I really enjoyed this military area and zoo. Also really enjoyed Oasis Lille Citadelle. Great food…read moreand drinks!

be careful...i didn't know this was an active military area…read more.. i sorta ignored the humvees on the road until this french DND: do not disturb sign stopped me OOPS!~ luckily i found another entrance to the citadel through a park area with that said, i *stumbled* upon my favorite historical building in lille! the famed architect vauban nicknamed it "QUEEN of citadels" ~*~ the expansive grounds is a pentagon shaped built in the 1600s...these days there are loads of forests and riverways that surround/run through this place there are a number of dirt and paved routes that intersect this entire place i just kept thinking all my marathon friends would LOVE to run here~ ~*~ suggested activities: exercise picnic family time~ ~*~ PS. if you're lucky, you might randomly run into the resident yak! ;p

From the owner: Pour se mettre au vert' Le square Foch, avec son immense statue équestre de l'illustre Maréchal,…read moreoffre un cadre fleuri et boisé idéal pour venir se poser quelques instant sur ses bancs. On peut y admirer la statue du P'tit Quinquin, qui rappelle la célèbre berceuse d'Alexandre Desroussaux.

It's a great place to have a walk or a ride. If you turn…read morehungry after that, you have the possibility to get some energy from the Qanta restaurant. It's also ideal for running around the lake or on the little hills on the side. If your legs follow your heart, you can run through the forest and pass by the LAM to finish the ring.

The zoo in Lille is something quite fun to do when in Lille. Admission is free which is awesome…read morefor one thing. There is a cool selection of random animals including porcupines, guinea pigs, monkeys, lamas, and more. My favorite was the peacocks that just walk around zoo wherever they please. This is not the most amazing zoo of course, but it's fun and somewhere that you can be with locals and not feel like such a tourist.

Okay, it is pretty small for a zoo, but it is also free so that probably should actually count for…read moresomething. Actually that should could for a lot because even though it is free doesn't necessarily mean that it is bad, and this zoo is a good example of that. Okay, the collection isn't all that big, but there are some impressive animals here, including a repitle house. However because the reptile house is usually dark, you generally have to wait to be permitted entrance namely because they don't actually have one of those dark room entrances. Still, it was pretty cool.

From the owner: Jardin écolo La Réserve Naturelle Volontaire, classée en 2001, est l'une des 1ère réserve naturelle…read moreen milieu urbain en France. Elle est gérée dans l'objectif de protéger le patrimoine floristique et faunistique et de le faire découvrir par le biais de visites et d'ateliers au grand public et aux scolaires.