plafield

We were thinking we would like to spend some time in Lille on our way from Paris to Bruges. I understand that we will have to change train stations and am wondering if there is a place at either train station to store our luggage. Also, how far apart are the 2 stations from each other?

plafield

After some deep digging on the web I think I have the answer unless someone has more recent news. It appears that all luggage storage at both train stations in Lille were closed a few years ago due to security/terrorism issues so leaving luggage and checking out Lille on the way from Paris to Bruges is out unless we spend the night there.

GeoffHamer

The French authorities are paranoid about left luggage, and very few stations have anywhere to leave luggage. Lille has no left luggage. Cars can be parked close to the station and could potentially contain a much bigger bomb than a suitcase, so the logic baffles me.
Railway stations in Belgium, Holland and Germany have luggage lockers.
The two stations in Lille are about half a mile apart and it's a level signposted walk, or one stop on the metro.
Immediately outside Lille Flandres are bars, cafés and restaurants.

kerouac

1. The train stations are about 300 meters apart with a pedestrian esplanade between them.

2. No lockers at either train station for the moment and no left luggage office, according to the SNCF site.

3. No left luggage anywhere in Lille except at hotels according to the Lille tourist office site.

PalenQ

Operation Vigipirate i am told is still in force after a decade or so and it was the reason all luggage lockers in French stations were closed long ago - except the largest stations that can afford to have airport-like screening machines to pass your luggage thru. That said i am surprise that neither Lille station has such services, being the big town it is.

kerouac

I am surprised also. There are some smaller cities than Lille that have lockers in operation.

For those wondering, lockers in train stations now exist in France only in places that have an airport style x-ray screening machine to allow access into the locker room.

BTilke

The Gare du Midi in Brussels (where the Thalys would stop) also offers attended luggage. This option comes in handy if you have large suitcases and there are no large lockers available.

Both the lockers and attended luggage storage areas are in the new wing where the Thalys trains come in.

PalenQ

In the old day you could check your luggage on a train, pay a fee per bag and retrieve it in any station in europe practically

but that is a long-gone option now as railways seem to have gotten out of the luggage forwarding business and also due to terrorist fears i believe.

Only in Switzerland it seems is such an operation available and only domestically

Yet private firms like UPS, FedEx will do it just like at home

lifelist

Any updates to this? I did a bit of digging and there was a web page that suggested that Lille would have left luggage facilities in November of 2008. I'm wondering because I'm taking the Eurostar from Paris to London, and stopping off in Lille for a few hours to visit a customer before moving on.

kerouac

No lockers, but left luggage office at certain hours:

<i>Consignes manuelles
Accès "Atrium" côté accès "L" pour accéder à Euralille

du lundi au dimanche de 07:30 à 19:00

jours fériés de 07:30 à 19:00</i>