Lille Old Town Christmas Market [Copyright - Travelling Torrsome]

A city with both French and Flemish inspirations thanks to its Belgian border proximity, this northern French city is a popular Eurostar getaway to Disneyland. But, it is way more! Often not as revered as its neighbours Paris and Brussels, the city still packs a punch.

Overview of Lille

Lille (Rijsel in Flemish) nicknamed the Capital of the Flanders is a highly underrated city. It is a student friendly city hosting two major universities (University of Lille and the Catholic University of Lille) making it a great visit for students seeking a cheap quick getaway. It’s also great for couples valuing the French city experience without the Parisian price tag and a great relaxing visit for families.

We also interestingly found out that Lille has several Twin Towns, some just as underrated as Lille: Turin (a personal favourite), Leeds, Rotterdam, Cologne, Liege, Valladolid to name a few.

Currency: Euro

Language:

French
English is widely spoken
Flemish/Dutch (due to its Flanders region and proximity to Belgium), Picard (a historical language which efforts have been made to preserve it)

We visited Lille in late November in time for the Christmas markets. The city was busy due to this but not on the level you’d experience in Paris or the Edinburgh Christmas markets. It can get really cold around this time so it is best to bring warm layers, knitwear and comfortable waterproof shoes.

Summer is also a popular time to visit as the city comes alive. A good time is early summer whilst locals are still there before they depart for their own summer holidays. Like many European cities, it can get hot. Do make sure to apply sun cream and wear cooler clothes with comfortable, breathable shoes.

2) How to get to Lille

Lille is a very accessible city with direct links to major European cities such as London, Brussels and Paris, making this an easy trip from the aforementioned. Eurostar opened in 1994 linking the 3 capitals and eventually Amsterdam to London with a stop in Lille in April 2018.

By Train

The fastest way to reach Lille if you are visiting or flying into Paris, London or Brussels, is via High Speed trains and Eurostar internationally.

Eurostar trains will call into Lille-Europe. The station also serves connections to Disneyland Paris. When returning to the UK, please ensure to leave enough time to arrive at the station early as queues can form at passport control.

Other local French and Belgian trains also call into Lille-Flandres. You can easily access both stations via the Lille metro or walk the short distance.

By Car

Lille can also be easily accessed from the ports of Calais or Dunkirk if driving from the UK and other surrounding countries.

By Plane

There is also the local Lille Airport, with various internal flights and other holiday destinations.

3) Transportation

Gare Lille Flandres [Copyright - Travelling Torrsome]

Lille Centre/Vieux-Lille (Old Town Lille) is very walkable. We rarely took any public transport as it was a 15 minute walk to our hotel from Lille Europe Station. We were also a 10 minute walk into the main square.

Lille does have a metro making it handy to visit Roubaix on the outskirts. You can get a 24 hour ticket but purchasing for more than one persons, it will still print only one paper ticket to be used by all travellers. Keep it safe as you’ll need it to touch in for each person.

4) How long should we spend in Lille?

We would suggest at least 2 days as the city is very compact making it easier to see the main sites in the city centre on foot. 3 days adds more comfortability for visiting Roubaix which is worth it in our opinion or nearby Dunkirk. You can easily make it a stopover trip if visiting more destinations with the Eurostar such as Brussels, London or Paris.

5) Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive

Walk around the Christmas Market
Eat at Cafe de Paris

Day 2

Visit Notre Dame de la Treille
Visit La Piscine in Roubaix
Maison natale Charles de Gaulle
Eat at Magmatic

Day 3: Departure

Visit the Belfry de Lille
Try a Lilloise Waffle at Meert
Walk around Euralille

6) Where to stay in Lille

Lille is a compact city making it very easy and accessible to get around the main parts in foot.

Vieux-Lille - We would recommend you booking your stay in Vieux-Lille to stay in the heart of the city as well as indulging in the old town charm. Not only that, you’d be centrally located to all attractions in the old town, eateries as well as the local stations.

Euralille is another great base for its modern location and short distance to Lille-Europe as well as the city centre. Mama Shelter is a great option doubling up as a cosy hotel with a trendy restaurant and bar for evening entertainment.

