This DIY Walking Tour of Lille is just 4 kilometres long (about 2.5 miles), and takes in most of the attractions of central Lille that you’ll want to visit:

The Grand Place (including La Vieille Bourse, l’Opéra de Lille and Colonne de la Déesse) > Square Foch > Square Dutilleul > Quai du Wault > Pont de la Citadelle > Monument aux pigeons voyageurs > Zoo de Lille > Citadelle de Lille and your return to the Lille-Flandres Railway Station.

This walk doesn’t include Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral or the Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille – simply because they are not on/near this route. However, both the Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral and the Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille are most-definitely worth visiting (but will need to be visited separately from this DIY Walking Tour of Lille).

And because it is indeed a DIY walking tour of Lille, you can take it at your very own pace; stopping for a coffee/snack/drink where, when, and for as long as you like; lingering at the attractions of Lille which interest you (and speeding past those that don’t).

So if you were to simply rush round without stopping, you could easily complete the walk, and return to Lille-Flandres Railway Station in 2 hours. However, I recommend taking a full day to complete this route through central Lille – as there’s just so much to see and do.