Last Updated on 2nd July 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
Lille is a beautiful city in Northern France that’s famed for its unique architecture, proximity to Belgium, and expansive beer scene. One unique place that visitors should most certainly not miss during their time in Lille is the Vieille Bourse Book Market in Lille. Here’s a quick history, how to visit, and travel tips to know before you go!
A history of the Lille Book Market
One of the more unusual aspects of the book market is that it’s actually housed against the backdrop of a 17th-century building (constructed in the 1650s to be precise!) that was constructed when the city was under Spanish rule and formerly operated as Lille’s stock exchange (La Vieille Bourse de Lille).
The building is constructed in the Flemish Renaissance style and comprises of 24 houses built in an identical style and there are four wooden doorways leading into the inner courtyard.
Merchants would have lived in the upper apartments of the Bourse and, even today, the upper floors of the Vieille Bourse building remain private apartments. The façade of the building is covered in non-religious frescoes, carvings, and friezes which depict the city’s daily commercial life.
In 1861, the building was transformed from housing into Lille’s Stock Exchange. This was until 1921, when the Chamber of Commerce was opened and Lille’s Stock Exchange was moved there. Bourse was renamed Vieille Bourse and the building was listed as a historic monument.
Today, the market boasts a number of different vendors touting their wares. The books are all second-hand, and while many are in French, there are other books in other languages for sale.
I personally noticed a surprisingly large array of English language books. What’s more is that some books are even written in Ch’ti, which is a local dialect of Northern France that is a Romance language that regained populartity after the cult film Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis was released in the 2000s.
Sellers at the book market don’t only trade in books and indeed there’s a small variety of other things for sale that visitors can purchase for themselves or even as a souvenir of their trip.
This includes historic prints, vintage newspapers, and Franco-Belgian comic books, among other things. In French, the booksellers are known as bouquinistes, just like the ones alongside the River Seine.
How to visit the Vieille Bourse Book Market in Lille
Visiting the book market is easily one of the top things to do in this Northern France city, if only to peruse the wares and see the wide array of maps, prints, and antiquarian books on offer. Located in the heart of the Grand Place (Main Square) of Lille, you literally can’t miss the imposing building that houses the market.
The book market is actually housed within the inner courtyard of the building. With this being said, while there are covered arcade portions of the courtyard, the majority of the courtyard is exposed to the elements.
Lille tends to receive a lot of rain throughout the year and so be sure to come prepared in advance with an umbrella or waterproof jacket and waterproof shoes! Though pickpocketing is not nearly as prevalent as somewhere like Paris, I would still wear a crossbody bag and own one by this brand.
The book market is open throughout the year from Tuesday through to Sunday and between 1.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m (and is closed on Mondays). Throughout the week, the inner courtyard is also home to people playing chess.
Visit the Vieille Bourse of Lille in the summer and you’ll discover people dancing Tango every Sunday evening from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. For even more Lille inspiration, be sure to check out our suggested one day in Lille itinerary.
Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, travel, pizza, and history. A Francophile at heart, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming something sweet. She splits her time between Paris and London and travels as much as she can! Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.