"Lille De France" - Geddit?

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 expecting to be in Bristol! Gare Lille-Europe arrives outside your train window 1 hour and 40 minutes after London Waterloo International disappears. Stage 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), means that we now get to hurtle through Kent at 186 M.P.H. before slowing to a mere 100 M.P.H. to shrug off the 32 miles of tunnel in a mere 20 minutes. Doing 'a ton' MORE than even the over...

BNibbles 07.12.2004 (09.12.2004) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Lille (France)

Lille, C'est Fantastique!

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

...opposite the notre dame de la treille. The courtyard is lovely to relax in when the summer comes round. You should also find time to visit the citadelle. there's a zoo and some gorgeous park areas. There's also a huge funfair situaed there all through the summer! There's the 'soho' red light district of Lille which can be a bit seedy, but interesting enough (it's situated in the Gare Lille Flandres area) don't go there alone though, it can be a bit scary! Getting to Lille is easy! for those on a budget there's 9hr coach which costs about £40 for an open return (meaning you can go for up to 6 months!) and then there's Eurostar which can take you direct from London in less than 2 hrs!!! (1hr 40 to be precise!) prices vary, and sometimes if you book in advance you can get tickets for about £50 rtn! This place is one of my favourite...

PollyErrington 16.03.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lille (France)

Midsummer madness in Lille

Advantages: Atmospheric French town, easy to reach by train or car
Disadvantages: Very noisy on 21st June

...Mon dieu! I could have chosen any of 51 other weekends for a short trip to Lille, but, in blissful ignorance, I chose this one, 20th & 21st June. We set out from London at 3.30 pm last Friday, leaving what we thought was plenty of time for the 110 mile journey to Dover, but, as usual, didn?t make sufficient allowance for the wretched M25. Sitting in an endless traffic jam is not the most relaxing way to start a mini-break and by the time we got to the signpost saying 40 miles to the ferry port but with only 20 minutes left to check-in, it became obvious that we wouldn?t make the sailing we were booked on. Now, I confess that we did, on those few miles of road where it was possible, exceed the speed limit perhaps by a teensy bit, but in most places it wasn?t an option. We finally drove into the port just 15 minutes before the boat...

SuzanneW 23.06.2003 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lille (France)

Lille-Centre of Northern France

Advantages: Beautiful
Disadvantages: None

...Having visited Lille on a number of occasions I have been astounded by the beauty of the city itself. The main square is of interest as the ageing buildings tell a story of the city's past. The museums cover a number of aspects, not only from Lille's history but also other important factors such as the Museum of Religious Art and the Natural History museum. Lille not only provides such wonder but a superb array of shops, cafés and restaurants making it an enjoyable visit. Lille also has many parks such as the 'Le Bois de Boulogne' which is at close proximity to the city centre. The park combines leisure activities as well as a zoological park. The large train station makes this city more accessible where parking may not always be easy. I would recommend Lille to anyone who enjoys historical beauty as well as a good time....

heideroosjes 05.12.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lille (France)

Lille aux Trésors

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

...Treasures Lille... Apologies for the French pun (title), I couldn't resist ! And if it was true ? The city conceals a number of wonders indeed. With you to discover them ! The town was born towards 11th century, and knew a disturbed history. At the beginning, as its name indicates it, it's just an island, a fortress surrounded by marshes (medieval name: Lisle, which means "island", so). The place has a strategic importance, it is targeted by foreign 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...

Rijsel.Spirit 08.05.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lille (France)

This is where I live, Lille from France

Advantages: near from everything
Disadvantages: ...

...Lille is situated in the north of France, and this is where I live, not really, but I live around Lille. This is a amazing town, but I wish there was more english each summer ;o). Fist, it's really easy to come to Lille thanks to the ferries (that I took so many times!) and we have plenty of hotels there! I don't know if they are expensive or not because I don't need them! Those years, the town has being changed, I mean it's getting more and more beautiful, with each saturday a concert or something like that on the major square [we call it Grand' place]. This town is so great! we are next to Paris, Beligium, Netherlands, Germany, and you guys: GB! it's not raining all the time as people can think or say! Here are the pubs I prefer: + "La taverne de l'ecu", rue esquermoise [name of the street] here, they are...

little_french_guy 24.06.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lille (France)

Hotel de la Treille, Lille

Advantages: great position.Everything in walking distance
Disadvantages: our room was small

...The hotel is in the old part of Lille. everything is in walking distance, even the Eurostar station (only about 5-10 mins on foot) The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly. The breakfasts had no 'hot' dishes, just lovely French sticks, croissants, pan au chocolate , the usual cold meats & cheese, cereals etc. Tea & coffee out of those big flask things! No bar. The bedroom was cleaned daily as was the shower/toilet / bath. The only downside was the size of the room - it was really small. Hardly any room between the side of the double bed and the patio doors. My wife & I are not big people, but it really was cramped. There was a balcony , but not a great view (into the next building), though you could see the imposing cathedral which is just behind the hotel. We were unlucky with the room size, others in the hotel were bigger....

Witt 16.04.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Hotel De La Treille, Lille

A long weekend in Appart'City, Lille

Advantages: Price, self-contained professional apartments, high quality accommodation
Disadvantages: Slightly cramped, a little way out of town

...We booked Appart'City for a 3 night long weekend in July, through Eurostar. At the time we booked, it was one of the cheapest options available. We knew it was a little way out-of-town, in the Madeleine district, but we decided that was an acceptable price to pay to get good quality accommodation at a low price. If you're travelling light, it's easily walkable from Lille Europe, otherwise hop on the red or green tram line (access underground at Lille Europe), and hop off at Romarin - one stop up the line. We found it difficult to actually find the building, and locals couldn't give us directions - it's not obvious that the building is a hotel, even when you're standing in front of it. Appart'City is basically a modern block of apartments which are probably mostly aimed at business travellers, but also available for tourist breaks. So...

jane_tew 19.08.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Appart'City, Lille

Cross roads of Europe

Advantages: its a city
Disadvantages: its a city

...I couldn't resist the temptation to write a review about Lille. This town is one of my favourites and for many reasons. As a visitor you do need to spend a good weekend there and if possible plan your weekend in advance depending on what you base your visit on. I have been many times and every time has been wonderful. The history of Lille oouses out of the buildings and people. Every where you look are reminders of its past without ignoring its modern status of a metropolitan city. Depending on which mode of transport you use, the city comes alive the moment you arrive. I have driven here from Calais, from Paris and from Belgium. I have used the Eurostar, TGV and the mainline trains from Amiens. The old main line station used to be the main station 'Gare du Nord' of Paris and was moved to Lille brick by brick when Napoleon was...

tazorii 27.01.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lille (France)

OUTSTANDING! IT'S LIKE A PALACE!!!

Advantages: Everything!!
Disadvantages: None what so ever!

...::::Intro:::: The Bellevue Hotel is where Mozart stayed. Lille is fabulous.The sights around, the hotel itself, and the views from the hotel. This is a fabulous place to spend the weekend like we did, one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in. Read my review below: ::::Why I Chose This Hotel:::: I did not choose to stay at this hotel. A family member won a competition for a weekend to Lillie - including accommodation at this wonderful hotel. We had no idea where this hotel was, so on we went onto google to check out what this hotel was like and how to get there and the images of the hotel were amazing. It looked like a palace at the reception. After many minutes of amazement of winning a trip to Lille and staying at such a lovely looking hotel, we finally started looking for directions - if we didn't get these we wouldn't be going...

cooldude28 21.04.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Best Western Bellevue, Lille