The city of Lille itself is supposed to be the third biggest city in France, but this is only calculated by including some huge conurbations in the surrounding countryside and suburban sprawl. The actual city centre of Lille itself, within the peripherique motorway is quite small. You can walk all round in a day and on a three day trip we found ourselves retracing our own footsteps several times. Upon arrival at the Lille Europe Eurostar station we had decided to take a taxi to get to our hotel, for convenience and because the amount of time allowed was tight. But once we got to know our way around we discovered it wouldn’t have been too far to walk, and that’s what we did on the way back again. The Lille Europe station is a huge modern edifice right next to an imposing modern shopping mall, but once you walk through there, or indeed around the side, the old city is just a few minutes away and you need never re-enter the dalek city until it’s time to go home again.

Our hotel was an experiment in budget accommodation that I wouldn’t really recommend. At half the price of a conventional hotel room, the Apparthotel sounded to good to be true with cooking facilities included in the deal, and indeed it was. The service was really weird, with nobody being there at the reception at the time advertised as being manned. So we had to wait around with a bunch of other people who were all tapping away at their smart phones. One of them got through to the management or somebody who then dictated the combination number for the safe in the reception are, and lo and behold the safe opened and inside were a bunch of envelopes. One had our name on it and contained the keys to the room (scary digital keys) and documentation. So that was OK, kind of , but if we’d bothered to check Google street view before booking we’d have known that the building was right next to the busy motorway periperique road. So we were in for a noisy night, or a hot one with the windows closed.

But there are plenty of other hotels to choose from when booking city breaks in Lille Europe, so don’t let the apparthotel experience put you off. It doesn’t really matter too much how central you are either, because out in the Grand Palais area where we ended up, it was still only about twenty minutes walk into the city centre, whether the old Flanders Station area of the big square. And then only another 5 minutes into the old town area, where all the nice markets, restaurants and bars are.  In the big square by the Opera and the old Stock Exchange, I’d recommend the Chicory Restaurant – La Chicoree which has been there for years, does all the traditional flemmish dishes and is open all hours. The food is just wonderful whether you have a simple steak and chips or the special waterzoi  fish stew, carbonade or a local speciality – mussels. The beer is great wherever you go too. Leffe is the most popular, served in 25, 33 or 50cl glasses ice cold but after a while you must try some of the other brews,  perhaps a Affligem or one of the biere Ambrees from the local micro brew pubs.

I’ve said that Lille has a small enough city centre, and that makes it less hectic than big city breaks in Europe liek Paris or London, but Lille is very much a city base for city type activities. There is precious little green space around and the cars are almost everywhere. Make the most of the pedestrianized areas in the old town and the quiet area around the half finished cathedral.

So enjoy Lille for the food and drink, the flemish culture  and history as well as being a very accessible french city on the main Eurostar route.

City Breaks Europe – Lille set on Flickr

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Travel and Leisure 2010 World Cup, all inclusive holiday destination,
all inclusive holidays in Turkey, all-inclusive resorts, city breaks,
Holidays in Europe, holidays to bargain resorts.

Ideas For Weekend Breaks

Find out more about Weekend breaks in the UK. There are many great
destinations in the UK in which to take weekend breaks. It’s worth
visiting as much of Britain as you can, after all, why go abroad.
Stratford-upon-Avon is also home to the very beautiful Holy Trinity
Church, an oasis of calm away from the town where both Shakespeare and
Anne Hathaway are buried, as well as Europe’s largest butterfly park,
which both children and adults can enjoy during a UK city break.

Top destinations for Brits in 2010 includes many all inclusive city
breaks packages

Holidays in Europe where countries aren’t part of the Euro will remain
popular choices as many holidaymakers don’t just go to sunny or
tropical countries for sun, sea and sand.

Cheap Flights to Amsterdam

Always book in advance to avail best offers for your next short city
breaks in Europe or Overseas. Booking in advance can save your money
while looking for a budget or low cost flights.

Prague is famous for many charm and is also known as the traditional
culture center of the Europe. The city also hosts Film Festivals,
Music Festivals, a Writers Festival, and Fashion Shows. Culture life
of the Prague is very generous here. The most popular tourist
attractions that you can’t afford to miss while you are on a Prague
city breaks are museums and art galleries. The picturesque town of
Czech Republic catch the attention of millions of tourists every year.

