Lille, France
Lille is located in the northern tip of France, in the Pas-de-Calais region, close to the Belgian border. Because of this, it is a wonderful place to take a day trip if you are visiting other cities in the vicinity.
There are two train stations in Lille:
Gare Flandres: TER regional trains and direct TGV service to Paris
Gare de L’Europe: Eurostar service to London and Brussels, direct TGV service to Roissy Airport, Paris and all major French cities
Lille to Paris, France: 1 hour by train
Lille to Brussels, Belgium: 40 minutes by train
Lille to London, England: 80 minutes by train
If you are spending a day in Lille, there are a couple areas you want to make sure you see. This is easily done since many of the major sights are close together and easy to walk to.
Place du Theatre/Opera de Lille:
The first stop can be the Place du Theatre where there is the Opera de Lille, which is just a beautiful venue inside and out. It is an active theater, so go to their website and check out the entertainment. This is the place that is the closest to both the train stations.
If you arrive from Gare Flandres, all you would do is walk out the front doors onto Rue Faidherbe and go straight. It leads right into the Place de L’Opera. If you have arrived from Gare de L’Europe, it’s a little more of a trek where you cross a bridge (add 7-10 minutes to your walk) and pass by the major mall of Lille, Centre Euralille. From the front doors of the Gare, take Avenue le Corbusier (south-west) and it will run right into Gare Flandres and Rue de Faidherbe.
Another choice is to take the metro. The metros in Lille begin at 5:12 a.m. and go until 12:12 a.m. Each ride is 1.25 euros, or you can buy a carnet of 10 for 11 euros or a day pass for 3.50 (2009 prices). For more information of riding the metro in France, click here.
Place du General du Gaulle/ La Vielle Bourse
From the Place du Theatre, make your way down Rue Manneliers to Place du General de Gaulle (1 block). You will see the Vielle Bourse on your right. This used to be the old stock exchange built between 1652 and 1653. Today, in its courtyard is a wonderful market filled with books! Plenty of books, and you may get lucky and find a couple boxes filled with books written in English. Other than books, you can also find maps, posters, and postcards. A fun little stop to make.
On the other side of the Vielle Bourse is the Place du General du Gaulle, which is the Grande Place of Lille (its center). It is beautiful square with beautiful Flemish architecture. This square is also filled with a variety of cafes with outdoor seating. My suggestion would be to take a seat, grab a drink, and take in the scenery and/or people watch. While we’re on the topic of having a drink, do not be afraid to order 1 drink and stay for 3 hours sipping on that drink in conversation with friends. You will not feel pressure to order more or to leave. The one thing the French treasure is to take your food and drink at leisure. Why not take advantage of it?
Another popular stop if you like books is the Furet du Nord (on the south east corner of the square)- a must go with 9 floors filled with books, including an English section.
Palais Rihour:
Once you have had your fill of the Grande Place, you can make your way over to the Palais Rihour built in 1453 by continuing to head south on rue Manneliers. Palais Rihour is actually the main tourism office where there’s a currency exchange, maps, city passes, and tickets to major attraction. Take a peak. It’s not often the tourism office is located in a medieval palace.
Rue de Bethune:
To the east of Palais Rihour (or to the left of the Palace for some of us women;) is the Rue de Bethune, the major pedestrian street. Here you will find movie theaters, shops, restaurants, tabacs, and cafes. It’s a fun place to walk around and the streets surrounding it also have a lot of charm and cute shops.
For more information about watching movies in Europe, click here.
Vieux Lille:
One last place to stroll around is Vieux Lille, literally ‘old Lille’. It’s an entire maze of narrow cobblestone streets, little shops, patisseries, art galleries, museums, and restaurants. The Vieux Lille is north east of the area you have just walked around. The easiest way to get to it would be to back through the Place General du Gaulle (the Grande Place) or through the Place du Theatre. If you get lucky, you may run into the Cathedrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille, a modern take on an old cathedral, a take I have never seen before.
The evenings are filled with music, with several concerts taking place throughout the city. It truly is a wonderful weekend to be in town, and if you're moving to the city, a great weekend to buy all your apartment needs.
If you are looking at moving to France, click here for some more information.
From the Place du Theatre, make your way down Rue Manneliers to Place du General de Gaulle (1 block). You will see the Vielle Bourse on your right. This used to be the old stock exchange built between 1652 and 1653. Today, in its courtyard is a wonderful market filled with books! Plenty of books, and you may get lucky and find a couple boxes filled with books written in English. Other than books, you can also find maps, posters, and postcards. A fun little stop to make.
On the other side of the Vielle Bourse is the Place du General du Gaulle, which is the Grande Place of Lille (its center). It is beautiful square with beautiful Flemish architecture. This square is also filled with a variety of cafes with outdoor seating. My suggestion would be to take a seat, grab a drink, and take in the scenery and/or people watch. While we’re on the topic of having a drink, do not be afraid to order 1 drink and stay for 3 hours sipping on that drink in conversation with friends. You will not feel pressure to order more or to leave. The one thing the French treasure is to take your food and drink at leisure. Why not take advantage of it?
Another popular stop if you like books is the Furet du Nord (on the south east corner of the square)- a must go with 9 floors filled with books, including an English section.
Palais Rihour:
Once you have had your fill of the Grande Place, you can make your way over to the Palais Rihour built in 1453 by continuing to head south on rue Manneliers. Palais Rihour is actually the main tourism office where there’s a currency exchange, maps, city passes, and tickets to major attraction. Take a peak. It’s not often the tourism office is located in a medieval palace.
Rue de Bethune:
To the east of Palais Rihour (or to the left of the Palace for some of us women;) is the Rue de Bethune, the major pedestrian street. Here you will find movie theaters, shops, restaurants, tabacs, and cafes. It’s a fun place to walk around and the streets surrounding it also have a lot of charm and cute shops.
For more information about watching movies in Europe, click here.
Vieux Lille:
One last place to stroll around is Vieux Lille, literally ‘old Lille’. It’s an entire maze of narrow cobblestone streets, little shops, patisseries, art galleries, museums, and restaurants. The Vieux Lille is north east of the area you have just walked around. The easiest way to get to it would be to back through the Place General du Gaulle (the Grande Place) or through the Place du Theatre. If you get lucky, you may run into the Cathedrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille, a modern take on an old cathedral, a take I have never seen before.
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Bonus: Braderie de Lille If by chance you find yourself in Lille the first weekend in September, you are in for a treat! That is the weekend of the hugest flea market you have ever been to, otherwise known as the Braderie de Lille, throughout the entire city center. Stalls upon stalls of stuff. So, spend your days perusing and eating. What to eat? Moules et Frites (mussels and fries), served at basically every restaurant in Lille for three days. By the end of the evening, there are piles of shells out on the street, one could say it's a tradition for that weekend. So fun and so scrumptious! |
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| Favorite Restaurant | Favorite Boulagerie/Patisserie |
|---|---|
| Flams with their Tarte Flambee (or Flammekueche)- a must try Alsatian dish 8, rue Pas (west of Place Rihour) | Paul's- Maison de Qualite fondee en 1889- This is a chain bakery, and I love the one on the Place General du Gaulle (north-east corner) |
If you are looking at moving to France, click here for some more information.