Lille Flea Market - September 09
Aug 5th, 2009, 07:32 AM
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Lille Flea Market - September 09
Has anyone been to the Lille Flea Market? I absolutely LOVE European markets and based on what I read, this flea market sounds incredible! I'd love to hear about any first hand experience.
In terms of hotels, I found that the Hotel L'Hermitage Gantois has availability. It sounds like the market is city wide so no matter where you stay, would be a good location? Having never been to Lille, I'm not sure of that?? Would this hotel be a good option or are there other hotels that are better located?
And yes, I'm already planning on packing an empty suitcase!
Thanks!
In terms of hotels, I found that the Hotel L'Hermitage Gantois has availability. It sounds like the market is city wide so no matter where you stay, would be a good location? Having never been to Lille, I'm not sure of that?? Would this hotel be a good option or are there other hotels that are better located?
And yes, I'm already planning on packing an empty suitcase!
Thanks!
Aug 6th, 2009, 10:55 AM
#3
I promise myself to go to La Grande Braderie every year, and every year I miss it. It is the largest street market in Europe.
Maybe this year... but I would have to make it a day trip from Paris by car just in case I started buying stuff.
Maybe this year... but I would have to make it a day trip from Paris by car just in case I started buying stuff.
Aug 6th, 2009, 12:38 PM
#5
It is a pretty big city and an even larger metropolitan area that stretches to and even across the Belgian border. The subway line stops and the border, but a number of the urban bus lines keep right on going.
The center is quite compact, so no need to worry about the size.
Lille is very much worth a visit even when the market is not happening. I try to go there at least once a year because I enjoy it so much.
The center is quite compact, so no need to worry about the size.
Lille is very much worth a visit even when the market is not happening. I try to go there at least once a year because I enjoy it so much.
Aug 18th, 2009, 04:29 PM
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I just decided to go this year and found a room available for the Friday night at Au Couvent des MInimes. A bit more than I wanted to pay, but I didn't want to do it in a single day from Paris; it sounded too exhausting. I think seeing a bit of the city on Friday and the first day of the fair on Saturday will be about right. The Lille Tourism website estimates 1 million to 2 million visitors for the Braderie!
Aug 20th, 2009, 11:34 PM
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We are also going this year for the first time. I have heard that Lille itself is a great city to visit. Also that the people are very friendly. The market is suppose to be really nice, but I love markets anyway. We are staying at Inter Hotel Ascotel Villeneuve d'Ascq. The rooms were expensive on all the normal websites, but I used HotelClub and there it was a third of the price. Not sure if it is close enough to the center, but it should work out. Coming from Holland (American though).
Aug 21st, 2009, 01:06 AM
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If you go, be sure to eat mussels - part of the Grande Braderie is the eating of mussels, whose shells then get piled up outside the restaurant.
A photo
http://www.photoway.com/fr/dest/BRAD03_34.html
A photo
http://www.photoway.com/fr/dest/BRAD03_34.html
Aug 21st, 2009, 09:39 AM
#9
I have to read up on how long the selling goes on each day, because I have determined that I can drive up to Lille on Saturday afternoon, but I wouldn't arrive before 16:30 at the very earliest -- and I would have to drive back to Paris the same night.
Aug 21st, 2009, 12:13 PM
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I guess this is the year for Fodorites to go to the Lille Flea Market. Lille's CVB website doesn't say how late the market goes to on Saturday. It just says it starts at 2pm Saturday and ends at 11pm on Sunday.
http://www.lilletourism.com/info-1-0-163-gb.html.
We're staying at the Hotel Hermitage Gantois and like everyone else, I'm hoping the hotel is close enough to the action!
It sounds incredible, I can't wait to go!!
http://www.lilletourism.com/info-1-0-163-gb.html.
We're staying at the Hotel Hermitage Gantois and like everyone else, I'm hoping the hotel is close enough to the action!
It sounds incredible, I can't wait to go!!
Aug 21st, 2009, 03:11 PM
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My wife and I have travelled to Lille Braderie for the last 15 yrs so hope this helps.
A few facts: 60 miles of stalls, 10,000 exhibitors, one to two million visitors.The town centre is tranformed into one huge pedestrian zone. Said to be the largest flea market in Europe, it remains one of the most well-known events in France and abroad.
Officialy the Braderie starts at 2pm on Saturday to 11pm on Sunday.This is due to 3 marathons run from 9pm until midday.
However, in the streets not on the marathon route stalls will be up and running very early. We usually get there for 8am.
You need to make for the "Citadelle" and in particular, Quai Du Wault, you will probably notice activity in some of the side street's but up near the Citadelle is by far the busiest place.
Should you need to cross the marathon route,time it just right or suffer the wrath of the race marshall's whistle, lol.
