The quickest and easiest of France's major towns to get to from Paris by train, and different looking enough to Paris to offer something different (it looked Belgian to me because of some of the Flemish influences in the architecture, especially in the more residential parts). Therefore, I recommend it if you want to see another major French city but don't have time to go to Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg, etc. Perhaps the region in France with the "friendliest" people in France too 🤭
