Lille for under £100 a night
WE POUND THE STREETS ... YOU REAP THERE WARDS!
LILLE’s population of more than 100,000 students — gives the capital of French Flanders a youthful energy and buzz. Plus, there’s plenty of affordable places to eat and drink, some compelling art galleries, an attractive old town and easy transport links — making the northern French city the perfect place for a weekend break.
Where to stay Hotel La Valiz
Handy for the Lille-Flandres railway and metro stations and the sprawling Westfield Euralille shopping centre, Hotel La Valiz is a stylish three-star that had a complete overhaul in 2018. B&B doubles from £67 (hotellavaliz.com)
Hotel de la Treille
In The heart of the cobbled old town, Hotel de la treille seems to blend in with its centuries-old neighbours despite being built in 1988. Its style mixes traditional with contemporary — bits of wrought iron and gilt with subtle dark tones and modern furnishings. Doubles from £74 (hoteldelatreille.com)
Hotel Brueghel
On a cobbled pedestrianised street near the main shopping area is Hotel Brueghel, which cheerfully mixes all sorts of architectural styles in its 19th-century interior. there’s an art deco wrought-iron lift, a 1920s reception desk and an ambience straight out of a Renoir painting. In contrast, its lightfilled rooms are breezily modern. Doubles from £71 (hotel-brueghel-lille.com)
Mama Shelter
PHILIPPE Starck’s funky yet affordable chain of hotels has an outpost in Lille a few minutes’ walk from the railway station. While the restaurant and public areas bear the usual stamp of vivid colours and wacky design, the bedrooms are more subdued. Doubles from £77 (mamashelter.com/lille)
Where to eat Beerstro
LILLE is firmly in beer territory and the Old town’s Beerstro is the place to combine delicious local beers (including 14 on tap) with equally tasty Flemish specialities in a classy atmosphere. Get the greatest hits on a plate with the mixed platter for two, featuring potjevleesch (ham terrine), pork rillettes, speck ham and some pungent northern French cheeses. (£17, beerstro.fr).
Chez Raoul
On The Old town’s Rue de Gand and you’ll pass a series of traditional Lille restaurants called estaminets, cosy places specialising in regional dishes. Look out for
Chez Raoul, which, like any other self-respecting estaminet, serves the Flemish version of a Welsh rarebit called, simply, Welsh (£12, chez-raoul-estaminet.fr).
HEIN
DESCRIBING itself as the ‘estaminet of the future’, bright HEIN combines a microbrewery and taproom with a restaurant in an industrial-chic setting. among the Welshes, burgers, steaks and sausages is another Flemish ribstickler, carbonade flamande, a wonderfully rich beef stew cooked in beer (£14, briquehouse.com).
How to get there
EUROTUNNEL (eurotunnel.com) has return fares from £164 for a car and up to nine passengers. Eurostar (eurostar.com) has St Pancras to Lille returns from £78pp.