This will keep you occupied most of the morning by which time the marathon will be over and stall holders will be setting up on the main Boulevard's
A good place to take a breather and "a nice cup of tea" is Christ Church, in "Rue Watteau" where the English congregation serve tea, sandwiches and home made cakes.
If you have yet to make arrangement's then the following UK tour operator's are running trip's.
NATIONWIDE: Goldcrest.£169, 3 days, 2 night's. they start from up north picking up all the way to Dover.
REDDITCH: Hardings International. 3 days, 2 nights £179.Picking up Redditch, M5 South to Bristol, Bath M4 to London, Dover and any Service Station on-route.
LONDON: East London Travel. (day trip)About £30.
ESSEX: Ceefa Coaches, Basildon, (day trip) £24.90.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: Motts Travel. Amersham, (day trip) £30
NOT SURE OF AVAILABILITY FOR ABOVE TRIP'S
Sorry for any typo's but we are off on hols in a few hours for 2 weeks, so we are going to miss the Braderie this year,
but I can't see "er indoor's" missing out on her fix for another season, so see you there next year.
I will check back in two weeks, so do let me know if this help's. If so and anyone is interested I will fill you in on the second largest Braderie in France. AMIENS.
Happy hunting Mike
A few facts: 60 miles of stalls, 10,000 exhibitors, one to two million visitors.The town centre is tranformed into one huge pedestrian zone. Said to be the largest flea market in Europe, it remains one of the most well-known events in France and abroad.
Officialy the Braderie starts at 2pm on Saturday to 11pm on Sunday.This is due to 3 marathons run from 9pm until midday.
However, in the streets not on the marathon route stalls will be up and running very early. We usually get there for 8am.
You need to make for the "Citadelle" and in particular, Quai Du Wault, you will probably notice activity in some of the side street's but up near the Citadelle is by far the busiest place.
Should you need to cross the marathon route,time it just right or suffer the wrath of the race marshall's whistle, lol.
This will keep you occupied most of the morning by which time the marathon will be over and stall holders will be setting up on the main Boulevard's
A good place to take a breather and "a nice cup of tea" is Christ Church, in "Rue Watteau" where the English congregation serve tea, sandwiches and home made cakes.
If you have yet to make arrangement's then the following UK tour operator's are running trip's.
NATIONWIDE: Goldcrest.£169, 3 days, 2 night's. they start from up north picking up all the way to Dover.
REDDITCH: Hardings International. 3 days, 2 nights £179.Picking up Redditch, M5 South to Bristol, Bath M4 to London, Dover and any Service Station on-route.
LONDON: East London Travel. (day trip)About £30.
ESSEX: Ceefa Coaches, Basildon, (day trip) £24.90.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: Motts Travel. Amersham, (day trip) £30
NOT SURE OF AVAILABILITY FOR ABOVE TRIP'S
Sorry for any typo's but we are off on hols in a few hours for 2 weeks, so we are going to miss the Braderie this year,
but I can't see "er indoor's" missing out on her fix for another season, so see you there next year.
I will check back in two weeks, so do let me know if this help's. If so and anyone is interested I will fill you in on the second largest Braderie in France. AMIENS.
Happy hunting Mike
Aug 21st, 2009, 03:31 PM
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BACK AGAIN: (and still with suitcase's to pack).
USEFUL PHONE NUMBER
In English)Freefone Braderie 0 810 09 59 00
All-day bus and travel pass for Saturday and Sunday PASSBRADERIE.
Also local TER trains across Nord/Pas-de-Calais regional network offer special Braderie price 50% off
on all trains to Lille.
Eurostar from Waterloo direct to "Gare Lille -Europe station."
This is also the usual drop off and pick up point for Uk tour operator's when they bus you in from your Hotel.
Mike
USEFUL PHONE NUMBER
In English)Freefone Braderie 0 810 09 59 00All-day bus and travel pass for Saturday and Sunday PASSBRADERIE.
Also local TER trains across Nord/Pas-de-Calais regional network offer special Braderie price 50% off
on all trains to Lille.
Eurostar from Waterloo direct to "Gare Lille -Europe station."
This is also the usual drop off and pick up point for Uk tour operator's when they bus you in from your Hotel.
Mike
Sep 5th, 2009, 11:10 AM
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Just watched the news tonight and discovered that the Braderie de Lille is the biggest 'event' in France, attracting 2 MILLION people this year, where about 500 tons of mussels are served. Don't know how many bargains there are.
Sep 5th, 2009, 01:46 PM
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Well, we got there and thankfully got back again. How to describe it? We took a train from Paris Gare du Nord and arrived at about 11:00 a.m. Friday, thinking we'd see some of the city before the Braderie started on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., after the various foot races.
Vieux Lille is charming and definitely worth a visit at any other time, and I understand the Musée des Beaux Arts is the second best collection in France after the Louvre, but half the town was closed getting ready for the market, and the other half was getting out of town to avoid the hordes descending. Every Lillois I met was planning to stay away or gearing up to rake in tourist Euros, and all dreading the horror to come.
