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Getting There By Air:

Aéroport de Lille
Tel: 0891 673 210.
Website: www.lille.aeroport.fr

The airport is located in Lesquin, 10km (6 miles) from Lille. A shuttle links the airport with the city center in 20 minutes (tel: (03) 2090 7979) and runs from 0530-2230 during the week, and depending on flights at the weekend. Neither British Airways nor any of the no-frills airlines fly there, though, and even Air France does not have any direct flights from the UK. From the UK, the best option by far is Eurostar (see Getting There by Train).

Getting There By Road:

Motorways bear the prefix ‘A’ and national roads ‘N’. Minor roads are classed as ‘D’ (départementales) roads. Traffic is on the right and drivers must give way to the right, unless the route is marked with Passage Protégé signs (a broad arrow, a yellow diamond or an ‘X’ on a triangular background) or the driver is at a roundabout indicating ’vous n’avez pas la priorité’ (‘you do not have the right of way’). Speed limits are 130kph (80mph) on motorways; 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation; 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Drivers who have held a driving license for less than two years have different speed restrictions to those who have been driving for longer - a maximum speed limit of 110kph (68mph) is enforced.

The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Seatbelts must be worn by all front- and rear-seat passengers. Under-10s may not travel in the front seat. A national driving license, the car’s registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times, or the driver is liable for a fine. 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. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner’s domestic policy. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for right-side driving by use of beam deflectors or by tilting the headlamp bulb-holder. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. Random breath tests for drinking and driving are common; the maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%.

Emergency breakdown services:
AA (tel: 0870 550 0600)
Green Flag (tel: 0800 400 638)

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

In Lille, car parks are available at Champ de Mars, Porte de Valenciennes and Norexpo. A shuttle links these three car parks with the city center. Outside the city, in Porte des Postes, CHR Calmette, St Philibert and 4 Cantons, free parking is available.

Getting There By Rail:

The easiest way to get to Lille from the UK is with Eurostar (tel: 08705 186 186; website: www.eurostar.com), 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.

Information on other train services to Lille are available from the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF) (tel: 08705 186 186 in the UK or 0892 353 535 in France; website: www.sncf.fr). Both the Lille Europe (for Eurostar) and Lille Flandres stations are located in the city center.

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Public TransportTranspole (website: www.transpole.fr/h/h_english.aspx) operates a good network of buses, trams and an automated, driverless metro - the ‘VAL’.

The town center is very walkable, but the metro is useful for longer journeys: it works from 0500-midnight. Buy a carnet of 10 tickets in advance to save money. Alternatively, a daily travel card, the Pass’Journée, allows you to travel anywhere on the network all day. More information is available (tel: 0820 424 040).

There is a shuttle linking the car parks at Champ de Mars, Norexpo et Porte de Valenciennes, via boulevard de la Liberté (stops at rue Nationale, place de la République, rue de Valmy, boulevard Jean-Baptiste Lebas) and boulevard Louis XIV (stop at Lille Grand Palais). Regular daily departures 0700-2000 except Sunday and bank holidays.

Taxis
Taxis are available day and night from the main taxi ranks located at the airport, outside Lille Europe and Lille Flandres stations, and at various busy locations in town. Taxis can also be booked in advance from Taxi Union (tel: (03) 2006 0606), Taxi Gare (tel: (03) 2006 6400) and Taxi Rihour (tel: (03) 2055 2056).

Car Hire
Car rental is available from Ada (tel: (03) 2057 0225; website: www.ada.fr), Avis (tel: (03) 2051 1231 or 0820 611 695, website: www.avis.fr), Europcar (tel: (03) 2006 0146; website: www.europcar.fr), Hertz (tel: (03) 2836 2590; website: www.hertz.fr) (all at Lille Europe, call for other locations) and Rent A Car, 113 rue du Molinel (tel: (03) 2040 2020; website: www.rentacar.fr).



Bicycle Hire
Ch’ti vélo, in the Lille-Flandres station (tel: (03) 2853 0749) and at 146 rue Pierre Legrand (tel: (03) 2853 0749; website: www.chti-velo.fr), has bikes for hire and is open seven days a week.

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