Overview
Lille's public transport is run under the Ilévia brand, which brings together the metro, the tramway and the bus network in one integrated system. The centrepiece is the Lille Metro (French: Métro de Lille), a driverless light metro that opened on 25 April 1983 and was the first system in the world to use VAL (Véhicule Automatique Léger, "light automated vehicle") technology. It has two lines serving 60 stations across a 45-kilometre network.
For a visitor, riding end to end is straightforward. Buy a ticket or pass from a station machine (they accept cash and cards), validate it, and follow the line colour and direction on the platform signage. Because the trains are fully automated there is no driver, and at most stations the platforms are much longer than the trains, so look at the floor markings to see where the doors will open. Both metro lines serve both of Lille's main railway stations, Gare de Lille Europe and Gare de Lille Flandres, which makes the metro the natural way to connect between them and the rest of the city. Services run every day of the year except 1 May.
The network
Ilévia operates the metro, tramway and bus across the Lille metropolitan area, and the network is complemented by suburban rail (TER) services and a self-service bike scheme.
Metro
- Line M1 — runs from Lille CHU–Eurasanté to Villeneuve d'Ascq 4 Cantons Stade Pierre Mauroy. It is 13.5 km long (8.5 km underground) and serves 18 stations, mostly in the southern suburbs while cutting straight through the centre.
- Line M2 — runs from Lomme Saint-Philibert to Tourcoing CH. Dron. It starts in the western suburbs, skirts the southern edge of the centre, and continues to Roubaix and Tourcoing, ending at a hospital near the Belgian border. It is 32 km long with 44 stations.
Both lines have platform screen doors at all stations. Trains are rubber-tyred, two-car sets, and the metro runs from 5:00 a.m. until midnight, with trains every 1½ to 4 minutes (about every 66 seconds at rush hour) and every 6 to 8 minutes in the early morning and evening; on Sundays a train comes every 2 to 6 minutes.
Tramway
- Ligne R — Roubaix Eurotéléport ↔ Gare Lille Flandres.
- Ligne T — Tourcoing centre ↔ Gare Lille Flandres.
Both tram routes start at the railway stations.
Buses and suburban rail
Numerous bus lines serve all parts of the city and the wider metropolitan area. Regional TER trains also connect Lille with towns in France and Belgium; these are separate from the Ilévia metro, tram and bus tickets for longer intercity journeys.
Bikes
Cycling is popular in Lille, and the self-service V'lille scheme covers the city centre, with bikes available 24/7 from around 260 stations across the Lille area — you can return a bike to any station, not just the one you took it from.
Tickets & fares
Ilévia tickets cover the metro, buses and trams to any destination within the network, and also the TER network within the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) area. Longer-distance intercity trains (to Roubaix, for example) require separate tickets. The following prices are approximate and change, so check current fares before you travel.
- Single ticket — around €1.80, plus a €0.20 charge for the rechargeable ticket itself. One source quotes a single trajet intégré at about €2.09, valid for one hour and including return trips.
- Book of ten singles — around €15.40.
- 24-hour day pass — around €5.30 (one source quotes about €4.64).
- 2-day pass — around €8.45.
- Longer passes — other ticket types are available for longer stays.
Ticket machines accept cash and cards. The Ilévia app provides route planning — enter your departure and arrival points to get a route.
If you drive, Park & Ride car parks sit near metro stations, bus interchanges and TER stations, accessible from the major motorways, but access is reserved for holders of an Ilévia transport ticket. Capacities include 4 Cantons (2,040 spaces), Les Prés (500), St-Philibert (370), CHU–Eurasanté (250), Porte d'Arras (100) and Porte des Postes (90).
For bikes, a 24-hour V'lille pass costs €1.80, with the first 30 minutes of each ride free and each additional started half-hour charged at €1.15.
From the airport
Lille has its own international airport, Aéroport de Lille (LIL), which is small but convenient and mostly served by flights to holiday destinations around the Mediterranean and elsewhere in France. A direct coach connects the airport to central Lille, stopping outside the main railway station, in about 20 minutes; it runs once an hour and costs €7 one-way, or €9 for a return. A taxi into the centre costs about €20.
Some travellers use Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), about 120 km from Lille, which is served by low-cost airlines; Flibco runs a shuttle bus from Lille to that airport. You can also fly into Paris, Brussels or London and reach Lille by train — but do not try this via Beauvais, which has no train connection to Lille and whose only bus goes back to Paris.
Etiquette & customs
- Platforms and doors — at most stations the platforms are much longer than the trains, so check the floor markings to see where the doors will open rather than standing at random.
- Dogs — only small dogs are accepted on public transport, and only if carried in a basket.
- Rush hour — trains are frequent (about every 66 seconds at peak), so let passengers off before boarding and move along the platform to spread out.
- Quiet and priority seating — keep noise down and give up priority seats to those who need them.
- Eating and drinking — keep food and drink for outside the trains and stations to keep them clean.
- Water — drinking water fountains are found across town, and reusable bottles are encouraged.
Useful numbers: European emergency 112; SAMU 15; fire 18; police 17; pharmacies on call 32 37; lost & found 03 20 18 12 91.
Official links
Survival terms
- Métro (may-TROH) — subway/metro
- Ticket (tee-KEH) — ticket
- Ligne (LEEN-yuh) — line
- Entrée (ahn-TRAY) — entrance
- Sortie (sor-TEE) — exit
- Correspondance (kor-res-pon-DAHNS) — transfer
- Trajet intégré (trah-ZHAY an-tay-GRAY) — single fare
- Pass 1 jour (pass uhn zhoor) — day pass
Before you travel, download the Ilévia app and check current fares and routes, since prices and timetables can change.