DISCOVER

Roubaix

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Roubaix will indisputably always stays in everyone’s mind the city of the legendary race Paris-Roubaix.

But it is also a pure state city, Roubaix is rich from its old past textiles’ history and now a days the all city managed to bring it to the actual spirit of the time. As its abundant industrial heritage reinvented as an interesting touristic destination.

The most beautiful example of this conversion is the museum La Piscine, established in old public baths which were built in 1932. This incredible Art Deco scenery museum attracts more than 300 000 visitors per year.

Otherwise, the arty and creative spirit of the town is all over the streets, between artist’s studios, lofts and galeries. That is a quite interesting artistic thing to discover  it from the inside twice a year during the «Nuit des Arts» (the Art’s Night) and also during the Open Roubaix on each first Sunday of the month.

This all-out arty spirit is evident to see on the several street art frescoes. Roubaix is an  incredible giant playground for the street art community of Lille metropolitan area artists, and also for the international ones.

Roubaix is also a city of tomorrow, the city is committed for 4 years on the zero-waste goal, mobilising all areas, considering new trades approaches. An also its sustainable Christmas market and a few creative and innovative shopping addresses. 

Cosmopolitan, bustling, endearing, Roubaix is all of that, but also and mostly a strongly alternative city.

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The essentials

1

La Piscine Museum

This magnificent Art Deco pool from the ’30s , conceived to be « the most beautiful of France » hosts since 2001 a fine arts collection, applied arts and textile… The Pool is now a days a social media star!

2

The « Villa Cavrois » in Croix

Finished in 1932, The Villa Cavrois is a family home mansion, commissioned by Paul Cavrois, an industrial from Roubaix, to the architect Mallet-Stevens. This «modern castle» combines modernist aesthetic and avant-garde techniques.

3

La Condition Publique

Back in times, it was originally a wool storage location place. Then it has been turned into a creative lab, where you can find exhibitions and concerts place, an arty skate park, street-art work, a fablab, a restaurant, a bar and an effervescent creative atmosphere.

4

La Manufacture

In this Factory-Museum, you will understand how fabrics are created, while discovering the textile adventure of Lille metropolitan area. Explore the textile contemporary art!

5

Barbieux Park

Created in 1963 from the dropout of an underground canal project, this park is a real english garden of 34 hectares, crossed by ponds and waterfall, planted with rare species.

6

The City Hall

Inaugurated in 1911, at the heigh of the town’s prosperity, the city hall reflects the industrial power of Roubaix. You will see a frieze recounting the wool work; from the shearing to the exportation.

7

The Factory shops

Roubaix offers 2 factory shops: «l’Usine de Roubaix», the Roubaix factory which is the first outlet centre opened in Europe in 1984, gathering 85 outlet shops. McArthurGlen is an outside open air outlet village counting 70 shops.

8

Creative and alternative addresses

5O creators imagining their own concepts, Coffee Shop where you can observe sweaters getting knit, customisation sneakers’ workshops around the Pool. Shops are creative, cultural, quirky, as the city!

9

Street Art

With 110 spots and 90 frescos in the streets, an annual festival mixing local scene and international guests, a collective workshops gathering streets artists, guided tours about street-arts, open air gallery in a parking .. in Roubaix, urban art is lived fully and intensely.

The traditional events

Open Roubaix

Fist Sundays of the month, before or after visiting the museum La Piscine (free on that day), cultural facilities are especially open and proposing events. Roubaix Tourism also offers 2 free guided tours of the city center on that day. 

The Arts Night

Twice a year, during spring and winter (first weekend of December), about fifty places welcome you for a weekend or nighttime presenting exhibitions, events and also meetings. 

«La Braderie de l’Art», The Art sellout

For 30 years now, the Art sellout at «la Condition Publique» gathers about 150 artists on the first weekend of December every year. The artists create artworks live in front of the public using recycled materials, sell from 1 to 300€.

The Urban Festival « Festival des expériences urbaines »

Nowadays in June and for about ten days, this festival celebrates all kind of urban disciplines, rap music, graffiti, hip-hop, street wear fashion and more … You can also observe artists while working on their frescos!

The Paris-Roubaix Race

Nicknamed «the Hell of the North» or «Queen of the Classic», the race is famous for its paving stones areas, Aremberg’s hole, the tree crossroad. In Roubaix, discover the Charles Crupelandt area, 300m of paving stones juste before the velodrome. Famous as well, the velodrome and its baths, something to visit with Roubaix tourism.

The sustainable and zero waste Christmas Market

Beside La Piscine museum, the market gathers more than 40 exhibitors offering local products, hand made or realised with recycle products, perfect place to get responsible gift’s ideas!

Le Name Festival

Created in 2005 by the Art Point M arty community, this electronic music festival proposes a few concerts during 2 days, in October, located at La Condition Publique in Roubaix.

Roubaix Accordion

Founded in 1997, this festival brings back the traditional «café guinguettes» from Roubaix during the 1920 and 1930 years. Since 2016, the festival is open to Rock music either, introducing accordion which is their all time famous instrument.

The Fabrics Market «Le marche aux tissus»

In the heart of their factory museum, the Roubaix’s Manufacture welcomes twice a year (November/April) about 30 exhibitors: tissues’ merchants, haberdashery, dry goods, books.. everything to create your own couture’s projects in an industrial atmosphere. 

Local specialities

The local micro-breweries

The Hub brewery, Le Goulot brewery or the Brewbaix brewery..Those three super local and urban breweries are prone by a new brewers’ generation, passionated and driven by strong values.

Sweet treats

Are you more for a typical north waffle or a Scandinavian pastry? In Roubaix we have sweet treats for everyone tastes! How enjoyable is to be delighted by a sweet delicacy after an exhibition or a shopping spree in the streets of Roubaix.

Specialities from here and elsewhere

Is being said about Roubaix that it mixed 100 nationalities. This diversity is found in gastronomy: North’s specialities or Italy’s, Middle-East, Portugal, Asia, you are for a real treat!

Local experiences

The Roubaix Graffiti’s Session Visit

Discover the urban art’s cultural assets from Roubaix along with a passionate guide. The origin of street-art, hidden spots, stories, must see frescos and the discovery of the collective urban art workshop will lead your afternoon.

Autonomous itinerary

Navigate from one place to another thanks to this geosteering route: by walk or biking, in town or along the canal, history heritage or street-art, you will be able to discover independently the city along with informations on landmarks and sights during the path.

«Dép’Art Urban», bunch of street-art

As a concentrate of museum taking place in the walkway of the station’s parking, the experience takes place along with 20 artists, women and men, practising a large diversity of techniques, stencil artists, graffiti artists, sculptors, come discover them with free access from Monday to Saturday.

Following the «Fil de brique»

This electric or swimming-pool blue line draws on the sidewalks’ ground of Roubaix leads the tourists from the train station or metro stations to discover the heritage’s basics of the town. Along the path they will find totems decrypting monuments. 

Explore Roubaix with Minus’ booklets

The Minus publishing editions specially designed 2 booklets, one for adults and another one for kids in order to help them discovering the city in an entertaining way along the path called «le fil de brique». You can get it for free at «Roubaix Tourisme».