Travel to Lille

Belfry of Lille

I have had a few opportunities to travel to Lille for fun, and also through Lille for work. Conveniently located on the Eurostar line between London and Brussels, it is a nice place to stop for a couple of days. Lille is located in the north of France, and it is a beautiful old city with a cuisine which blends French and Belgian tastes. For example, Le Welch is a very typical bar food which is a variation of a Welsh rarebit made with a lot of cheese and beer sauce. Yummy but not very healthy. In addition, there are many wonderful patisseries and chocolatiers around the city. And some very nice Michelin-starred and recommended restaurants, too.

Walking around the city and visiting the museums are both nice ways to spend the day. There are indoor art museums and also the interesting Gare Saint Sauveur art centre. And just outside of Lille on the metro system is Roubaix, which was an amazing art museum in an old, converted swimming pool building. The architecture alone is worth seeing, and the art exhibitions rotate.

Walking or running around the Citadel park is one of my favourite activities, and also popular for the locals. The city is quite flat so for a nice view from above, you can visit the Lille Belfroi (Belfry).

Lille Art Museum (LaM)
Lille Art Museum (LaM)
Napoleon Bridge in Lille Parc de la Citadelle
Napoleon Bridge in Lille Parc de la Citadelle
Palais des Beaux Arts
Palais des Beaux Arts

Highlights

Before you go

  • The Lille tourism office website has a lot of useful information and the people in the physical office are very helpful
  • The Lille city pass is convenient but probably not value for money unless you use the bus tour (13 euros)
  • Museums are free on the first Sunday of each month. Also science-related museums are free during the Fête de la Science (Festival of Science) which is usually during October
  • Many smaller shops are closed on Sundays
  • In general, people speak some English and menus are available in English
  • There are two large rail stations near each other Gare Lille Europe for international trains including the Eurostar, and Gare Flandres for mostly domestic travel
Roubaix town hall
Roubaix town hall
Natural History Museum, Lille
Natural History Museum, Lille
La Piscine museum in Roubaix
La Piscine museum in Roubaix

Transport

  • The easiest way to get from London to Lille is by Eurostar train from St Pancras station to Gare Lille Europe. It’s just 1.5 hours, and a comfortable journey from city centre to city centre. There are also domestic trains from other French cities to Gare Flandres
  • There are no direct flights between London and Lille. Therefore it is not a great option, as it can take many hours. However, there are some flights to Lille Airport. Most are from within France but there are some flights from Italy, Spain and North Africa.
  • Within Lille, there is a metro system run by Ilevia. It is noted as the first driverless public transport system in Europe! The day pass is just 5 euros, as of October 2022. And a single ride is 1.70 euros. There are also bikes, local buses and taxis. However, for the city centre, it is easily walkable.
  • The Lille Tourism office runs a city bus tour to see the surrounding sights

Accommodation

  • On my first visit to Lille, we stayed on the outskirts at the Mercure Lille Marc en Baroeul. It was a great setting near a small river. The rooms were large and the bathtub was huge! The staff were very friendly and we enjoyed chilling out in the bar. There was a grand piano and baby-foot (foozball)! Great place to stay if you have a car.
  • For the second visit, I stayed more centrally at the Grand Hotel Lille. The staff were friendly staff and I had a clean, comfortable room with a bed and desk. The blackout curtains were really good! On the negative side, the wi-fi was incredibly slow. I had to use 4G from my phone most of the time. Also, I was on a non-smoking floor but I could smell that some people were smoking
  • And on a third visit, we stayed at the Hôtel Saint-Maurice, just next to the church of the same name. It was a basic room with a tiny bathroom, but it was comfortable and quiet. The location was also very central!
Puss in Boots are in Flers
Puss in Boots are in Flers
Musee Pasteur, Lille
Musee Pasteur, Lille
Palais des Beaux Arts, Skeleton selfie
Palais des Beaux Arts, Skeleton selfie
Le Restaurant du Cerisier, Cepe
Le Restaurant du Cerisier, Cepe
Le Restaurant du Cerisier, Lobster tail
Le Restaurant du Cerisier, Lobster tail
Le Restaurant du Cerisier, Pumpkin dessert
Le Restaurant du Cerisier, Pumpkin dessert
L'île de Crète Greek food, Mezze
L’île de Crète Greek food, Mezze
Mestizo Mexican tacos at Kitchen Market Lille
Mestizo Mexican tacos at Kitchen Market Lille
Lunch at Bloempot, Broccoli hummous
Bloempot, Broccoli hummous
Lunch at Le Chat qui Fume Le Welsh
Lunch at Le Chat qui Fume Le Welsh
Bloempot Desserts
Bloempot Desserts
Bloempot, giant pork gyoza
Bloempot, giant pork gyoza
Chocolates from Guillaume Vincent
Chocolates from Guillaume Vincent
Crepe at Brutus
Crepe at Brutus
Petits pouchins de L'Ogre de Carrouselberg
Petits pouchins de L’Ogre de Carrouselberg
Saint-Honore pastry from Patisserie Mathieu
Saint-Honore pastry from Boulangerie Mathieu
Pear and almond tart from Boulangerie Brier
Pear and almond tart from Boulangerie Brier

