"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
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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
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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
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Review of Lille (France)

Hossegor, France

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 a football pitch, crazy golf and a mini go-kart thing 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...

BJEEE 20.12.2000 (21.12.2000) · Read review
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Review of Lille (France)

Lille, C'est Fantastique!

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

...'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 on the bar and offering vodka and citron to passing customers! (for free!) The music's good too as they usually have a DJ in on the weekends. Check out Rue Royale for late night clubs and bars (most bars are open until 2am or 3am, and the clubsa stay open til 5am most weekends.) There are a lot of hotels in Lille and the quality and price really varies. For a real budget you can stay at Hotel de France on rue de Bethune. It's very basic, but...

PollyErrington 16.03.2005 · Read review
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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
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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
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Review of Lille (France)

Cross roads of Europe

Advantages: its a city
Disadvantages: its a city

...doing his thing. It has been revamped and has access to the underground (metro) and buses to any part of the town and suburbs. Lille Europe station is the 'new' intercity link for the Eurostar and TGV's. From Lille you can more or less go to any city in Europe. The motorways network is just as important (mind those radar traps!). Depending on the type of your visit, there is, like most cities, so much to visit and see. Lille offers a wonderful shopping centre (mall) called EuraLille which is situated between the two railway stations and is very hard to miss. This huge complex was built in the late 1990's and brings a touch of modernism. It has most of the well known shops one would expect to find in France and also offers a supermarket. Other supermarkets can be found on the outskirts of the town so no need to fuss about parking if you...

tazorii 27.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Lille (France)

A fantastic city for a fantastic holiday

Advantages: [in review]
Disadvantages: [in review]

...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 Paris, so if you are easily able to get to Waterloo, it is only a couple of hours away. 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...

helendavis83 10.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Lille (France)

I'VE GONE ALL CULTURAL IN FRANCE!

Advantages: close but not too close to city centre
Disadvantages: hotel was being renovated

...Arriving at Lille in France we were soon able to catch a taxi to our hotel, which as we later found out was not too far to walk; but with baggage on the way home a taxi was still in order.. We arrived at the hotel about 9 pm on Wednesday evening and as we walked into the hotel there was nothing to differentiate it between other hotels owned by Novotel (Accor). We were given our rooms and we then agreed to meet our friends back in the ? after all it was Jame?s birthday! Taking one of the two small lifts I was immediately able to tell that had my wheelchair been in its ?erect? position I and one other person would have been able to fit in the lift. Luckily they weren?t too busy ? in fact no one was using them. We walked into our room and it was a typical Novotel room ?basic but clean, and 3 out of four of us determined that...

dabmim 25.11.2004 (26.11.2004) · Read review
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Review of Novotel Lille Flandres