Train to Lille, Lille

I just had a glimps of the Lille Eurostar station on my way to London; the stop is called LILLE EUROPE. Well, in Belgium half of the population still rever to Rijsel in stead of Lille.

On my way back I noticed many UK wine shoppers just were going to Lille for a quick Eurostar daytrip.

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I first visited Lille by Eurostar directly from London with some friends from work, having taken advantage of an excellent promotional offer on day return tickets and we really enjoyed the train journey as part of the trip. It was a very comfortable and relaxing way of getting there and back and we found leaving from Waterloo Station and arriving directly in Lille, two hours later very convenient, as we had quite limited time in the city.

There is an on board café, where we bought drinks but we didn't try any of the food, as we had bought some snacks from the Marks & Spencers in Waterloo Station before we left.

I used it again, just before the service stopped running from Waterloo. It won't be as convenient for me any more but I hope I'll use it again anyway.

I have now travelled to Lille from St Pancras station, which is certainly very lovely to look at and the journey is faster too, but I do think it is a shame that for so much of the time in England the train runs through tunnels and besides, I like train travel so I'd much prefer to get a longer train trip for my money to having a shorter, faster one!

Eurostar is 1hr 30mins from St Pancras.
You spend 20-25 minutes in the tunnel.
Easy check in process, no restrictions on what you can take on train.
Passport control is quick, bag scanners like at airport, swipe your ticket and you're away.
Think you're allowed two suitcases per person and usual customs allowances on tobacco and alcohol etc.
No ticket checks on train, no food trolley (there's a buffet car though).
At Lille, station isn't the easiest to navigate. There's a main road (Ave Le Corbusier) which splits the station in two. This road leads to town.
You might also find yourself in the open space underneath this road. follow the direction of the road away form the station and you should end up near town.

Ps: Advance Eurostar tickets were £27.50 pp each way!!

The journey from London to Lille takes under two hours by train and hence Lille is a popular destination for people who fancy a weekend break or longer in France. Visitor numbers to Lille have increased hugely since the Eurostar first passed through in the 1990s. Lille is the first stop on the French side and, though many people continue to Paris and Brussels, more and more people are choosing Lille as a holiday destination.

Personally, I much prefer train travel to plane travel. It’s far more comfortable and I like the fact you can show up only 20 minutes before departure, not 2 hours as the airlines insist. We got a great deal on Eurostar: leaving London at 6am on a Saturday morning and returning at 9pm on the following night for about 55 pounds return.

Eurostar trains from London, Brussels and Paris stop at Lille Europe railway station. It's close to the centre and just 5 minutes walk from the other major rail station, Lille Flandres.
Convenience is the name of the game here, only 30 minutes check in is required, security is good though, all luggage is scanned.
Trains are large and comfortable and all seating is reserved.

Lille is very well connected to Paris, Bruselles ( Belgium ) & London by diorect superfast TGV ( or Eurostar )

Lille has two gare stations namely Lille Flanders & Lille Europe.

Lille also boasts o excellent Metro lines, bus system & tram lines also.

Eurostar goes directly to Lille from Waterloo, with a journey of just under 2 hours.
Alternatively, if you are arriving by ferry to Calais, you can get a fast train to Lille from Calais, and the journey time is around 35 minutes.

The easiest way to go to Lille is by TGV from Paris - one hour, convenient & cheap..
used to spend every two weekends in Paris or happened to me just to go for one evening in Paris and go back in the morning in my office in Lille:)

When you are taking the train to Lille, this station will be one of the two stations that you will be arriving at. The station is only a five to ten minute walk to the historical centre.
At Lille Flandres trains arrive from within France, including the TGV (high speed train) and from neighbouring countries. We arrived directly from Antwerp with the intercity (IC) in only 1.40 hours.
This station is quite close to the other station "Lille Europe" where the high speed train 'Eurostar' (between London and Brussels) has a stop.

Brussels-Lille: 40 minutes
London-Lille: 1.40 minutes
Paris-Lille: 1 hour

We caught the Eurostar train from London Waterloo to Lille.

It is so quick - only 1 hour and 40 minutes - and you are in the heart of Lille and ready for action!!

It is a relaxing way to travel. You only have to check in 30 mins before departure, so now hanging around in airports etc.

You can also catch the Eurostar from Paris to Lille, or from Brussels to Lille.

There are sometimes really cheap tickets available, so keep and eye out.