Ten miles nearer the Belgian border than Lille, and on its metro system, the grand old Flemish town of Roubaix features one of the most inventive modern art museums in all France – in an old art deco swimming pool. La Piscine (23 rue de l’Espérance, 03 20 69 23 60, museeroubaix.free.fr) makes great use of its original fittings – thanks to Paul Philippon of Musée d’Orsay fame – in displaying high-quality art and sculpture from the last two centuries.

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