How to Get Around Lille (with real examples)

Sarah Trivuncic French Travel france, lille 0 Comments

This guide to transport options in Lille covers what you need to know about getting to and around the city. It looks at arriving by Eurostar or driving to Lille, including where to park, as well as how to use the city’s metro, trams and buses. It also covers bike hire schemes and sightseeing tours to help you navigate Lille transport efficiently.

Getting To Lille on Eurostar

At only 90 minutes from London Saint Pancras, Eurostar is an obvious way to get to Lille. The Eurostar trains pull into Lille Europe station, which is around 15 minutes’ walk north of central Lille or a short metro ride away. 

Lille Europe is also served by long-distance TGV routes to cities such as Lyon and Montpellier without needing to change stations in Paris. 

Getting To Lille By Car

Alternatively, Lille is only 30 minutes from Dunkerque ferry port or 50 minutes from the Calais ferries or the Channel Tunnel making it equally convenient to arrive by car.

Lille is one of the cities covered by France’s Low Emission Mobility Zone scheme. Before travelling to France you can order a Crit’Air sticker to display in your windscreen. These are graded according to emission levels of your vehicle. The stickers cost around ten pounds and arrive by post in a few days. Vehicles with higher emissions may be restricted from driving in the zones when pollution levels are high.

Be mindful that whether you are on the French or Belgian side of the border, town names on road signs will be in French or Flemish accordingly. The Flemish name for Lille is Rijsel which can be confusing if you don’t know. Others to watch out for are Antwerp (Anvers in French), Gent (Gand), Kortrijk (Courtrai) and Ieper (Ypres). 

Parking In Lille

There are numerous long stay car parks in Lille, often run by Indigo. We have used the car park above Lille Europe station twice for long stays; we like it because it’s well-lit with direct access into the metro. You can drive straight into the Lille Europe car park from a slip road off the main ring road although there are cheaper places to park than this.

More central, and cheaper car parks include Parking Indigo Lille Plaza and Parking Indigo Lille Parc Vieux-Lille (pictured). Indigo Neo lets you prebook spaces if you set up an online account or you can drive in on arrival.

How Much Does It Cost To Park In Lille?

Expect to pay around 40 euros at Lille Europe per 24 hours but under 30 euros elsewhere in Lille. I can report that parking for 26 hours is charged at 26 hours rather than automatically tipping into a full second day. (The UK could take a lesson here!)

Paid French car parks tend to be pay-on-exit rather than guessing in advance how long you need. Parking charges tend to be lower than the UK, even in cities.

Do You Need A Car in Lille?

Whether taking a car to Lille is worthwhile depends on how many people are travelling and the relative prices for Eurostar tickets versus ferry or Channel Tunnel crossings.

Certainly you can get around Lille without a car although having one opens up the option to visit nearby cities such as Ypres over the Belgian border. Another benefit of taking the car is being able to fill the boot with goodies – Lille is stuffed with great shopping!

I would never take the car if travelling alone, but if it was several family members it might be cheaper than Eurostar, even after paying to park. 

Getting Around Lille (Public Transport)

Lille has a comprehensive public transport system operated by Ilévia. If you are using the Lille City Pass you can get a small discount. Otherwise journeys are 1.80 euros each.

The Lille Metro

Lille has two underground metro lines intersecting at Lille Flandres and Porte des Posts. Services run every 4-5 minutes. Trains are much smaller than Paris or London although the network is less busy. Services run until late evening. Tap your card at the barriers to board – there’s no need to tap out.

Whilst efficient for longer journeys, the metro isn’t terribly useful in central Lille as stops are far apart or journeys require changes at Lille Flandres. 

The Lille metro is useful but a bit grotty. Little changed since the 1970s, metro stations are shabby at best, downright filthy at worst. Lille transport stations are dark and dated, puddles and broken tiles are commonplace. 

The carriages themselves are fine and the seats are, thank goodness, plastic instead of upholstered. Long promised renovations are stuck behind hoardings. Nevertheless, the Lille metro is fast, reasonably reliable and the driverless carriages mean kids love playing “driver”.

Using Lille’s Trams

There are two tram lines going from Lille Flandres to Roubaix and Tourcoing. Services are around every 15 minutes although less often on Sundays. Tap your card on the terminal when boarding. The trams are more modern and cleaner than the metro. 

You won’t see the trams around the historic centre as they run underground into Lille Flandres. But most of the journey will be above ground – the Roubaix route follows an old boulevard with many early twentieth century villas along the way.

