A weekend in Lille, all you need to know

I don’t know how your spring 2021 was, but the one in the Netherlands wasn’t particularly bright. To avoid depression we decided to drive to the sun. Some traffic jams, lots of snacks and 4 hours later we arrived in the North of France, Lille! A city I didn’t really have on my list, but turned out to be a great surprise and perfect for a weekend away. It was so spontaneous that we weren’t even aware that we had to wear a facemask outside, until we arrived and noticed everybody with a mask. Another surprise, not as good though.

How to get to Lille?

There are different ways to get to Lille, but it’s pretty close to the Netherlands and Belgium so I’d suggest taking the car or the train.

• Go green, take the train, there are direct routes from many cities – Check timings & tickets here
• Not in a hurry? Travel by bus – Plan your trip to Lille or other European cities
• Adventure time, go on a road trip!
• Coming from far? Fly right in – Check out flights to Lille (Rijsel)
  

What to do in Lille?

Lille is perfect to explore by foot, which is what I particularly enjoyed in this city. Many cities are so spread out that you’ll lose a lot of time in public transport. After we arrived Friday afternoon, we went on the hunt for a place to eat. Soon we noticed al terraces were packed and people were actually queueing to get a seat. I would only do that if it’s a really good restaurant and if there was no curfew, but we had to be home by 9 pm, so we couldn’t just wait for someone to leave. The French didn’t seem to be bothered about the curfew, but we had no idea how strict they were and didn’t want to take the risk. Eventually we found a table at a Japanese/fusion restaurant where we enjoyed some snacks and mocktails.

The next morning we were up early and strolled around a much emptier city than the evening before. After our breakfast we visited the Church and headed towards the Citadelle de Lille. This Citadelle is still in use by the military so we weren’t allowed to go inside, but there is gigantic green garden around which is great for a picnic. We continued passed the zoo back into the city where we mainly enjoyed the sun, food and drinks.

• St. Mauritius Church
• Grand Place
• Notre Dame de la Treille Cathedral (art museum inside)
• Marché de Wazemmes
• Citadelle de Lille
• Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

On Sunday we decided to grab some goodies from a bakery and have our breakfast outside on the way to the market. We ended up at Boulangerie du Renard as there was a huge queue. When you see a long line of peope waiting for a baguette or a croissant, it has to be quite a decent bakery, right? Once we bought half of the bakery as it all looked só good, we found a bench at the place de la République.

Once we stuffed ourselves with nothing but carbs and sugar, we headed towards the Marché de Wazemmes, a mulitcultural outdoor and indoor market where you can literally find everything. From antiques to regional cheeses, from clothes to flowers and from fresh fruits and veggies to cooked food and snacks from different cuisines. There is also a bunch of cafe’s nearby if you prefer to sit down and have lunch. We love buying local products and just strolling around and trying things so we really enjoyed spending the morning here.

Where to eat and drink in Lille?

Although our weekendtrip to Lille took place when restaurants were still closed indoors, I spotted a lot of places I would love to visit if I’d ever return. Thankfully, we visited Lille during one of the first sunny weekends, so we could enjoy the terraces. This also meant it was pretty packed. Packed in a way that we had to queue to find a table nearly anywhere. I usually do quite some research beforehand to make sure we eat and drink at nice places and don’t miss out on the cute hotspots. This time however, I arrived super unprepared, which can also be nice because you travel differently and are way more flexible. On top of that you can’t be disappointed when you don’t know what to expect.

Here is a list of restaurant recommendations for Lille:

• Paddo Cafe: Delicious breakfast spot with a terrace outside, check the photo below for our picks from the menu.
• Elizabeth’s Cafe: Perfect for your cake and coffee break!
• Coffee Makers: Small and simple coffee place that serves tasty looking breakfast and pastries as well.
• Boulangerie du Renard: Go get your croissants here, try them all and take a baguette with you if you’re at it!
• La Saint Georges: A top rated Crêperie, which was sadly closed when we passed. The crepes do look pretty epic on the photos though. If you get the chance to go, let me know how it was 🙂
• Monsieur Jacques: Time for a glass of wine and some bites! I was craving a cheese platter and I saw they had it on the menu, but sadly the kitchen wasn’t ready to prepare me a cheese platter yet.. I was a bit disappointed but we got some other bites so that made up for it (kind of, at least).
• La Bottega Pizzeria: I mean is pizza ever a bad idea? Another nice looking pizza place is La Belleza Big Mamma, unfortunately they don’t have a terrace so it was only open for take away back then.
• La Luck: Go here for brunch, dinner or some home-made beers, the interior looks really cool as well!
• Aux Merveilleux de Fred: if you’re a sweettooth like me, this place is a must! It’s quite popular so you might need to wait a bit, but these Merengues are worth it!

Where to stay in Lille?

We came by car so a parking nearby was a must. Since we wanted to be in a central location, we decided to stay close to the central station: Lille Flandres. Everything was within walking distance, as Lille isn’t that big.

Another nice and popular neighbourhood to stay is Old Lille. This historical district is full of pretty, colourful buildings and cute alleys with plenty of options to stay. If you’e going there when there is no curfew, this is where you’d want to stay.

Book your stay in a hotel or pick one of the many AirBnB’s like we did!

In case you prefer to stay in your own unique holiday home surrounded by nature, Natuurhuisje has quite a lot of options which are only a short ride from Lille.
Find your favorite holiday home in the nature here.

Any more questions or tips about Lille or this blog in general? Let me know in the comments below!