The beating heart of French Flanders, this hill top town sits 175m above the Flanders plain.
Despite its relatively small size (pop 2500), in regards to culture, cafes and restaurants it one of the liveliest towns in French Flanders, thus making it the obvious choice for a holiday base.
Up until the 1960s there were an amazing 60 bars in the town, some of them being no more than someones front room where the lady of the house would sell beer. Nowadays the number has reduced to a more conservative 10 bars and 6 restaurants.
A walk to the summit of Mont Cassel (Kasselberg) takes just 5 minutes from the Grand Place (Take the steps that lead up between the PMU/Tabac and the bank).
Once at the summit, weather permitting, you have views east to Belgium, north to the port of Dunkerque, west to the hills towards Boulogne and south to the slag heaps of the old mining region around Douai.
The other three obvious sites at the summit are the statue of Marshal Foch, the Windmill (visits in summer) and the Crypt. It is interesting to see that the inscriptions on the Crypt are in three languages with prominence being given to the French Flemish version.
For some art culture, the Musee de Flandres is a must visit and is located in the most impressive building on the Grand Place.
If you arrive in the weekend, you may well have a chance to visit Cassel's very own brewery Brasserie de du Mont Cassel.
Bars and Estaminets: Aux Trois Moulins, Kerelshof