Valenciennes: Art, Culture and Markets

Valenciennes offers a range of ways to plan a stay: collections and art venues, themed routes, and markets held on set days. If you are looking for a hotel in Valenciennes, the places and dates below can help you plan your stay around your interests.

Art and Culture in Valenciennes

The Musée des Beaux-Arts et de l’Archéologie de Valenciennes houses works by Rubens, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and Antoine Watteau. These three artists are specific points of reference within the collection. The Parc des Prix de Rome uses sculptures, engravings and paintings to convey the origins and development of the Prix de Rome competition over more than four centuries. The focus here is the historical development of a competition, presented through several art forms. L’H du siège houses an exhibition gallery, artists’ studios and a live-work studio for artist residencies. Each year, the venue presents four exhibitions and hosts three artist residencies. Check the annual programme before travelling if you want to plan your visit around a particular exhibition or residency. Valenciennes’ collections also include more than 50,000 old books, including 2,000 manuscripts.

Cultural Routes and Trails

The Promenade des Arts is a 1,100-metre-long route between the conservatory on Rue Ferrand and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. In Vieux-Valenciennes, eight information totems form a cultural and heritage trail through the city’s oldest cobbled streets, steeped in history. The two routes have different focuses: the Promenade runs between two named cultural institutions, while the totems explore the historic streetscape. The Chemins de la Forme comprise interconnected sports and health routes, with free, simple strengthening exercises and information about Valenciennes’ historic heritage. Check the routes’ accessibility again before travelling. The network also includes a 4-kilometre circuit around Étang du Vignoble. At 1,100 metres, the Promenade des Arts is considerably shorter; comparing the route lengths helps put the scale of these two routes into perspective.

Markets and Market Days

The markets also offer practical planning details and vary in schedule, location and selection. A market is held every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the gardens of the Musée des Beaux-Arts at Place Verte, including on public holidays. The organic market at Place Saint-Nicolas takes place on the first Sunday morning of each month, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; it offers seasonal vegetables, meat, poultry, dairy products, baked goods, pastries and spices. On the third Sunday morning of each month, the local producers’ market at Place de la Barre brings together around 20 traders and producers selling regional products. Check the market dates and times listed above again before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Masnières, Quaëdypre, Dunkerque, Saint-Amand-Les-Eaux, Auberchicourt, Pont-Sur-Sambre, Larouillies, Banteux

For the main travel overview: Nord.