Wonderful evocative building. It kind of appears out of nowhere and it's very surreal moving from the modernist square into this bit of the past. Beautifully preserved and wonderful to view. Books give it a feel but it was raining and there was not many but still worth a look.

Loved the book stalls inside. It had a very laid back "French" feel about it.Unfortunately very few English books.

It is worth visiting to look at the lovely sculptures that line the walls and the architecture. You can browse the stalls for old postcards, posters and books while you are there.

You can see this beautiful building and walk through it without going out if your way, so it's neat to see. I don't know that you'd want to do a detour for it, but it is located so that you won't have to. Bought a book in English for the plane ride home here, very inexpensive.

It's history, it's architecture, it's book market. It was beautifully lit up during the Christmas market

This building is certainly a must visit when in Lille or its surroundings. It is in fact a perfect example of the former “grandeur” of the Lille and north France region, something which has been vanished throughout the second half of the twentieth century because of the mine industry collapse. I have sincere doubts whether an in-depth visit of the... More

Impressive and well preserved with a fascinating books and bric a brac market in the central cloisters

this is a bit of a funny place, incredibly old and very interesting, you can walk through the centre, where there is generally a second hand book fair.

Seeing a photo of this building is basically as good as seeing it in person. You gain very little from being on-site.