Welcome to Lille

Lille City Guide

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Welcome to Lille, the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle! Lille is situated in the north-east of France, close to the Belgian border, and lies on the River Deûle. The city is one of the largest in France with a population of nearly 250,000. With its fantastic rail connections, Lille is less than 90 minutes from London, 30 minutes from Brussells and 30 minutes from Paris, making it the perfect place to study abroad. 

GETTING TO LILLE
Lille Airport (LIL) is located 4 miles south-east of the city centre, and welcomes daily domestic and  European flights. There are regular shuttle buses from the airport into the city centre, or if you prefer, you can call one of the local taxi companies. If you are travelling by train, Gare de Lille-Europe and Gare de Lille-Flandres are both located in the city centre. (TIP: the TGV (high-speed) train service operates from the Gare de Lille-Europe.) If you are travelling by bus, long distance buses arrive and depart from Lille Europe on the Boulevard de Leeds, in the city centre.

GETTING AROUND LILLE
Public transport in Lille is operated by Transpole and is one of the most efficient public transport systems in Europe. The city is serviced by a bus network, trams and the world's first automatic metro system! Both the metro and the tram networks operate two lines within the city. The bus network is more extensive and operates throughout the city centre and local suburbs. All public transport is clean and reliable, and tickets are inexpensive. Lille also operates the V'Lille bike service, which is a bike hire system with hundreds of bike stations throughout the city.

STAYING IN LILLE
For short term accommodation, use one of the city's excellent hostels. For longer term student accommodation, check out our dedicated section for student accommodation in Lille.

EATING OUT IN LILLE
Eating Out in Lille coming soon......

GOING OUT IN LILLE
Socialising in Lille coming soon......

THINGS TO DO IN LILLE
Lille is a city that offers plenty to see and do. Spend a few hours at the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle or the Musée d'Art Moderne, visit the Cathedral, or enjoy an opera at the Opéra de Lille. If you are a sports fan, there is both 'Ligue 1' football and 'Pro D2' rugby at the Stade Lille-Metropole. For the more energetic, enjoy a run or a cycle along the banks of the Deûle river or through the streets and parks in the city. As mentioned earlier, Lille is perfectly connected for day trips to Brussells, Paris and even London.

SHOPPING IN LILLE
Lille boasts a diverse shopping experience with every district of the city offering something different. The main shopping area for chains and department stores is, on and around, the Grande Place. For fashion and more exclusive stores, visit Vieux Lille, and if you prefer bargain hunting, try the Wazemmes area of the city. Shopping malls include the Euralille which houses over 100 shops together with other amenities. Lille hosts an annual flea market every September. This is the biggest flea market in the world, and if possible, we highly recommend a visit.

STUDYING IN LILLE
Lille has one of the largest student populations in France and is home to several top universities which include, the Université Catholique de Lille, IESEG and the Université de Lille I. For more info. on studying at any of these, please visit the university section of the website.