Using Lille’s Buses

Lille has a mix of “Navette” shuttle buses in the old town and long “bendy” buses reaching outlying areas. Simply tap your card when boarding. There are 140 routes including 12 “Lianes”, express routes with limited stops. 

Lille transport services are less frequent on Sundays. There is also one night bus route between the Pierre Mauroy stadium, the main centre and Douai.

For short-term visitors, buses are often less practical than the metro and trams as they tend to serve residential districts rather than link tourist attractions. 

That said, you’ll want a bus connection to reach LaM modern art museum in Villeneuve d’Ascq as it’s not near the metro or tram. I also wish buses went past the Zénith concert venue or Villa Cavrois but annoyingly they don’t and both involve some walking. 

Using SNCF Regional Rail

Regional rail services leave from Lille Flandres SNCF station. From here you can get local TER trains to places such as Calais, Dunkerque or Courtrai over the Belgian border. Non-TGV trains to Paris leave from here instead of Lille Europe.

An easy way for UK visitors to buy train tickets in France can be via the Trainline app which works for many SNCF/TER routes but not all. If it sells tickets for your chosen route, you’ll receive a QR code for the inspector to scan onboard. 

You can also buy paper tickets from machines in the station. You need to validate these before boarding by stamping them at the orange “composter votre billet” machines on the station concourse or platform. 

Bike Hire in Lille

Bikes can be a handy form of Lille transport to get to places such as the Citadel, or for exploring Saint-Sauveur and Fives. Although there are a growing number of bike lanes, the cobbles in Vieux Lille will be bumpy. You don’t need to take your own bike, there are a couple of options for visitors.

iLévia Docking Bikes in Lille

There are at least 30 docking areas and 260 docking stations for V’lille bikes, also operated by iLévia, around central Lille. These are free for rides under 30 minutes or 1.85 euros per 24 hours. You need to be over 14 years old to ride and set up an account in the iLévia app. 

Lime Bikes in Lille

Lime e-bikes can be hired throughout Lille. There are dockless bikes but unlike some cities you can’t end your ride unless you’re inside a designated parking zone which keeps things tidier. I cannot comment how effective this is. You don’t need a separate French Lime account.

Tourist Transport Experiences in Lille

If you’d like to sightsee whilst someone else does the driving and navigating, Lille has several options available. All three of these tours leave from Palais Rihour.

Sightseeing City Tour By Bus

The Impérial City Tour of Lille by bus lasts 75-90 minutes taking in key sights around the city centre with an audio tour. It runs twice daily and costs around 18 euros or comes included with the Lille City Pass.

Tradi’Balade Vintage Car Tours

You can’t fail to notice the rallies of brightly coloured Citroën 2CVs zipping around the middle of Lille. Tradi’Balade offer a memorable way to see Lille in themed rides lasting 30-90 minutes. 

The price per person ranges from around 40-80 euros according to tour length and group size. You can combine the vintage car ride with activities such as food tastings or solving a mystery!

Happymoov Vélo-Taxi Rides

A novel form of Lille transport is a Happymoov Vélo-Taxi ride. Journeys around Lille are charged per vehicle not per person. Two people can enjoy the tours lasting one hour.  Pre-booking is recommended, cheaper online and essential on Sundays or public holidays. 

Don’t Forget Walking!

Much of Lille’s historic centre is pedestrianised or low traffic areas, which often makes walking more practical than public transport. The narrow streets of Vieux Lille are filled with decorative buildings and perfect for taking your time to absorb details. Most attractions in central Lille are within 20 minutes’ walk of the Grand Place. 

If you spend your time around downtown Lille rather than visiting sites in Roubaix, Tourcoing or Villeneuve d’Ascq, you could see everything on foot if you don’t mind walking everywhere. Naturally there are plenty of French cafes to take a break.

Even a metro trip three stops away to Wazemmes would only take 30 minutes to walk back to the city centre. Long avenues in Lille are increasingly being landscaped with shrubs and cycle paths making them pleasant places to walk. 

What To Read Next

• If you are planning a visit to Lille you may save money on museums and Lille transport by using the Lille City Pass – read my honest review for real life costs and visitor tips.
• Or see How To Spend Three Days In Lille by reading my detailed itinerary about our busy weekend including a day trip to Roubaix, various museums and Wazemmes Market. 
• If you prefer a slower pace in a more natural setting, I have written about Things To Do In The Somme For A Relaxing Weekend. 