We were able to get a taxi to our hotel on arrival, but the driver spent the entire trip telling us about precautions to take in the crowds, for our persons and our purses. The last thing he told us was that there was absolutely no chance that we could get a taxi back to the station on Saturday night. The hotel confirmed that there were no public transportation options that would get us from the hotel to the station, that no taxis would be willing or able to get through, we would have to walk and that the usual 10 minute walk would take about 40 minutes through the crowds. In the event, it took 50 minutes at 6:00 p.m. Had we taken our originally planned 9:00 p.m. train, it would probably have taken more than an hour.
While several streets were kept ostensibly stall-free for safety vehicles, there was no way to avoid the Braderis streets. At several points on the way to the station we were pressed so tightly in the crowd on one of the smaller streets that we literally couldn't move. I found myself thinking of the stories I had heard of people trampled to death in crowds. In this case it would more likely be death by suffocation. Claustrophobes might have been screaming at this point. I started elbowing. At a couple of points someone larger and stronger pushed through and we took the opportunity to follow in his wake.
This is in fact a true flea market, not an antiques market, with an incredible range of items for sale, from new shlock, used clothing, toys, broken furniture, bits and pieces of old plumbing, etc. to used and still usable furniture, pottery, dishes, linens, books, music, and anything else you can imagine. Along the routes are also stands selling take-away food and restaurants that set up huge numbers of tables and chairs to sell the traditional moules frites in black metal pots.
It goes on forever, taking up many of the streets in the center and in many cases forcing you to stay in the stream of gawkers and shoppers whether you want to or not, because the escape options are few. As it grew later on Saturday the streets became more crowded and the crowd a bit younger and more evidently enjoying their beer.
We saw lots of people with shopping bags on wheels and others carrying large items in their hands, on their backs, and other methods of removal, but from a tourist point of view, you have to come prepared. Think of how you'll get that stuff home. Lots of people, by the way, didn't seem to be buying anything at all, just wandering along, looking at the stalls and cloths on the ground with no apparent intention of buying. Families were out with grandma and the kids.
It was exhausting and, to tell the truth, not much fun, at least for us. I would definitely not do it again, and it's not even one of those things about which I would say, "well, I'm glad I did it once."
On the other hand, you might love it.
Vieux Lille is charming and definitely worth a visit at any other time, and I understand the Musée des Beaux Arts is the second best collection in France after the Louvre, but half the town was closed getting ready for the market, and the other half was getting out of town to avoid the hordes descending. Every Lillois I met was planning to stay away or gearing up to rake in tourist Euros, and all dreading the horror to come.
We were able to get a taxi to our hotel on arrival, but the driver spent the entire trip telling us about precautions to take in the crowds, for our persons and our purses. The last thing he told us was that there was absolutely no chance that we could get a taxi back to the station on Saturday night. The hotel confirmed that there were no public transportation options that would get us from the hotel to the station, that no taxis would be willing or able to get through, we would have to walk and that the usual 10 minute walk would take about 40 minutes through the crowds. In the event, it took 50 minutes at 6:00 p.m. Had we taken our originally planned 9:00 p.m. train, it would probably have taken more than an hour.
While several streets were kept ostensibly stall-free for safety vehicles, there was no way to avoid the Braderis streets. At several points on the way to the station we were pressed so tightly in the crowd on one of the smaller streets that we literally couldn't move. I found myself thinking of the stories I had heard of people trampled to death in crowds. In this case it would more likely be death by suffocation. Claustrophobes might have been screaming at this point. I started elbowing. At a couple of points someone larger and stronger pushed through and we took the opportunity to follow in his wake.
This is in fact a true flea market, not an antiques market, with an incredible range of items for sale, from new shlock, used clothing, toys, broken furniture, bits and pieces of old plumbing, etc. to used and still usable furniture, pottery, dishes, linens, books, music, and anything else you can imagine. Along the routes are also stands selling take-away food and restaurants that set up huge numbers of tables and chairs to sell the traditional moules frites in black metal pots.
It goes on forever, taking up many of the streets in the center and in many cases forcing you to stay in the stream of gawkers and shoppers whether you want to or not, because the escape options are few. As it grew later on Saturday the streets became more crowded and the crowd a bit younger and more evidently enjoying their beer.
We saw lots of people with shopping bags on wheels and others carrying large items in their hands, on their backs, and other methods of removal, but from a tourist point of view, you have to come prepared. Think of how you'll get that stuff home. Lots of people, by the way, didn't seem to be buying anything at all, just wandering along, looking at the stalls and cloths on the ground with no apparent intention of buying. Families were out with grandma and the kids.
It was exhausting and, to tell the truth, not much fun, at least for us. I would definitely not do it again, and it's not even one of those things about which I would say, "well, I'm glad I did it once."
On the other hand, you might love it.
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