You will also find a trendy rooftop restaurant called NU offering great views of the city. But note this is not a cheap dining option. In need for a more affordable offering like us or a retail break, stop at Westfield Euralille. You’ll have to pay a euro for the toilets but they have to be the nicest we’ve seen in a shopping centre.

Lille Centre

Alternatively, you can stay at the heart of the city to near attractions such as the Palais des Beaux-Arts. Holiday Inn Express serves as a great option.

7) What to do in Lille

The compact city boasts quite a bit to do with a good short distance between attractions. We visited Lille for 3 days and to help you plan your trip, we broke down the areas. Although we easily saw everything we needed to within the time we had.

Vieux-Lille:

This is the old picturesque part of town that blends the old Flemish architecture with French. We spent a lot of time here as this is where our hotel was located.

Lille Christmas Market

We had heard before our trip that Lille had a good Christmas market. Although not as famous as Bruges or Cologne, it lit up the Old Town of Lille. It is quite a small market and we did go at the busiest time of the day. We suggest going earlier in the day if you want to look around for anything in particular.

Notre Dame de la Treille

The Cathedral is home to the Archbishop Lille. Interestingly, the Cathedral’s striking frontal was only completed in 2008 giving it a modern and historical contrasting appearance. This was also when the archdiocese of Lille was later formed with surrounding areas. Worth a visit and it is free!

Photo of *Maison natale Charles de Gaulle* [Copyright - Travelling Torrsome]

Maison natale Charles de Gaulle - €6/£5.23

This museum is the home of the Famous French President Charles de Gaulle. You may also know him as the name of the very busy airport in Paris. The home was actually given to the President by his grandparents whom he stayed with during his college years. The house opened recently and is decorated in the way the home would’ve looked. A relatively short but rewarding visit. Also, feel free to sign the guest book at the end.
Vieille Bourse

This famous square comes alive as a book market and other fun activities happen here during weekends, such as dancing.

You’ll also find other famous Lille buildings, such as Lille Opera House and the Palais on Place Rihour.

Photo reflection of *Palais des Beaux-Arts* [Copyright - Travelling Torrsome]

Lille Centre

Palais des Beaux-Arts - €4/£3.49

A worthy visit if you love art or architecture. This is a very important museum being the largest gallery in France outside of Paris. It was a nice relaxing visit with half the crowds you’ll find in the Louvre for way less of the price to enter.

*Belfry de Lille* - €6/£5.23

The tallest belfry in the northern region is a must visit. The location itself is a little unassuming but the views from the top are awe dropping, especially as you get to see many of the iconic features in this compact city. We definitely love a good observation deck on trips.
The visit itself begins with a few flights of stairs to reception where you are greeted before accessing the lift or climbing more than 100 stairs. We do recommend getting the lift up and taking the stairs down to capture the brief history of the city. It is very recommended you book your tickets in advance as they often sell out on the day.

Porte de Paris

It is a celebratory gate built to celebrate the victories of Louis XIV. It was partially built during the late seventeenth century and completed in the nineteenth century. Located a short walk from the Belfry de Lille, you can walk through and admire the gate. You can also visit the gardens below. Do make sure to visit with someone as we noticed rough sleeping underneath the draw bridge.

Roubaix:

La Piscine - Musée d'art: Located in the small city of Roubaix, just outside of Lille but located within its metropolitan area, this gallery can easily be visited by metro from Lille Flanders. Housed in a former swimming pool dating back to 1932, the facility was remodelled into a gallery reopening in 2001. What we loved about the gallery was the usage of its art-deco architecture, maintaining its original swimming pool features to build the gallery around this.

Villa Cavrois is another gallery located nearby in Roubaix. We unfortunately did not have time to visit the gallery.

To reach, take the M2 metro line from Lille Flanders to Roubaix Grand Place.

Vauban

For a nice summer walk, head towards the Citadelle de Lille. It is now an operational French Army base which is not open to visitors. Lille Zoo is also located within the park grounds.

8) Shopping

If you’re in the shopping mood, head to Lille’s big department store, Printemps for designer souvenirs. For a wider array of shops, Westfield Euralille is great and aptly located next Lille Europe station. I particularly liked the toilets but you’ll need to pay €1 at the entrance barriers to enter which is typical of public toilets in France.