Have you visited Lille? How did you travel around on Lille transport? Let me know in the comments!

Originally published on Maison Cupcake

Is Lille City Pass Worth It? Honest Review With Savings Tips

Sarah Trivuncic French Travel france, lille 0 Comments

The Lille City Pass can help you access the best galleries, museums and attractions. Lille and its surrounding towns are well connected and packed with things to do; culture, shopping, open spaces. It’s no surprise Lille is a hugely popular weekend break destination meriting repeat visits to enjoy its food, architecture and vibrant atmosphere.

This article will cover how the Lille City Pass works, who might get the most out of it, realistic itineraries and several examples of how you might save money.

Where to Buy Lille City Pass

Unlike similar city tourist passes i.e. Brussels, the Lille City Pass is a plastic card. The mobile app is only a directory, there isn’t a digital version of the pass as yet.

Ordering Online: You can order passes through the Hello Lille website, although 10 days’ processing time is cautioned to receive your pass by post. Once purchased, it’s valid for one year and your 24-72 hour window kicks in once you start using it.

Buying In Person: Face to face purchases of City Pass can be made at Lille’s tourist office in the Palais de Rihour and Rihour metro stop. Whilst the better option at the last minute, queuing and form filling (so French!) may eat into your morning. We had our passes within 15 minutes in early March but it may take longer in high season.

What Do You Get With Lille City Pass?

The Lille City Pass grants access to around twenty attractions and guided tours in the Lille Metropolitan area including Roubaix, Tourcoing and Villeneuve d’Ascq. Using the pass can save money compared to usual admission rates.

The pass itself is a credit card-sized ticket presented in a slim wallet with a city map and booklet summarising Lille’s heritage sites, parks, activities and shopping districts.

The City Guide booklet mixes attractions that are free with the pass, free to all anyway, or paid admission but aren’t covered by the pass – this can be a little confusing to unpick.

The packs are issued in English, Dutch or French as you wish.

What Does Lille City Pass Cost?

The rate per day gets cheaper depending whether you buy a 24, 48, or 72 hour pass. The 72 hour pass is most economical and you can easily fill an itinerary for Three Days In Lille.

In 2026, the cost was:

• 24 hours – 25 euros
• 48 hours – 35 euros
• 72 hours – 45 euros

Is It Worth Adding Public Transport?

For 4 euros supplement, you can add 24 hours’ pass for Lille public transport – saving 1.50 euros on standard day pass rate. Single journeys would otherwise cost 1.80 euros. I have written about How To Get Around Lille in a detailed separate post covering public transport, bike hire and sightseeing tours.

The rechargeable Ilévia network pass is physically glued to the back of your Lille City Pass. The 24 hours begins with your first journey so your transport pass may expire at a slightly different time to the City Pass itself.

Who Should Buy Lille City Pass?

The City Pass is Best For…

Museum Lovers: Culture Vultures will get plenty of value out of the Lille City Pass. There are around five large museums on the pass and a dozen smaller ones.

Guided Tour Fans: If you enjoy organised tours, the City Pass offers two types of bus tour and a walking tour of Vieux Lille.

If you are doing at least one organised tour plus at least one big museum, a City Pass makes sense.

The City Pass Is Not As Good For…

Shoppers and Foodies: If you’ve come to Lille primarily to go shopping, eat lazy lunches or enjoy open spaces, you may not find time left to make the City Pass worthwhile.

Small Museums: Most smaller attractions cost under 8 euros. If you are visiting Lille for 1-2 days, and only visit a couple of cheaper attractions, you may not save money.

Which Attractions Are Included in Lille City Pass

Museums and Galleries – Large and Small

The City Pass gets you into over a dozen art galleries and museums although the biggest ones are quite far apart. The biggest (and highest cost) sites are:

• Musée des Beaux-Arts in central Lille
• La Piscine in Roubaix
• Villa Cavrois on the way to Roubaix
• LaM modern art museum in Villeneuve d’Ascq
• Le MUba Eugène Leroy in Tourcoing

There are several smaller and cheaper sites, all walkable in central Lille:

• Maison Natale Charles de Gaulle – outskirts of Vieux Lille
• Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse – central Vieux Lille
• L’Institut Pasteur – south east of central Lille
• Le Beffroi – Belfry Tower, close to L’Institut Pasteur.

There are additional sites outside of central Lille. You’d never manage them all, even in 72 hours.

Guided Tours of Lille

Lille Bus Tour: The bus tour circles the city centre for 75-90 minutes. Depending when you go, it runs 1-2 times daily and may be a single decker or open-top double decker. (There’s a cover if it rains).

