Population: 4 million

Principal city: Lille

With four million inhabitants, this is the most densely populated area of France after the greater Paris region. It is well placed in relation to the rest of Europe, with excellent communications, notably the Lille railway station on the London-Paris Channel Tunnel line. Its traditional major industries, coal and textiles, are no longer the major employers in the region, and the area is increasingly looking to other sources of income, such as tourism, international commerce and light industry.

Some elements of local culture bear recognisable similarities with Britain — even the very origins of the 'English' game of cricket are thrown into question by medieval references to a game called criquet in Liettres, a small village in Pas-de-Calais.

The architecture is also recognisably northern European, and the brasseries are just as dedicated to the making of bière de garde as their British counterparts are to making real ale. Beer is one of the great loves of the region; last century, every village had at least one bar which produced its own beer. Some estaminets are just one room; others have games rooms attached. Do visit a bar or two to seek them out, and try one or two of the huge varieties of beer.

Given the area's proximity to — and hence strategic importance against — Britain, it's no surprise that military memorials from just about every era are found throughout. Anyone who has even passed through Calais will have seen the chain of concrete blockhouses, built by the Nazis during WWII and left as a poignant reminder of darker days. Other important scenes of military activity were Azincourt (Hundred Years' War) or Agincourt, as it is better known to the English; the WWII V2 launch sites at St-Omer and nearby Éperlecques (both must-sees); the memorial at Vimy Ridge (WWI) and the beaches at Dunkerque.