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London has always been associated with being an expensive city, but with new figures stating the contrary, we are expecting more travellers to take advantage of London’s tourism offerings, as well as discover other notable emerging travel spots around the UK.

London is a gateway city for other famous landmarks and tourist attractions in the UK, so with a more affordable London, we look forward to receiving more regional travellers looking to take advantage of major events and attractions throughout the country.

The Price Comparison report studied 26 products in 33 different countries across the world. It showed that Oslo was the most expensive city for the third year running.

The report claimed that London is more affordable than Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

London has fallen dramatically down a list of the world’s most expensive cities as retailers slash prices in an effort to stimulate consumer spending, according to a new global study.

The authoritative International Price Comparison annual report compares the average retail price of 26 of the world’s most popular consumer goods in 33 countries.

The latest findings provide the most tangible evidence yet that retail prices in the UK have significantly dropped. In 2007, London was the second most expensive city on the planet but it is now the 14th cheapest out of the 33 countries audited – below the global average for the overall cost of goods. According to the PriceRunner.co.uk London prices have dropped in a number of product categories this year, including a 33cl takeaway coffee (from £1.83 to £1.63); a litre of milk (£1.03 to £0.86); and even a Big Mac (£2.45 to £2.29).

And as retailers continue to drop prices in an effort to stimulate high street spending PriceRunner predicts that – if the trend continues – London may soon earn a reputation as being one of the cheapest cities in the world.

An Industry spokesman said: “London, New York and Paris are often held up as cities with a very high cost of living. While Paris is still the fourth most expensive place on the planet, New York is now the fourth cheapest – and remarkably, even prices in London have dropped below the global average. London is now significantly cheaper than many competitive destinations, including Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and Berlin.”

Technorati Tags: amsterdam, berlin, city break, city breaks, city breaks europe, comparison report, consumer spending, cost, dublin, EUROPE, famous landmarks, global study, international price comparison, LONDON, london prices, PARIS, retail prices, tourist attractions in the uk, travel

Served by all the major international airlines, Amsterdam Schiphol
Airport (AMS) is considered to be one of the finest in Europe in terms
of both its facilities and efficiency, located 8.7 miles (14 km) SW of
Amsterdam. The unique appeal of short breaks in Amsterdam lies in the
city’s enjoyably vibrant atmosphere and the famous network of
picturesque canals.

Top 5 things to do in Amsterdam

1. Hang out in Amsterdam’s famous Dam Square

The square is a great meeting place and home to the Royal Palace
(Koninklijk Paleis).

2. Visit the Museum Quarter

Museum Square boasts three major museums, the Riijksmuseum, the Van
Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. The Riijksmuseum
is a must for serious art lovers as works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jacob
van Ruisdael and Jan Steen are housed together in a single wing called
the ‘Masterpieces’ exhibit. Don’t miss the Van Gogh museum which has
the most extensive collection of his work, drawings and personal
documents in the world.

3. Hire a bike!

A bike is the best way to explore the city. With the numerous canals
and hidden streets, you’ll cover a lot more ground this way. If you
want to make sure you don’t miss anything take an organised bike tour.

4. Drop in on Rembrandt’s House

Get a glimpse into the artists’ private world in his house containing
a collection of over 250 etchings.

5. Walk the canals

Take a guided tour through Amsterdam’s extensive canal district.

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Technorati Tags: Bulgaria, capitals of europe, city break, city breaks europe, EUROPE, Sofia, sofia bulgaria, Sofia City

The top ten most visited city break European destinations for romantic
short breaks by couples are:

Rome
Paris
Barcelona
Prague
Venice
Florence
Berlin
Riga
Krakow
Milan

Riga and Krakow are the new rising stars on the European city breaks itinerary.

Technorati Tags: city breaks, city breaks europe, paris breaks, romantic city breaks

Lille is one of the lest well known treasure for city breaks Europe, not being a capital city or having a famous airport but when the mayor of Lille negotiated to make sure the new Eurostar service from Paris to London woul dhave an international station at Lille, the future for the northern city as a tourist destination was assured. Historically, the city Lille and surroundings were once part the flemish area of northern Europe, and it is now very much a part of France although the Flemish influence is evident in some of the historic building around the old centre of Lille, and in some of the traditions such as holding a Christmas market every November.

