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Located in the north of France, Lille is one of the largest cities in the country. With masses of places of interest, beautiful scenery and breathtaking views, Lille is a must-stop visit on any French holiday itinerary.

Whilst earlier artefacts have been found, the first real mention of Lille was in 1066, when the whole area was primarily a boggy marsh land.

Lille has a very general northern Europe climate, not too dissimilar to that of the UK.Although a few degrees warmer during the

winter months (the averages are around 2-4 degrees centigrade mark), the summer months bring the same average heat as the UK, tottering around the 20 degrees centigrade level. Warm enough to walk around in shorts and t-shirts, but comfortable enough at night that your sleep won’t be disturbed.

Getting to Lille can be achieved by a variety of methods, summarised as follows:

Car – Depending on which direction you are traveling to Lille from depends on which major autoroute – a UK motorways you would take.However, Lille has five and a proposed sixth is on its way autoroute’s running through it, meaning that from whichever country or direction you travel from, there is no need to take any B-roads or country lanes.

Train – With a direct line from London on the Eurostar, Lille has fantastic train links all over France. With two train stations, both of which are adjacent to each other, they provide primarily high speed services, both internationally and internally.

Aeroplane – With its own airport, Lille Lesquin International Airport, Lille has visitors from all over the world. No more than 15 minutes out of the city centre, it is a popular internal airport and has many amenities for both the internal and international traveler.

Boat – Third only to Paris and Strasbourg in terms of river port size, Lille is directly connected to the French waterways.There are easy links to local areas as well as other French regions, with strong links to countries abroad, namely England from the port of Calais.

When in Lille, transport links are fantastic. Running under the umbrella of ‘Transpole’, the transport available features buses, trams and fully automatic metro system. All are widely used and monitored and operated to strict guidelines, ensuring a faultless service is provided all year round.

A popular place amongst French citizens and visitors from abroad, Lille has an abundance of hotels and varying accommodation types.From the popular campsite Le Camp des Roses, which is perfect for the whole family with games for children, areas for pets and lots of lush greenery, to the four star Hermitage Gantois with its contemporary design in the historic architecture, there is an accommodation the meet everyone’s needs in Lille.

A visit to Lille is recommended by both previous tourists and the locals who live their. Indulge in some fantastic food, taste some famous wine and, most importantly, don’t forget to check out the famous braderies the largest flea markets in Europe where you are guaranteed to grab yourself a bargain to take home!