The Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille is one of those places that feels like it has barely changed since the 1890s — and largely hasn't. The main halls contain an extraordinary collection of taxidermied animals arranged in old-fashioned glass cases, thousands of insect specimens pinned in drawers, whale skeletons hanging from the ceiling, and geological specimens filling wall-to-wall display cabinets in the manner of a Victorian cabinet of curiosities. It is eccentric, educational, and far more interesting than the typical modern natural history museum experience.
The collection runs to over a million objects, of which a fraction are on display. Standout sections include the giant turtle skeletons, the cases of iridescent beetles, and the diorama-style displays of African mammals. There is also a small live animal section. The museum is cheap to enter and largely overlooked by tourists — on a weekday afternoon you may have entire galleries to yourself. It occupies a 19th-century building on the south side of the city, a short walk from the main train stations.