Bonjour, Lille

My Christmas visit to a French wonder.

Every winter I plan to visit a different European city from now on. Last year I had the pleasure of going to beautiful Antwerp during the Christmas period and I have now gained a taste for Christmas markets. So this December I decided to visit the northern French city of Lille.

Check out last December’s Antwerp post below:

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Stepping off of the Eurostar, I was excited by the large Eurolille station and surrounding city. My train journey was only one hour and twenty minutes long (from St Pancras, London) and suddenly I was in a hub of colour and decoration.

Walking across a road bridge into the main centre, I quickly found our hotel, where I dropped off my bags before going right back out to explore this intriguing setting.

My eyes were delighted by a very festive centre, hustling and bustling with people, lit by glowing decorations and immersed in a Christmassy vibe.

Lille is well connected, being on the northern France border with Belgium and having two train stations. One focuses on travel between nations while the other is for more local rail travel.

The Opera House was the first building I came across. Such intricate designs adorned this bold building which sat next to a few fairground rides. Nearby is the Grand Place, usually a large open square, currently filled with stalls, a stunning Christmas tree and a huge Ferris Wheel.

Greeted by such a sparkly city, I was relieved that I had made the decision to visit wonderful Lille. It had been a gamble as I knew very little about the place, but had been intrigued every time I travelled through it on my many visits to mainland Europe.

I cannot wait to find out more about this historic city. Have you ever been to this under-promoted French destination?

Check back with me for more articles about this lovely place. In the meantime have a look at my Top Five European Cities post from earlier in the year.