Trens para Lille

Lille is the biggest city in north-east France. Since Eurostar started in 1994, Lille has opened its arms to millions of visitors from Britain who are invariably surprised at what they find. The city has a superb Old Town full of great value bars and restaurants. Throw in an edgy cultural scene and lots of nightlife and it’s no surprise that Lille nowadays pulls the crowds.

The city plays the Flemish card very strongly and there's a very Flanders feel about Lille. Make time, if you can, for the Hospice Comtesse Museum, housed in a former Flemish convent, which has a fine collection of paintings and tapestries from Flanders.

The Eurostar trains from London stop at Lille Europe station, where there are easy connections onto TGV services to regional cities across France, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Rennes and Strasbourg.

A second Lille station, about a 10-min walk from Lille Europe (or one station on metro line 2), is called Lille Flandres. It is the hub for local trains to other cities in northern France. It has a range of TGVs to provincial French cities, but the choice of departures is more limited than that at Lille Europe. Lille Flandres also has an excellent choice of cross-border services into Belgium, including hourly Intercités trains to Antwerp, Charleroi, Gent, Mons and Namur.