9) Where to eat in Lille

What we loved about Lille was the wide array of affordable food options. If you still wanted a more pricy sit down meal that would typically set you back £50 each, we spent around £30-35 each on meals.

Cafe Paris - If you’re looking for traditional French food, this is a great spot. Their steak and secret sauce staple is a must try. The staff were also really friendly. We do recommend booking in advance.

Magmatic - You eat as if you’re inside a Volcano and tables are arranged as if you are around a crater! The food was great and affordable. The staff were also very friendly. Do make sure to book in advance as this is a popular place.

Meert - Famous pastry shop with the must try famous Meert waffles which are stuffed with yummy vanilla. They were delicious!

The French Bast**ds - A great bagels spot for lunch. The lady in the store kindly gave us an extra bagel for free.

Paul - You can never go wrong with a breakfast stop at Paul. They have the perfect selection of pastries, savoury snacks and hot drinks.

Marrons - A nutty staple of Lille, which is perfect for warm pick me up.

Another place recommended to us but we were unable to try as of yet, was Bierbuik which is a burger and beer joint run by a local lilloise. NU was another rooftop restaurant recommended to us. This is a more smart casual venue which is better to be booked in advance.

Head to Rue de Gand for more great restaurant options.

10) Evening adventures

If you’re in the lookout for evening fun, then you’ll have a lot of choices with Lille being a university city. What we loved about the city is how peaceful the streets can still feel at night.

Mama Shelter

A great hotel and social space with a funky bar. You do not need to be a hotel guest to have an enjoyable night there. On some evenings you can catch live music, such as a saxophonist.

La Luck

This venue is located a block from Maison natale Charles de Gaulle. With your very own board game host, you’ll have your perfect games for the night to pair with a delicious meal. What I like about this place, is that it’s a great, relaxed evening out with a fun game included.

Traditional Bar

If you’re looking for a night to enjoy a drink or two to music, head to Delirium or Joker for drinks and music. The city itself has an array of venues but these were the ones the Lillloise recommended us. We found Rue de Gand to have a great selection of bars which is where you’ll also find Joker.

11) Other Trips

Dunkirk

If you fancy an easy trip to add on to your Lille getaway, consider fellow northern city Dunkirk, whose famous beach was the location of the WWII battleground. If you are also a cinephile, this is also the backdrop to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Easy to reach in under an hour withTGV services.

Calais

Calais is another easy reach with direct high speed TGV services. This makes it an easy add on if also coming from the port of Calais.

Disneyland Paris

Lille is also the gateway to Disneyland Paris for Disney friends. You’ll find that many UK tourists board connecting services from Lille following the current suspension of direct Eurostar services. Hopefully as of writing, a new direct link will be established soon.

Belgium

If you fancy a Belgian trip, you can head to Kortrijk which provides services to the magical Bruges with a great Christmas market or summer canal tours. Brussels is another easy to reach capital with Eurostar services reaching the city within 40 minutes. Getting a chocolate splurge and beer tasting is made easier.

Paris or London

Finally, if you are doing a trip to Paris from the UK or on an important European tour, why not build a stop in Lille. The city is perfectly positioned between London and Paris making it the perfect stopover without changing course.

12) A few useful French words:

***General***

Bonjour: Hello / Good day
Bonsoir: Good evening
Salut: Hi / Bye (informal)
Merci: Thank you
S'il vous plaît: Please (formal/plural)
Excusez-moi: Excuse me
De rien / Pas de quoi: You're welcome
Au revoir: Goodbye
Ça va?: How's it going? (informal)
Bien: Good
Et: And

***Travel***

L'addition, s'il vous plaît: The bill, please
Où est?: Where is?
À droite / À gauche: To the right / To the left
Le petit déjeuner / Le déjeuner / Le dîner: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Eau / Vin / Café: Water / Wine / Coffee
Gare: Station

Thank you for reading! We hope this helps with your next trip planning. Do let us know any tips or stories of your Lille travels.

Lille: The Underrated French City with a Eurostar Stop

Contents

Travelling Torrsome

Email

Instagram

Tik Tok