Lille (France)

Advantages: Near London by train, cosmopolitan feel, excellent transport connections, eating out, plenty to see
Disadvantages: Dog poo

I’ve now been to Lille three times in the past year or so, each previous time, merely for the day. Only over the last weekend did we stay overnight. Why Lille? Well, rather like the reason dogs lick their naughty bits, it’s because we can. Lille is the first main stop in France on the Eurostar/TGV route from the Channel Tunnel – yes, I know you could get a train that stops at Calais (Fréthun), but that’s like getting out at Bristol Parkway and ...
...train you’ll ever see. Lille is a hub for northern Europe’s fast rail routes, being on the border with Belgium – Brussels is an impressive 38 minutes away, and Paris is no slouch at one hour distant. Lille is a former European Capital of Culture, having just handed over the mantle to Cork last month. Outside of Paris, Lille is northern France’s centre for art and museums, and overall, France’s 4th-largest city. Most of all, Lille is a nice place; ... Read review

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Lille is a large city in the Northern part of France, close to the border with Belgium. I recently visited this city with my mother and boyfriend, and as a result feel that I should strongly recommend it if you are looking for a short break at a less traditional destination. In terms of accessibility, Lille is an ideal place to go, as so little time needs to be spent travelling. Lille is a stopping point for the Eurostar on its way to Brussels or ...
...We decided to go to Lille because I needed speaking practice for my A-Level French, and when we had been to Paris the year before I had not had much practice because everybody just speaks English to you, and the vocabulary you need to use is just tourist vocabulary anyway. When we first arrived, at about 10 pm on a weekday night, the station of Lille Europe seemed very daunting, as it is a very large, modern building and it was virtually empty. Our ... Read review

Advantages: Varied culture, fab cuisine, nice people
Disadvantages: Some shops closed Sun and Mon

I lived in Lille for 1 year. I went there as part of my degree. And I must say that I fell in love with the city after just one day. I lived in the Old part of Lille (Vieux Lille) which is about 2 mins walk from the town centre. It has so much charm! the cobbled streets boast a large variety of boutiques, some of which are privately owned and some of which are widely known brand names such as Hermes, and Louis Vuitton. these can be found in rue ...
...£10 per head. Kebabs in Lille are good too if you don't fancy sitting down to dinner! you get a huge choice of sauces to go with your kebab, and it's served in a naan style pitta bread (so it's nice and thick) As for nightlife, I used to work in a bar in Old Lille called Cafe Oz, it's in Place Louise-de-Bettignies and it's an Aussie bar. It's actually filled with french people, and the atmosphere is usually amazing! look out for the staff dancing ... Read review

Advantages: environment, people, heritage, access (train/road), transportation (subway/tramway)
Disadvantages: still has a bad reputation (weather ?)

...powers, from where many wars: Lille is in turn French, Spanish and Flemish. Conquered ultimate once by the king Louis XIV in 1667, it is definitively attached to France in 1713, following the Treaty of Utrecht (Peace of Utrecht). Many monuments go back to this time, like the Citadelle, for instance, built by the military architect Sébastien Le Presle, more known under the name of... Vauban ! The city develops considerably, its population grows, ...
...industries, primarily the textile. Lille is today a dynamic metropolis. The inner city counted 185,000 inhabitants in '99, at the time of the last national census (ranking #13 in the country). The Grand Lille (Greater Lille), the whole of the agglomeration, accounts for 1.1 million (#4), and even 1.7 by including the Belgian part. Because the city of the north of France presents this characteristic, that to be a transborder metropolis, in which ... Read review

Advantages: Beats any British beach holiday hands down
Disadvantages: Strong currents on some days

My family and I started going to Hossegor, (which is situated in the Bay Of Biscay, SW France), when I was about 5, way back in the mid 80's. Well, up he coast a tiny bit from there actually). We always stay at the same place when we're there. Its a 4star campsite called Le Vieux Port. The campsite has everything that you'd need. Even as young children we always had something to do. The entance consists of a long kind of driveway, along which runs ...
...for the kiddies. It all looks very classy, with flags from different countries running down both sides. Then you approach the reception and main bar areas of the site. The campsite has one very very nice bar which is never too crowded, but always is full of atmosphere. There are often live bands playing here (most of which sing in english, even thought they're mostly french). There is seating both outside and in. Unfortunately though, there is not ... Read review

Advantages: Eat, drink and shop....
Disadvantages: ....until you drop

...when Le Touquet had cachet - I'm told it's worth trying the Hotel Westminster, but somehow it's never appealed to me enough to justify the price. Apart from the numerous privately published guidebooks on the market, a full listing of hotels (and indeed campsites) in the Pas-de-Calais is available from the Comité Régional de Tourisme Nord - Pas-de-Calais, 6 place Mendès France, 59800 Lille, France (0033 320 14 57 57). €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ EATING OUT These days there is cheapish fast food available in France, and generally it is better than you would find in England (try the "flunch" at the Cité d'Europe shopping centre, for example), but it is not what France excels at. What France excels at is its range of small independent restaurants and hotels serving classic food and regional... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheap to get to, friendly people, lovely historic old towns
Disadvantages: A local pathological obsession with bread

...of waterways here, and the associated photo opportunities. A handy link to have is the English timetable (click "English" from this link - it's too long for here): http://www.ns.nl/pages/index.html If you have a car, this opens up the possibilities. Again as examples of places to get to from Breda: Ypres, Belgium - 2 ½ hours Lille, France - 2 ½ hours Aachen, Germany - 2 hours Luxembourg - 3 hours BICYCLES I think you have more chance getting mowed down by someone on a bike that by a motor vehicle; the ubiquitous bike is certainly king in these parts and you'd be well advised to keep an eye out for one at all times. They seem to speed up rather than slow down at corners and I've had a few funny looks standing my ground when being passed by one. The Dutch love their bikes and they appear to have right of way everywhere... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: fast, frequent trains, affordable when booked in advance
Disadvantages: trains getting a little tatty, legroom, limited stations

.... The Journey Right on time, the train slipped out of St Pancras station. You barely notice it setting off, it's just when the platform starts moving away that you notice the train is on the way. Announcements are made in at least three languages on the service I was on, in English, French and Dutch (Flemish) due to the train being a service to Brussels with a stop in Lille, France. I had been wondering where exactly the new line was, knowing that London is a built up area and there was really no room to build the new high speed line across the capital. But the train, once out of the station went underground at high speed, so much so that your ears started popping. After only 10 minutes we came out from under London and we were slowing down to stop at the newly built station Ebbsfleet to have more passengers enter. The train was off again... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful