Eurostar breaks to Lille in northern France should not be overlooked when planning short city breaks from London. We don’t know so much about Lille in the UK apart from being a Eurostar station on the way to Paris or Brussels, but the city has both an international history and a modern claim to fame in the art world and museum sector. So what is there to see in Lille of special interest to the busy tourist? Well there’s the magnificent town square first all, with its grand buildings and famous Christmas market. Then there is a classical art museum that is second only to the Louvre in the whole of France, with collections by all the grand masters.

Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

Getting to Lille couldn’t be easier with Eurostar Breaks from London arriving in Lille only one hour and twenty minutes after departing from St Pancras. So that makes the Lille appear close to St Pancras than some parts of South or West London, let alone Manchester or Brighton. The return journey usually takes five minutes longer for some reason, maybe it’s because the trains have to go uphill to get from France to England

Lille for Eurostar Breaks

Lille is close to the border with Belgium and has been part of the Flemish state in the past, so some of the atmosphere and traditions of Lille are more Northern European than typically French, so that makes it an interesting culture to discover. It’s very much a part of modern France now though as far as fine dining and general good living are concerned. In the summer there are plenty of good brasseries that lay out their outdoor terraces in the little squares and pavements, while in the winter there are beautiful dining halls and grand hotels in which to escape the sometimes bitter continental weather.

There’s even a substantial zoo or rather parc zoologique which can be a pleasant place to while away a sunny afternoon, with free entrance, picnique spots and of course well looked after animal enclosures which delight both children and adults.

The first ever patisserie, Meert is located in Lille, not Paris, so how about that then? There you can learn how the waffle was invented and take away delicate little fruit cake creations that look far too beautiful to eat.

I’ve only just started to mine the surface of what Lille has to offer, as there is a flourishing modern art scene which would be difficult to pin down to any one specific venue, as it changes all the time but do have a look at the swimming pool, a former Art Deco public baths called simply “La Piscine”. Another is at Wazemmes, la Maison Folie which has art exhibitions and theatre on the first floor, and on Sundays the busy Wazemmes market is a huge attraction just outside the gallery.

Longer Eurostar Breaks

Eurostar breaks to Lille, being so easy to fit in to a busy lifestyle can provide a tempting taste of what the area has to offer, and I’m sure once you’ve been over and had a quick look around you’ll be dying to come back for a longer stay, maybe after seeing the Christmas market and understanding the potential for a relaxing summer break in the North East of France. I’m thinking that a Eurostar to Lille and then car hire for a short week would allow for the flexibility of a smart city break and the chance to explore some of the rural north of France.

picture credit: Peter16