grand place

We visited on a Saturday when there was a very fine large market which extended to other streets as well.

I just love the town squares here, the flemish style buildings evoke a certain atmosphere. You don't really have to have anything going on. Just sitting outside with a drink and soaking in the atmosphere is enough. They keep the original character of the place unlike UK, where Poundland can be found on the High Street in amongst medieval buildings!By the way did you know Arras is one of the very place names in france where you actually sound it all out,

The main action in Arras happens not in the Grande Place - where many of the premises are currently either empty of under renovation - but in the adjacent Place des Heros. This is where you'll find the bars and restaurants and the beautiful Hotel de Ville. Arras is a lovely town with great architecture but it had one serious flaw. The town has a terrible problem with dog mess. It's everywhere and you have to be constantly aware of where you're putting your feet. A real shame.

Christmas market filled the Square with some nice local knickknack stalls and food outlets a little more interesting than your average McD.....d's! Oysters and champagne do make a nice change!

It is hard to credit ,when you stand and look up ,that this was restored after the bombing to its origanal condition .all the different frontages and roofs .Quiet amazing

I'd like to echo TarnMark81s excellent posting about the Marché de Nöel in Arras. Open from the end of November to the 23rd December, we found the only problem was finding somewhere to park! This is, I understand, the largest Christmas market in the region and is easily accessible from Calais - in essence a perfect December day trip for the traveller wanting an authentic experience in a beautiful locale. Book a later crossing as the market opens in the afternoon and closes by about 2100. Expect friendly service, regional foods and wines or ciders along with local crafts. About 100 stalls along with an ice rink and Ferris wheel for the children.

Beautiful Dutch/Belgian influenced architecture, with very well done night time floodlighting. Lots of nice shops and restaurants. The nearby Place des Heros is equally good. Have a look at the Town Hall, and go up the clock tower for a fantastic view. Arras is a place we've driven past many times, and not visited -- our loss!

Beautiful buildings all round the square with arcades that are particularly welcome in rainy weather, and parking underneath! Lots of restaurants round the Place, and shops nearby. The Christmas market does not get going till the afternoon but is quite fun with a reasonable selection of foods and decorative items.

The Grand Place in itself is a beautiful square of architecturally interesting buildings with some good shops and cafes dotted around under the arches, but the atmosphere in December for the Christmas market was very special. It is truly authentic with all the stalls very different and not selling the usual 'tat', but more artisanal produce and items, with the wonderful smells of all the different foods on offer. It was clean, well kept, also 'carpeted' which added to the festive feel and stopped the cobbles being slippery. The children loved the ice rink too, and nice to see a real ice rink rather then the plastic ones sometimes used.Go early evening and soak up the atmosphere!

A superb square surrounded by magnificent buildings that alone make the visit to Arras well worthwhile. In December this is the location of the annual Christmas Market, it's not much different from other Christmas markets, but the setting is splendid.

'The Grand Place' is the main heart of Arras and it is a very pretty square surrounded by a unique architectural ensemble of Flemish-Baroque-style townhouses. These originally dated back to 17th and 18th century and were constructed from wood, however after substantial damage during WW1 most had to be rebuilt and in doing so they were constructed from brick. They are still very attractive and the cobbled square is very picturesque, however in my view it is spoilt by the fact that the square is used as one big car park and so as you look across the square you just see row upon row of cars (See photos). Personally I prefer the 'Petite Place' or Place Des Héros just around the corner, where the impressive Town Hall and Belfry can be found, as there is far less parking on the cobbled square and it seems just that little bit nicer.The Grand Place is home to many Cafe's, bars and restaurants as well as some nice shops. We visited late afternoon on a grey October and so probably did not get to fully appreciate it but none the less it was worth the visit and I can imagine in the Summer it must be throbbing with atmosphere and people.

I hated the cars parked on the square. I loved circling the square and stopping at the eating places for coffee and cake.

Arras is beautiful. I love the squares, the slightly out of tune church bells and the general hub of the place. We arrived today for an overnight stop on our way home. The main square was full of people sitting watching the world go by. There were several weddings going on so lots of car horns tooting and fire crackers going off. A large group of teenagers, maybe adventure scouts, were playing a rather messy team game, it looked great fun.We will come back again and hopefully stay a bit longer.

A buzzing atmosphere with lots of bars and cafes and quite trendy local people. Will definitely return.

Worth a visit for architecture alone. Add nice bars/restaurants/shops and a fantastic Saturday market, and Arras is a weekend break venue