The bus can be slow in traffic although it whizzes around bits of the ring road. It is good for new visitors getting their bearings or to reduce time walking. The audio guide is in several languages and informative if slightly corny.

That said, the bus tour passed several places we’d missed on prior trips – such as Porte de Paris and the Quai du Wault. Being on the top deck offers a different vantage point.

Vieux Lille Walking Tours: There’s a 2 hour guided tour of Lille’s old town every afternoon. As my husband doesn’t speak French, we didn’t do this. A weekly English tour runs on Saturday mornings.

Public Transport in Lille

If your itinerary is due to include places such as Roubaix or Tourcoing, it is a no-brainer to add this to the pass. As you can read on my 3 days in Lille itinerary, we went to Villa Cavrois and La Piscine in Roubaix requiring public transport.

Which Attractions To Prioritise?

Best High Value Attractions

The most expensive items accessible with the City Pass are:

• Bus tour (18 euros)
• Walking tour (11-12 euros)
• LaM modern art museum (9-11 euros)
• Villa Cavrois (11 euros)
• La Piscine (11 euros)

Most other things, even the rich fine art collection at Lille’s Musée des Beaux-Arts, cost around 6-8 euros.

Roubaix offers several attractions close together (Villa Cavrois, La Manufacture, La Piscine) however Villa Cavrois is nearly 30 minutes’ walk from a tram that only runs every 15 minutes. La Piscine and La Manufacture each involve 15 minute walks in opposite directions from the metro or tramline. You will clock up a high step count reaching all of these.

The Lille Bus Tour is easiest on the feet. That said, it only runs twice daily and there’s not a hop on/hop off option. A pity, as it reaches areas that merit exploring on foot.

A Few Lille Visitor’s Tips:

• Account for Travel Time: Several attractions are 45 minutes on public transport from central Lille; some require bus connections or long walks beyond metro and tram stops. How much you can fit in depends on your start location and appetite for early starts/long days.
• Sunday transport timetables: We noticed public transport connections were far less frequent on Sundays – for instance if travelling to LaM in Villeneuve d’Ascq. You don’t want to spent vital pass time waiting for buses do you?
• Lunchtime Closures: The bigger sites tend to stay open all day; some smaller ones shut for lunch. Check opening hours carefully to maximise your time.
• The Belfry: Lets you book slots for the first hour of the day only. After that you queue and have to wait for people to leave until you can go up.

Our Real Life Itinerary Using 72 Hour Lille City Pass

We paid 49 euros each for our 72 hour passes including 24 hours’ public transport. We thought we’d done well getting 65 euros’ worth of benefits thus saving 16 euros per person. Although I’ve since considered there were potential savings of up to 50 euros each if we’d really maxed our savings to the full.

This is what we spent during my Lille 3 Days Itinerary using City Pass:

Day 1 (with transport pass)
18 euros – Bus Tour
5.5 euros – 24 hours’ public transport
11 euros – Villa Cavrois, Roubaix
11 euros – La Piscine, Roubaix
Day 2
8 euros – Maison Natale Charles de Gaulle
7 euros – Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse
Day 3
7.5 euros – Lille Belfry Tower
7 euros – Musée des Beaux-Arts

Standard Costs Per Person: 65 euros
City Pass Cost with Transport: 49 euros
Amount Saved Per Person: 16 euros
Potential Savings Per Person: 50 euros – as explained below

How To Get Even More Value From City Pass

Had we organised our time slightly differently we might also have squeezed in an extra museum per day:

• Day 1 : La Manufacture textile factory museum at Roubaix (6 euros) before La Piscine (which was open later that day);
• Day 2: Vieux Lille walking tour (11 euros) if we’d taken a shorter lunch;
• Day 3: Louis Pasteur Museum (6 euros) instead of visiting Wazemmes market.
• Day 4: LaM or MUba Eugène Leroy before 72 hours ran out at 11am
• These changes would have increased our savings to 50 euros per person.

Also, we didn’t start using our 72 hour pass until 11am, and we could have still used it until 10.59am on the fourth day. For instance you might start with a bus tour at 11am on day one then finish with one of the bigger museums entering before 11am on the final day. This could stretch the time-value of your City Pass by several hours.

Nor did we maximise our 24 hours’ transport access – we effectively skipped half a day’s valid access until lunchtime as our last journey was taken the evening before.

