Lille is the capital of the historical region of French Flanders, the center of the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, a city with a Flemish accent at the very border with Belgium .Throughout the centuries, Lille's reason for existence was textile production, which fell into a noticeable decline with the appearance of synthetic textiles on the market .However, the steel northern character of the city did not give up under the onslaught of new times (it was not without reason that the iron general de Gaulle was born here): today Lille is one of the cultural capitals of France, an important commercial and trade hub, the center of French students and just an amazingly beautiful and majestic city, besides unanimously recognized as the most welcoming to visitors .
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How to get to Lille
The international airport of Lille (Aéroport de Lille-Lesquin) is located at a distance of 10 km from the city center. Regular internal flights (from Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon, Renaissance, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg and Toulouse) land here and international flights: from Spain, Algeria, Morocco and Portugal.
There is no direct air connection with the cities of Russia from Lille. It is most convenient to first arrive at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, from where you can get to Lille by train. TGV high-speed trains run twice to Lille from Paris Nord station twice a hour, and the journey time is 1 hour. The fare is from 18 to 45 EUR depending on the type of the price and the travel period.
Search for air tickets to Paris (the nearest airport to Lille)
The second option is to land at the airport in Brussels, which is also connected by direct rail connection with Lille: French TGV or Eurostar trains will take you here in 40 minutes. Up to 20 trains run daily.
Lille can also be reached from other cities in France: Lyon (3 hours en route, 11 trains per day), Rena (3 hours 50 minutes, 4 trains), Marseille (4:30 hours, 6 trains), Bordeaux (5 hours, 6 trains), Montpellier (5 hours, 5 trains) and Strasbourg (3 hours 20 minutes on the road).
There is also a railway connection with London: the train is going along the Tunnel under the English Channel and covers the distance between the two cities in 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The climate of Lille
| Average monthly temperature, ° C | ||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | sen | Oct | but I | Dec | |
| in the afternoon | +5 | +5 | +10 | +13 | +17 | +20 | +22 | +22 | +19 | +14 | +9 | +5 |
| at night | +0 | +0 | +2 | +4 | +7 | +10 | +12 | +12 | +10 | +7 | +3 | +1@@ |
Clear +10 ° C in the afternoon +10 ° C at night ° С water |
Partly cloudy, light rain +7 ° C in the afternoon +4 ° C at night ° С water |
Partly cloudy, light rain +8 ° С in the afternoon +2 ° C at night ° С water |
| Lille weather forecast for 10 days | ||
Transport in the city
Transportation in Lille is managed by the municipal company Transpole .Lille belongs to the palm tree in the implementation of automatic metro .In 1983, the first VAL line was launched here - Véhicule Automatique Léger .Today, 2 lines of the Lille metro cover a distance of 45 km, and there are 60 stations .The city also has two tram routes - T and R - and about 60 bus routes .For all modes of transport, a single ticket costs 1, 40 €; it can be purchased at the automatic kiosks at the metro and tram stops or by the conductor in the bus .Do not forget to validate your ticket .A book of 10 tickets costs 11 EUR, there is also a 24-hour ticket for 4 EUR .
Lillou can also ride a bicycle, which can be rented at one of the six rental locations of the city program Vélopole. The cost is 1 EUR per day, 2 € - the weekend (3 days). Electric bicycles are offered for rent for 1, 50 € / half an hour and 7 EUR per day.
Lille's chip is riding on the segways, two-wheeled platforms with a high rudder. For half an hour walk without the cost of physical energy ask for 4 EUR, half-day is valued at 15 EUR, full day - at 20 EUR. Segevs are issued on the Champ de Mars, Station Oxygène and at the Flemish railway station (Relais Oxygène). Before the first trip, you need to go through a short educational program on the basics of handling the car (4 €), which results in a permit to manage the segway, valid throughout France.
Cuisine and restaurants of Lille
The hospitality of the Lillians, which became a parable in the languages, finds its immediate embodiment in the local cuisine: portions here are sound, and neither the original ingredients nor the time are cooked for cooking. Add to this a meticulous follow-up to the old Flemish recipes - and it becomes clear that the Lille cuisine deserves the closest attention and direct tasting.
The three pillars of Lille's gastronomy are Flemish Carbonate (pieces of beef stewed in beer), watersea (waterzoï - a bird or fish under sour cream, garnished with finely chopped vegetables) and potwheel (potjevleesch - jelly in a pot of different types of meat). Do not ignore the rabbit in plums and the famous Lille fried mussels, an indispensable dish on the September Big Sale.
