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France’s fourth largest metropolitan area, in 2004, Lille was designated as a European Culture Capital. Since then, Lille has become an important tourist destination, recognised for its welcoming living environment, well-preserved heritage and active cultural life.
LILLE : is strategically positioned within a 250-km radius of six major European capitals, including Paris, London and Brussels.
It is an undeniable economic centre encompassing tactical transport structures such as the Euro-tunnel, TGV-high speed trains, and motorway routes, etc., and is rapidly gaining status as a world trade and communications center.
Today in Lille, you can enjoy the numerous concerts, visit the different museums: Palais des Beaux-Arts (the biggest fine arts museum in France after the Louvre), Charles de Gaulle’s House (Lille is his birthplace), the Museum Hospice Comtesse…
In fact, Lille really deserves its title of City of Heritage and Art.
Markets and regional food and drink specialities will also represent a delicious part of your stay.
How to get to Lille
Via Paris
www.aeroportsdeparis.fr
Roissy-Charles De Gaulle Airport:
There are direct trains from Roissy to Lille about every hour at peak hours; the high speed trains TGV (Train Grande Vitesse) takes about 50 minutes. The TGV station is located in Terminal 2 of Roissy-CDG airport and provides for a quick and easy connection between the train and the airport. There are three terminals at Roissy airport. Take the shuttle bus (free of charge) outside the terminal. The shuttle will bring you to the train station (Gare TGV) and leave you in front of the lift. The shuttle buses returning to the terminal buildings arrive at Level 5 of the TGV station, in front of the lift. Choose level 1 for tickets and level 2 for trains.
NB: It is recommended that you purchase a ‘Carte Jeunes 12-25 ans’ (for people aged 12 to 25 years) before paying for your ticket – you will then receive up to a 50% reduction on all fares. The Carte Jeunes is valid for one year (cost of the card: about 50€). Ask at the station for more details or visit the websites www.sncf.com and www.12-25-sncf.com
Orly Airport:
From the Metro 'Orlyval' linked to the airport, take the 'B' line of the RER to Antony. Then, at Antony station, take the metro line to the station Gare Du Nord, where there is a direct TGV to Lille.
Via Lille
Lille Lesquin Airport: www.lille.aeroport.fr
A regular shuttle service links the airport to the centre of Lille (8 km).
Duration: 20 minutes
Shuttle service: from 5.00 am - 11.00 pm
Price: 5,00€ / single ticket
Via Brussels
Brussels Zaventem Airport: www.brusselsairport.be
By train, Brussels Airport is less than twenty minutes from the city centre. From 05:30 till nearly midnight, the City Airport Express links the airport with the stations of Brussels Midi (Zuid/ South), Central (Centraal) and Nord (Noord/North) four times an hour:
- A one-way ticket to Brussels costs 2.60 € second class and 4.10 € first class.
- A round trip ticket from anywhere in Belgium and back, costs maximum 20.00 €.
The train station is located in the basement (level -1) of the terminal building itself. Timetable information for the Airport City Express is available on the Belgian Railways (SNCB/NMBS) www.b-rail.be /
Transportation
There are many forms of public transportation here in Lille – bus, subway (called ‘metro’) and tramway. The company which deals with transport for the city of Lille is TRANSPOLE. www.transpole.fr
BUS
There are over 60 lines serving the 87 communities in the urban region. This network of about 900 kms provides easy connections with the metro, tramway and national rail lines.
SUBWAY
The Lille metro was the first fully automatic driverless underground train in the world. Two metro lines cover the urban region and allow easy transfer to the bus, tramway and national train lines. Depending on the time of day, metro trains run every 1 to 6 minutes. The lines normally close at 1am and then start again at around 5am to 6am. One subway ticket costs 1.30 €, or you can buy a book of ten tickets which costs 10.60 €. These tickets can be used on all types of transportation - bus, subway and tramway. The logo for the subway is a large red 'M', and it is possible to buy tickets from automatic vending machines in every station. TRAMWAY
Two lines with 36 stations totalling 26 kilometres, run from downtown Lille to the adjacent towns of Roubaix and Tourcoing.
TRAIN
www.sncf.fr
Tel. +33 36 35 There are two main train stations here in Lille: Gare Lille Europe and Gare Lille Flandres. They are regularly accessible throughout the day via the subway, and they are within walking distance from one another. It is highly recommended that you purchase a ‘Carte 12-25’ (for people aged 12 to 25) before paying for your ticket: you will then receive a reduction of up to 50% on all train fares in France. This card is valid for up to one year (Costs about 50 €).
Ask at the station for more details or www.12-25-sncf.com
FOOD
The cuisine of Lille suits a northern climate, filling as well as tasty. Some of the most famous local dishes include:
- "Waterzoï ", made with smoked and fresh fish.
- "Carbonnade Flamande", beef marinated in beer and onions.
- "Lapin aux pruneaux", rabbit with prunes.
- "Potjevlesch", a delicious combination of jellied veal, rabbit and ham.
Breweries are also a traditional characteristic of this hop-growing area. For cheese lovers, try not to miss the “Vieux Lille”, the “Maroilles” (the most refined of strong cheeses) and “boulettes” from nearby Avesnes. As for the sweet tooth, there are “tarte au sucre”, "tarte à la cassonnade" (brown sugar) and gaufres (waffles) to mention a few.
Financial aid for housing
For a stay of more than 3 months in the same accommodation, it is possible to get a rent rebate - ALS (Allocation Logement Social).
ALS is an allowance paid by the “Caisse d’Allocations Familiales” (CAF). Its aim is to help students pay for their accommodation. If you reserve a room in a university hall of residence, please ask for the ALS application form from the Housing Office (A.E.U.)
The ALS refunds approximately 100 € per month from the second month. The allowance is given directly to the student, and the university is not responsible for any part of the process.
Further information : www.caf.fr
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