Lille, France
Self Catering Lille Holiday Homes, Cottages and Gites
Lille is an impressive city situated in northern France. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the prefecture of the Nord department. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium. When you choose a Lille Holiday Gite, it’s interesting to note that its name comes from insula or l'Isla – translating as "the island", since the area was at one time marshy.
Lille features an array of architectural styles with various amounts of Flemish influence, including the use of brown and red brick. In addition, many residential neighborhoods, especially in Greater Lille, consist of attached 2–3 story houses aligned in a row, with narrow gardens in the back. When you rent a holiday home in Lille, points of interest include: the main square, Place du Général-de-Gaulle, better known as the "Grand'place", it has many impressive historic houses, like the neo-Flemish headquarters of local newspaper La Voix du Nord, and a fountain with the statue of a goddess, "la Grande Déesse" (1843).
It’s worth taking a stroll through the old quarter of the city when you stay in a Lille Holiday Cottage. The area, known as Vieux Lille – is typified by quiet, cobble-stone streets, a variety of stylish designer shops, gourmet restaurants, and the modern Cathédrale Notre Dame de la Treille – otherwise known as Lille Cathedral. More notable streets like Rue de la Monnaie and Rue Esquermoise are definitely worth a visit.
Other sites of interest when you stay in self catering accommodation in Lille include: Citadel of Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, Jardin botanique de la Faculté de Pharmacie, Jardin botanique Nicolas Boulay and Jardin des Plantes de Lille.
Lille is an important crossroads in the European high-speed rail network: it lies on the Eurostar line to London and the French TGV network to Paris, Brussels and other major centres in France. It takes less than an hour to arrive in Lille via the Eurostar from London’s Kings cross station.
No fewer than five autoroutes pass by Lille, the densest confluence of highways in France after Paris. The Auto route A25 means travel from ports including Dunkirk and Calais make reaching Lille quick and convenient. Charles de Gaulle Paris airport is the most convenient if you prefer to fly and then continue by train.
Lille can be described as having a temperate oceanic climate; summers do not reach high temperatures, but winters can fall below zero temperatures. Precipitation is above average year round.