Got to decide wher to go for a weekend - french culture or dutch culture?

[sharklet]

If you had the choice of spending a few days in Holland or North East France which would you do and what would you visit?

We're going to stay with freinds in Belgium and are having a few days on our own before we come home. We're trying to decide where to go just wondered if anyone knew of any lovely gardens, country houses, galleries etc etc.

I love Brugges. Reims in France is nice as well.

Lille is meant to be a beautiful city - haven't been though! but my sptep-mil comes from there
it was european city of culture 2004

Lille has loads to offer culturally - best provincial art collection in France apparently, good orchestra and opera company.
For top-notch chateaux you need to come much closer to Paris IMO - Chantilly, Compiegne and Pierrefonds are all fascinating, very different, and set in beautiful forests in the Oise - the Clairiere de l'Armistice is also there, a very haunting historical location. All this stuff is N/NE Paris so no need to traverse - Senlis might be a picturesque base, and there WAS a lovely inn with brilliant food at Fontaine de Chaalis, from which all of these locations can be reached. But nice country hotels are two a penny there!

If you want Art with a capital A then Amsterdam's your place - but you've probably been there and done that.

France, yes I saw lots of interesting things in Lille.

So.... where are you going then Sharklet?

Hi Cam,

The jury's still out at the moment. I think we are going to go to Lille or maybe Brugges. I can't wait. We go to Belgium on 1st October and are staying with friends in Ghent then off on our own for a couple of days. Am looking forward to sampling some belgian chocolate!

If you go to Lille you must visit the Musee de L'Hospice Comtesse, a building which was used as a hospital for plague victims. Sounds horrible but contains wonderful Flemish paintings, furniture and tiles.

2 eateries to visit even if you don't eat there (cost an arm and a leg): the famous fish/oyster shop and restaurant L'Huitriere with the most amazing tiling. Also the fabulous chocolate shop/ cafe with all the mirrors and tiling (can't remember the name but very central on one of the streets off the main square.