More Suggested Itineraries For Lille City Pass

Best Lille Itinerary For Maximum Savings

72 hours with public transport option: Make sure you do at least one tour and tick off any three of the big museums and a couple of smaller ones. As explained above you can potentially save 15-50 euros. See the list above or my 3 Days in Lille post.

An Itinerary in Central Lille

24 hours but no public transport option: Do the bus tour in the morning, Maison Natale Charles de Gaulle over lunchtime, the walking tour at 3pm then Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse before it closes. You’ll pay 25 euros for 44 euros’ worth within easy walking distance plus any other gains made first thing next day – booking an early slot for the Belfry Tower is a good option or try the Pasteur Museum on opening.

Itineraries Using Lille Public Transport

24 hours with public transport option: Use the pass to visit multiple bigger ticket attractions such as Villa Cavrois / La Manufacture / La Piscine in Roubaix with public transport. You’ll save around 4 euros on day one but could still manage to enter one more big museum before the 24 hours expires – Musée des Beaux-Arts or LaM would bump the savings up to 15 euros and keep you busy until at least lunchtime.

Other Ways to Save Money Without Lille City Pass

The City Pass isn’t the only way to save money on Lille museum admissions. The rates mentioned are standard adult entry but it’s often cheaper for students or adults under 26 who qualify for lower rates or even free entry. Further ways to save money without buying the pass are:

• Combined Ticket to Villa Cavrois / La Piscine (saves 2 euros)
• La Piscine is free for late opening 6-8pm on Fridays
• Pre-booking online can shave a couple of euros off some entry costs
• LaM at Villeneuve d’Ascq grants 2 euros off to validated transport pass holders
• Some museums are free on first Sunday of the month

What’s Not Included In Lille City Pass

Paid-entry sites in Lille Not included on the City Pass:

• Lille’s Cathedral Crypt
• Tours of Lille Opera House
• Le Musée d’Illusion (opposite Euralille)
• Inside The Citadel (pre-booked with official guide only)
• Science Museum and Planetarium (Villeneuve d’Ascq)
• Lille Natural History Museum (currently closed for refurbishment – is normally big-ticket attraction included on the pass)
• Lille Zoo
• Maison Verte (art nouveau house in Roubaix)

Other Tours and Activities Not Included

The constantly visible Citroën 2CV tours zipping around the city in bright vintage cars are booked separately for around 70 euros. The Hello Lille Tourism website lets you book a number of organised activities such as guided visits to Fives écoquartier or Palais Rameau as well as a variety of food or drink related tastings geared around beer, chocolate and more.

Lille also hosts a multitude of festivals throughout the year which would add colour to your visit outside of the City Pass. These are mostly ticketed but some such as September’s Lille Braderie antiques fair or watching the Paris-Roubaix bike race are free.

My Honest Verdict on Lille City Pass

The City Pass really only works if you commit to multiple museums and activities. In theory our 16 euros saving was potentially only 7 euros – because our visit coincided with the free Friday late entry at La Piscine and a random free entry at Musée des Beaux-Arts.

Yet, as I outlined above, we could have saved up to 50 euros. Whilst theoretically possible, it’s hard even for enthusiastic museum-goers to keep up that kind of pace. Prioritising doing only activities on the pass distracts from simply soaking up Lille’s atmosphere.

Apart from pre-booked early belfry tower visits, nothing is open before 10am. Apart from Friday lates at La Piscine, last entries to museums are around 5pm. Given how far apart attractions can be, and opening windows, big savings are possible but hard work.

That said, the City Pass encouraged us to see places we may have passed over; we were nudged to visit a lot in 72 hours and it was memorable doing so. You should definitely do the Lille City Pass once and definitely visit Lille again regardless.

Our City Pass definitely saved us some money on day one and overall, but it was borderline whether we saved money on days two and three. In fact on day three and the final hours of the 72 hour pass, we didn’t save anything, although this wasn’t the fault of the pass, rather our choices.

And although I’ve been to Roubaix several times, I’ve not yet been to Villeneuve d’Ascq or Tourcoing, each of which have plenty to do. I guess I may end up buying another 72 hour pass after all!

What To Read Next

• I have written about How To Get Around Lille in a detailed separate post covering public transport, bike hire and sightseeing tours.
• For inspiration How To Spend Three Days in Lille read my visitors guide with real life itineraries over a long weekend.

Have you visited any of these attractions in Lille? Did you use the City Pass? How do you think it compares with other tourist passes? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Originally published on Maison Cupcake