Modern Lille has a huge shopping centre, with all the big French shops so that makes it an interesting candidate for eurostar deals from London, including day trips for shoppers. The journey time from London St Pancras to Lille-Europe station is under 1 1/2 hours!

But never mind day trips, if you want to get to know a lot more about the people and customs of Lille take a few days to make it into one of the most delightful city breaks. Europe has few places left that have been untrampled by international travellers from overseas but Lille is a city with a character that remains 100% northern European.

City Breaks Europe – Lille : How to get there

From London, Paris or Brussels the Eurostar direct fast speed train service is by far the best way to travel to Lille. Similarly, you can make good rail connections from say Manchester or Amsterdam. If you want to bring a car, then the autoroute system in France is very fast and efficient but you will have to pay a toll for longer journeys. Parking in Lille is problematic so when planning city breaks, Europe has great railway systems and cheap airlines whereas the old cities were never really designed for modern traffic conditions so wherever possible it’s best to leave the motor behind.

Technorati Tags: city breaks, city breaks europe, eurostar deals, france, lille

Looking mainly at tourists from Britain, the main favourite city breaks, Europe wide are Rome, Paris and Barcelona.

Romantic city breaks in Europe

There are some great city break deals to be found staying in some of the most romantic cities in Europe. Of course Paris, in France – the great city of love, comes first. There are some very good, economical Paris city breaks available, whether ypu travel by air from England’s regional airports or by Eurostar from the centre of London. You might also consider some of the other major European cities though, such as Amsterdam or Venice, or Stokholm. There are also the new eastern city breaks europe in Prague, Ljubliana, St Petersburg, Dubrovnik etc which can be very reasonably priced and are now served by frequent airline services to and from Britain. Prague is a brilliant example of Eastern European culture with buildings and architecture and it’s an amazing place to see especially when the snow has fallen.

It may help to think in terms of these three general types of short breaks, although of course you can break out of the categories and form your own unique style or design when it comes to picking a theme.

1) City breaks: Europe’s cities are not the only beautiful, interesting locations, but they often are the place where culture and history are most obviously accessible. The great cities of Europe also provide long walks, old and new parts of town, public transport, and inexpensive guided tours that show first time visitors all the main sights and hot spots.

2) Train breaks. Taking to the railways is often the best choice for a short or long weekend break for several reasons. It is far more environmentally friendly, a lot easier with baggage and security, and it also allows you to soak up the sights of your chosen city break destination. In addition, nearly every destination in Europe is accessible by rail travel. For especially appealing weekend breaks, consider taking the train to Dublin, Edinburgh, or Stockholm.

3) Culture breaks. Europe has a wealth of cultural centres in the form of museums, art galleries, theatres and opera houses, many of which can be taken in during a weekend break in just one city if the choice is made with care. Again, Paris comes top of the list but there’s also London, Edinburgh, Florence, Berlin, Copenhagen and Bruges to consider. I’d like to single out Budapest though:

Budapest consists of two separate cities, Buda and Pest, located opposite each other on the river Danube. The Buda half is very cultural, with many cafes, bars, music and a classic intellectual coffee scene. Pest is the commercial centre , but also home to some museums, the fantastic riverside Parliament and the recently restored Cathedral of St. Stephen.

Barcelona is Spain’s second largest city and the capital of Catalonia, an old nation with it’s own language that once spanned across much of the western mediterranean. The city has a wealth of unique historic architecture and has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe during the 1990s. Barcelona has amazing Gaudi and gothic architecture, some nice beaches and a wonderful port area with fine seafood restaurants.

Cheap weekend city breaks, Europe

If sticking to a budget is yoyur main priority or you simply can’t resist a bargain then here are a couple of surprises for you:

Reykjavik in Iceland at the moment is relatively affordable to get to and accommodation etc once there is currently very cheap. The effect of the credit crunch and banking system problems have made Reykjavik a cheap place to visit. Krakow in Poland is another bargain destination, cheap to get to and accommodations is even cheaper, making it one of the most affordable city breaks Europe wide.

Technorati Tags: budapest, city breaks, city breaks europe, culture breaks, dubrovnik, paris breaks, romantic city breaks, train breaks