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 train. Airlines offering flights to Lille from other cities within France include Air France, easyJet and Ryanair. If travelling from the USA, the easiest option is probably to fly to London or Paris and take a train, though it is possible to fly direct to Nice and take a connecting flight from there.

Flight times

From London - 3 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); New York - 13 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 20 hours (including stopovers); Toronto - 12 hours 30 minutes (including stopovers); Sydney - 30 hours (including stopovers).

Travel by road

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.

You must carry a national driving licence, the car's registration document and a red warning triangle 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 services

If you break down on a motorway, dial 112 from your mobile phone or the orange SOS phones.

Routes

Lille has excellent road links and is located 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.

Coaches

Eurolines (tel: 0892 899 091, in France or +33 1 4186 2421; www.eurolines.fr) runs coaches to Lille from other destinations within and beyond France, including direct services from London Victoria Coach Station (journey time - 5 hours 30 minutes).

Time to city

From London - 4 hours; Paris - 2 hours 30 minutes; Brussels - 1 hour 30 minutes.

Travel by Rail

Services

Both Lille Europe (for Eurostar) and Lille Flandres stations are located in the city centre. Lille is connected to the UK by the high-speed Eurostar service and to the rest of France by high-speed TGV trains.

Operators

Eurostar (tel: +44 1233 617 575, in the UK; www.eurostar.com) runs trains to Lille from London St Pancras station.

SNCF (tel: 3635, in France only or +33 892 353 535; www.sncf.com) is France's national railway service provider and can provide information on trains from Lille to other French cities.

Journey times

From London - 1 hour 25 minutes; Paris - 1 hour; Nice - 8 hours 30 minutes.