UEFA Euro 2016 host city: Lille. [Photo/IC]

Region: Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Population: 230,000

Lying close to the Belgian border, Lille is a cosmopolitan city with strong Flemish roots and stands at the crossroads between France, the Low Countries and – since the arrival of the Eurostar in 1994 – England. No town in France has suffered more sieges down the centuries, yet Lille wears its influences on its sleeves and the picturesque Grand'Place is reminiscent of Brussels or Amsterdam.