Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: andrewc on 24 September, 2018, 07:46:39 pm

Title: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: andrewc on 24 September, 2018, 07:46:39 pm
Just booked a long weekend in Lille , 2-5th November, staying at https://hotel-brueghel-lille.com/en/ in the city centre


What's to do ?   I'll be doing lots of walking around & visiting the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_des_Beaux-Arts_de_Lille , anything else that's a must see ?


I'm hoping for decent beer bars & hearty Northern food,  so any recommendations welcome. 
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: yoav on 24 September, 2018, 08:13:24 pm
Go and see the Roubaix velodrome. Roubaix, a suburb of Lille, is a bit of a dump but the velodrome is an icon of cycling. Don't forget to visit the shower block under the grandstand.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: Canardly on 24 September, 2018, 08:25:58 pm
Lille used to have a very good Philharmonic.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: Wowbagger on 24 September, 2018, 09:59:19 pm
My daughter had a colleague whose parents lived in Lille. They invited a few of the cliquey teachers there for a long weekend. This particular family kept a very fine cellar and they were pissed most of the time I think. I don't know that Lille is particularly noted for its wines but I recall being told that there was a lot of champagne around.

My googling discovered this 14-year-old Guardian article (good vingate,2004...) about Lille being the European Capital of Culture. I don't know if it will be o any help.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/feb/08/lille.france.observerescapesection
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: pcolbeck on 25 September, 2018, 10:35:48 am
I think they are supposed to have a spectacular flea market on Sundays if thats your kind of thing.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: andrewc on 05 November, 2018, 11:51:46 am
So, Last morning in Lille, a nice place to visit, lots of shops, bars & restaurants, old quarter is quaint & pretty. Musee Beaux Arts was good (and free as it was the first Sunday of the month) Lots of English being spoken, but no stag or hen parties that I’ve seen. Lots of homeless & beggars, it seems worse than central Paris.  :(


All told a good destination for a quiet, civilised weekend.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: pcolbeck on 05 November, 2018, 02:18:11 pm
Hey we overlapped ! We were in Lille Wednesday to Friday last week after three days in Strasbourg. I liked Strasbourg better but Lille was nice too.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: Canardly on 05 November, 2018, 05:18:26 pm
I was somewhat taken aback to read that some 9 million people in France earn less than 1008 euros a month. (including households with 3 million kids).
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: telstarbox on 05 November, 2018, 05:26:22 pm
Subscribing.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: pcolbeck on 05 November, 2018, 07:46:03 pm
I was somewhat taken aback to read that some 9 million people in France earn less than 1008 euros a month. (including households with 3 million kids).

May not be as bad as it seems. If that's in the South there are far less heating costs plus there seems to be a generally higher density of population in the middle of cities so less transport costs (and public transport is far cheaper anyway). Also property seems a lot cheaper. I'm no expert and am prepared to be completely wrong but that's my gut feeling ie they aren't blowing a lot of money on some of the things we are.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: giropaul on 05 November, 2018, 08:05:55 pm
I was somewhat taken aback to read that some 9 million people in France earn less than 1008 euros a month. (including households with 3 million kids).

As the Chancellor’s boast about how many he has taken out of taxindicates,  it seems a huge number in the UK earn much less than that.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: andrewc on 10 November, 2018, 12:42:39 am

https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewclark/albums/72157701855956981


Photos from my long weekend in Lille.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: rafletcher on 10 November, 2018, 11:55:41 am
I was somewhat taken aback to read that some 9 million people in France earn less than 1008 euros a month. (including households with 3 million kids).

That’ll be declared income. The favourite sport of the French seems to be avoiding tax. Plus rents are cheap, many will still live on family farms and feed themselves. It’ll change as th3 kids who’ve left for the cities and live a completely different life come on stream.
Title: Re: Lille - long weekend, what to do & where to go
Post by: citoyen on 10 November, 2018, 12:13:49 pm
My googling discovered this 14-year-old Guardian article (good vingate,2004...) about Lille being the European Capital of Culture. I don't know if it will be o any help.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/feb/08/lille.france.observerescapesection

Last time I went to Lille was 1997 so your information is a bit more up to date than mine, at least. We stayed in a very nice hotel and had dinner in a very nice restaurant but that’s about as much detail as I can recall.