Bed and breakfast accommodation in Arras Monasteries

Arras is famous for its two magnificent cobbled squares, listed at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it attracts thousands of visitors each year.  

Place des Héros and Grand-Place. Surrounded by 155 Flemish Baroque-style houses, lined with covered galleries housing fine food shops and cafés. Place des Héros is dominated by the city hall's impressive belfry, it is the symbolic monument of the city. 

You can also discover Arras from its depths. Located 12 metres underground, the boves are a collection of underground chambers dug in the 10th century to form a very extensive network of tunnels. They were made first to help build the town's most important buildings. They provided shelter for Allied soldiers in the First World War before they went to fight in the Battle of Arras in April 1917. 

Continue your tour of the city via the citadel. Built by Vauban in the 17th century, today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It exhibits the environment, food and agricultural history. You can also take part in workshops and activities.

How to get around 

Arras is a perfect town to discover on foot. The squares are surrounded by bars and cafes.

Arras is a very easy train ride from Lille, Ypres or Paris. Alternatively driving in these parts is straight forward. It can be reached by TGV from Paris in about 50 minutes.

Events

Main square festival: The festival goes down on the first weekend of July and has welcomed the likes of The Black Keys, Pearl Jam, Pharrell Williams Coldplay and the Arcade Fire recently. 

Carnival: If you are visiting in March, the carnival is an unmissable event.

Arras is a city and the capital of the Artois region located in the north of France. 

Arras has been strongly marked by WW1 and WW2, as many of its historic squares and sites were destroyed but have been recreated in their original styles. 

One of them will be the Beffroi and the heroes square, the belfry is in the flamboyant gothic style built originally in the 15th century, a UNESCO listed site. You can take a lift to the top of the bell tower to 75 meters high which will give a great panoramic view over the city. 

Another building worthy of your attention is the old Benedictine Abbey of St. Vedast, whose origins date back to the 7th century. In the 18th century, reconstruction and renovation work began, resulting in this extremely elegant style. The former abbey church has been converted into a cathedral, whereas the abbey houses the Museum of Fine Arts.

The next-closest belfry is only 25 kilometres away in Douai, dating to 1380 the Beffroi de Douai is held as one of the most beautiful. Victor Hugo certainly thought so, and raved about it when he visited Douai in 1837. This one is a Disney-esque jumble of conical turrets, each capped with a blue slate roof and gold weathervane.