Guided tours include underground passages constructed in the 10th century, and used for everything from sheltering injured troops in the war, to provided an excellent cellar for wine. You can also climb the belfry for an excellent view of the town (I declined on this occasion!). Both squares suffer badly from being used as car-parks, with constant traffic. The French are well known for building clever underground car parks, so why not here?

a wonderful place.it is a very large space surrender of houses and shops.we can see the beffroi of…read morearras from the grand place.i saw the concert of metallica this summer and it was amazing.15000 people.

From the owner: L'excellence arrageoise Cet établissement -haut-lieu de la gastronomie à Arras- ne reçoit dans sa…read morepetite salle très intimiste qu'une quarantaine de privilégiés. C'est dans une ambiance respectueuse de ce sacro-saint lieu que les mets les plus délicats sont servis à des clients qui communient dans le péché de la gourmandise raffinée. Une adresse incontournable pour les papilles les plus exigeantes.

This place was delightful. The owner took over the last year is trying to change the way things…read morework to cater for everyone. Having updated the interior entirely, the atmosphere is quaint and warm. Check out he pictures I posted! The menu changes daily keeping things interesting and everything except for the bread is made in house. Just FYI, her bread choice is delicious and likes to keep it fresh. The food was simple but great, offering a combination menu for entrees, mains and desserts. You can put together your own two or three course meal. I opted for the "bavette", a thin steak which was drenched in garlic sauce... Loved the garlic sauce! It was accompanied by a simply but not so ordinary salad which made it feel a little more refined. The small things make all the difference. Pour ceux qui habite le quartier... Je passe au français pour les locaux. Ce petit restaurant est prêt à tout pour vous offrir un service personnel. Pour une soirée privée de groupe, n'hésitez pas à leur demander de vous préparer un menu qui vous plairas a un prix qui convient à tout le monde. L'espace en haut est parfait pour une quarantaine de personne mais seras aussi sympa pour de plus petits groupes.