Juliane Natural Patisserie, Lemon and hazelnut meringue tart

Food

Local Specialties

When I arrived in Lille, I looked up the local specialties. The first thing that appeared in my search was Le Welsh, which is a typical food at the Estaminet (pub). It is a piece of bread covered with a lot of cheese, an egg and beer sauce. Although it is quite heavy, it is delicious and an ultimate comfort food. We had it at Le Chat qui Fume, which is a friendly pub with a good variety of local pub fare and burgers. There is an area in the north of the city, Rue de Gand, which has a lot of Estaminets all serving this type of Northern pub food.

Michelin Restaurants

In addition to the local cuisine, there are some fancier French restaurants such as Le Restaurant du Cerisier. I had a wonderful tasting menu at the Michelin-starred restaurant by Chef Mathieu Boutroy. The highlights were the Cepe (mushroom), lobster, and the pumpkin dessert. Downstairs, they also have a more casual Brasserie.

Another fancy meal was at Bloempot, which specialises in local ingredients from Flanders. My favourite course was dessert, which was a selection of four different creations. The meal was very healthy and had a variety of flavours, with plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. The main course was the largest pork “gyoza” I have ever seen, so there was an Asian twist for some dishes too!

International Cuisine

Additionally, there are many international cuisines to choose from in Lille. We enjoyed a delicious and huge Greek meal at L’île de Crète. Service was very friendly and welcoming. The mezze platter was huge and delicious. And the grilled octopus for my main course was deliciously tender and tasty. I even found Mexican food at the Kitchen Market, and the Mestizo tacos were quite tasty. The photo doesn’t really do them justice since they look a bit messy after I carried them back to the hotel. Finally, I had an authentic Ethiopian meal from Habesha. Lots of food and very affordable, plus it is great for vegetarians.

Snacks

For quick meals, there are many sushi places including Sushi Chiwa. The sushi is not amazing but it is good for the price. And sometimes it is nice to have a lighter meal. Falafel Lille is good for quick Mediterranean food and salads. And for savoury or sweet crepes, Brutus was a great choice. They also have a large variety of ciders, apple or pear, and even serve cider cocktails.

Patisseries and Chocolatiers

Of course, we can’t forget about the patisseries and chocolatiers in the city. There are so many to try and I did try quite a few! My favourite was Pâtisserie Croquet, which has pastries and breads that are unbelievable. The viennoisserie, croissants and pain au chocolat, are excellent and crisp. And the eclairs and other cakes are delicious and beautifully-presented.

L’Ogre de Carrouselberg is most known for its petits pouchins, small cream-filled choux pastries. However, their croissants are also beautiful and delicious. They sell out of a lot of pastries during the day, so go early.

Boulangerie Mathieu is full of exceptional breads and pastries. My favourite is the Saint-Honore. Picture mini cream puffs stuck together in a small tower using caramelised sugar. Yum!

Pâtisserie Le Colibri is located within the Hotel Colibri. Although it is a small place, it has a nice selection of patisseries and cakes. The cookie from Le Colibri was delicious with extra almond paste and nuts on top. In addition, they made a Lille specialty called pain de sucre, which is a bready pastry with caramelised sugar.

Pâtisserie Confiserie “Brier” is a great place to buy fresh sandwiches on excellent, fresh baguettes. They also have a variety of French pastries, and I especially liked their almond pear tart.

If you want to try a more organic patisserie, then Juliane Natural Patisserie has a small selection of desserts. Unfortunately, when I went there were only 2 or 3 things to choose from. However, the lemon hazelnut meringue tart was exceptional, so I would definitely go back earlier in the day next time.

Finally, for chocolates there are many fine chocolatiers in the city centre. In fact, I was wondering if this is because Lille is located quite close to Belgium, which is of course famous for its chocolate. I tried chocolates from Guillaume Vincent which had unusual flavours and decorations. And Chocolat de Beussent-Lachelle is another cute chocolate shop with nice chocolates and bars. There were also some unique flavours including speculoos (spiced biscuits).

Pastry Paris-Brest from Patisserie d'Annappes
Paris-Brest from Patisserie d’Annappes
Cookie from Le Colibri
Cookie from Le Colibri
Paris-Brest praline eclair from Pâtisserie Croquet
Paris-Brest eclair from Pâtisserie Croquet
Lille Opera
Lille Opera
Maison natale Charles de Gaulle
Maison natale Charles de Gaulle
Ferris wheel in the Grand Place, Lille
Ferris wheel in the Grand Place, Lille

FAQs

Q: Do I need a tour guide?

A: No, not for the city centre as it is easy to get around and find the points of interest.

Q: Do people speak English?

A: Many people speak English so it is not necessary to speak French. However, it is always appreciated!

Q: Is it a walkable city?

A: Yes, it is walkable around the city centre. For further out places, the metro system is useful.

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