Douai’s places to visit, starting with Musée de la Chartreuse
The middle of Douai has 7 places to visit within 1 km. Mapped in Douai are 11 places to visit, and within 5 km of its centre another 3. There are 6 museums, 3 abbeys and 2 attractions to choose from. In town, 3 sites are listed historic monuments. For a full day, there is Estourmel, 31 km away.
Where to start in Douai
The list goes on from Musée de la Chartreuse to an attraction, an abbey and a museum.
MuseumMusée de la Chartreusein townAttractionAttractionBeffroi de Douaiin townAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye des Prés de Douaiin town
MuseumMusée archéologique Arkéosin townMonastery or conventMonastery or conventChartreuse Saints-Joseph-et-Morand de Douaiin townFortFortPorte d'Arrasin townBest known first: by how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each place (Wikidata’s count). It isn’t a ranking of how good they are.
Mapped around Douai
Furthest from the centre is Musée archéologique Arkéos, 5 km away.
The first 20 on the list, numbered as below. The shape is the commune of Douai; the orange dot is its centre. © OpenStreetMap contributors · commune boundary: IGN
The list by type
Most are museums or galleries, 6 in all, ahead of châteaux or heritage sites (6).
Dark: in Douai. Light: in the communes within 5 km of its centre.
Place by place
After the 11 in town come 3 more within 5 km of its centre.
Chartreuse Saints-Joseph-et-Morand de Douai
Convent located in Nord, in France.
Prieuré de Flers-en-Escrebieux
Priory located in Nord, in France.
The 11 places in Douai first, then those within 5 km of its centre.
Beyond the town
Of the 12 day trips, Estourmel (31 km) is the best known.
MuseumLouvre-Lens20 km west, in Lens
MuseumPalais des Beaux-Arts de Lille28 km north, in LilleCathedralCathedralCathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras24 km southwest, in ArrasAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye Saint-Sauveur d'Anchin9.8 km east, in PecquencourtCathedralCathedralCathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Grâce de Cambrai25 km southeast, in CambraiMonastery or conventMonastery or conventAbbaye de Flines8.3 km northeast, in Flines-lez-Raches
CathedralCathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille29 km north, in Lille
MuseumLille Métropole Musée d'Art moderne, d'Art contemporain et d'Art brut30 km north, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq
ChâteauChâteau de Flers29 km north, in Villeneuve-d'AscqChâteauChâteauCitadelle de Lille30 km north, in Lille
MuseumMusée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras24 km southwest, in ArrasPlaces within 40 km of Douai with an article in both French and English Wikipedia, nearest first.
Practical questions about Douai
What is there to see in Douai?
The first on our list in Douai are Musée de la Chartreuse, Beffroi de Douai, Abbaye des Prés de Douai and Musée archéologique Arkéos. We list 11 places in town. Another 3 are within 5 km of the centre.
Are there museums in or near Douai?
6 museums and galleries in town or within 5 km, including Musée de la Chartreuse, Musée archéologique Arkéos, Musée des sciences naturelles et d'archéologie de Douai and Musée Archéologique Arkeos.
Which places in Douai are listed historic monuments?
3 places on this page in Douai are listed or registered historic monuments (Mérimée), including Beffroi de Douai, Chartreuse Saints-Joseph-et-Morand de Douai and Porte d'Arras.
What well-known places are within a day out of Douai?
The nearest with articles in both French and English Wikipedia: Estourmel (31 km), Louvre-Lens (20 km), Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille (28 km), Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras (24 km).
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap and Wikidata: named museums, galleries, châteaux, abbeys, gardens, zoos, theme parks and other visitor attractions whose mapped point lies inside the commune of Douai, then those in the communes within 5 km of its centre, and well-known places within 40 km. Houses, ruins and gardens need a sign they’re open to visitors; places marked private, closed or disused are left out. The historic-monument link is the Culture ministry’s Mérimée record. A place that isn’t mapped isn’t listed, so this isn’t everything there is to see.
Sources: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0: descriptions, websites, Wikipedia articles), the Culture ministry’s Mérimée database (Licence Ouverte 2.0), IGN commune boundaries. Distances are from the commune’s centre point.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (8)
- Musée de la Chartreuse: JackyM59, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée archéologique Arkéos: JackyM59, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Louvre-Lens: JackyM59, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille: Velvet, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille: Christophe.Finot, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Lille Métropole Musée d'Art moderne, d'Art contemporain et d'Art brut: Jean Housen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Château de Flers: Jiel Beaumadier ( http://jiel.b.free.fr ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.