The principal sights in Arras, historic captial of the Artois region, are its two main squares, the…read morehuge Grand Place and the smaller Place des Héros. Both are lined with 17th and 18th century houses, most designed individually, but built to a common overall plan in terms of their height and style. Their facades are lovely compositions of typically Flemish architecture.
The Grand Place is, as its name suggests, the larger of the two, and contains some older houses dating back to the 15th Century. It's one of many claiming to be France's largest 'proper' town square, but its size, to my mind, is its undoing: it's just too large to work properly as a public space, feeling empty and bleak, despite the architecture.
Much nicer is the smaller and more intimate Place des Héros, which is still spacious, but with more life and bustle to it, with plenty of good bars and restaurants. It's graced by the town's impressive Town Hall, which boasts a 75m belfry. Destroyed in the First World War, it was rebuilt in an elaborate version of the decorated Gothic style, and is beautifully maintained.
Guided tours include underground passages constructed in the 10th century, and used for everything from sheltering injured troops in the war, to provided an excellent cellar for wine. You can also climb the belfry for an excellent view of the town (I declined on this occasion!).
Both squares suffer badly from being used as car-parks, with constant traffic. The French are well known for building clever underground car parks, so why not here?
