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Image gallery

Flemish houses and St Stevens Church in Lille's Old Town

© 123fr.com / David Hughes

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Lille Local time

Weather in Lille
Partly Cloudy Day
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1
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France

Travel to Lille

Flying to Lille

There are no direct flights to Lille from the UK, from where the best option by far is the Eurostar. Airlines offering flights to Lille from other destinations include Air France and AIR ALGERIE.

Flight times: 

From London (with a train connection) - 3 hours 15 minutes; Nice - 1 hour 45 minutes; Marseille - 1 hour 35 minutes; Bordeaux - 1 hour 25 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

In Lille, traffic drives on the right and the minimum age for driving is 18 years. Speed limits are 130kph (80mph) on motorways, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (30mph) in built-up areas. A national driving licence, the car's registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the legal minimum.

Emergency breakdown service:

AA (tel: 0870 550 0600); Green Flag (tel: 0800 400 638).

Routes:

Lille has excellent road links, located as it is at the crossroads of five motorways: the A1 from Paris, the A25 from Dunkirk and Calais, the A23 from Valenciennes, the A27 from Brussels, and the A22 from Ghent, Antwerp and Amsterdam.

Driving times:

Driving from the UK, you will have to go by ferry over the Channel or use the Eurotunnel (tel: 08705 353 535 in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com) to Calais, which is a mere 92km (57 miles) from Lille (driving time - 1 hour 10 minutes).

Travel by rail

Services:

Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) runs trains to Lille from London. Information on other train services, including TGV (French high-speed trains), to Lille are available from the national rail service provider, SNCF (tel: 0892 353 535; www.sncf.fr). Both the Lille Europe (for Eurostar) and Lille Flandres stations are located in the city centre.

Operators:

The easiest way to get to Lille from the UK is with Eurostar, from London St Pancras (journey time - 1 hour 20 minutes). Trains depart regularly throughout the day but early booking is advisable for the best fares.

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