Lille and the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais are also famous for their numerous varieties of beer with a strong, rich and fragrant taste. Of strong drinks, the vodka Genièvre, which is present in the juniper, stands out.
Sweet creatures will appreciate the vergeoise - light or brown beet sugar, as well as caramel cream, Lille waffles (here the famous Meert brand is the favorite vanilla wafers of General de Gaulle) and "babeluttes" (babeluttes de Lille) - caramels from everything of the same sugar beet.
Shopping and shopping
In Lille a huge number of shops of the world's leading brands, boutiques of famous designers and open-air markets. The historic city center (Le Vieux Lille) is placed under the authority of expensive clothing and shoes shops, antique and art galleries. Painting and antiques can also be purchased in the morning Sunday market at the place du Concert, and young painters exhibit their paintings on the des Archives square.
In the center of Lille and the pedestrian streets adjoining it, there are malls and outletlets of well-known brands such as Etam, Zara, H & M. Here is one of the biggest bookstores in Europe - Le Furet du Nord (Big Square). In the area of train stations, go to the mega-mall Euralille with its many boutiques, restaurants and a hypermarket.
The multinational quarter of Wazemmes has, perhaps, the best French ethnic market, here you can buy interesting things from around the world, as well as spices, clothes and accessories. On the square de la Nouvelle Aventure, in particular, on Sundays a specialized market of spices, incense, condiments and aromatic herbs is arranged.
On the Fabourg des Modes street there are boutiques of young Lille designers' clothes, and interesting wardrobe items often come across.
In September, Lille holds a big sale (La Grande Braderie), and on the streets of the city at this time you can buy everything you want.
Book popular Lille hotels at the best prices
| L'Hermitage Gantois, Autograph Collection from 8 960 rub. Lille 224 rue de Paris | Hôtel Barrière Lille from 10 063 rubles Lille 777 bis Pont De Flandres | |
| Suite Novotel Lille Europe from 5 652 rub. Lille Boulevard De Turin | Best Western Up Hotel from 7 030 rub. Lille 17 Place Des Reignaux | Best Western Premier Why Hotel from 7 926 rubles Lille 7 bis Square Morisson |
| ibis Styles Lille Grand Place from 4 687 rubles Lille 28 rue Anatole France (rue de Roubaix) | Adagio Access Lille Vauban from 3,377 rubles Lille 17, Rue Colson | Campanile Lille Euralille from 4 480 rubles Lille 23 Allée Vauban - La Madeleine |
| Comfort Hotel Lille Europe from 4 067 rubles Lille 53-57 rue Christophe Colomb | Grand Hôtel Lille from 4 136 rubles Lille 51 Rue Faidherbe | Hotel Flandre Angleterre from 4 067 rubles Lille 13 Place De La Gare |
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Lille
Palais Rihour is an architectural masterpiece of the 15th century, the former residence of the Dukes of Burgundy during their reign from Lille. The building was rebuilt several times, and today you can find features of a variety of styles: from Gothic to Renaissance. Pay attention to the cozy chapel and the monumental staircase leading to it. The Lille Tourism Office is also located here.
The Old Market (La Vieille Bourse) deservedly is considered one of the most beautiful buildings of the city with numerous ornaments: porticoes, pediments, caryatids and atlantes and stunning stucco in the Flemish renaissance style. The town hall and tower was erected at the beginning of the 20th century by the architect Emile Dubisson from the most modern material - reinforced concrete. The pearl of the interior is a 105-meter hall decorated with works of art and applied art. The 104-meter-high town hall is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Far from the city center is a military citadel designed by the court architect Louis XIV, the Marquis Vauban, a large-scale fortification project in the form of a five-pointed star, a kind of medieval Pentagon.
Fans of painting should visit Palais des Beaux-Arts - one of the richest collections in France: Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, Delacroix, Rodin and Raphael. Regularly held thematic exhibitions.
The house-museum of Charles de Gaulle tells about the life of an outstanding politician; among the exhibits - personal belongings, family photos and letters.
It will also be interesting to visit the Gun Museum - there are more than 3,000 artifacts.
To breathe fresh air, go to the Parc de la Citadelle (smashed around the military citadel) and the adjacent zoo, to the beautiful English garden of Vauban (Jardin Vauban) with many paths, artificial grottoes, arbors and cozy benches, to the Botanical Garden or to the park of Henri Matisse , and also in Jardin des Géants, created in 2009 according to the latest word of landscape science. Photos of Lille (40)