Shopping

V2 in Villeneuve d'Ascq

Close to the USTL, there is another large shopping centre, V2, which is really handy for doing your shopping when you live on the Lille 1 university campus. In the shopping mall adjoining the hypermarket, you will find many different clothes shops where you can buy the latest fashions as well as all the products you need for your everyday life.

Unlike other countries, there are no local shops near the French universities.

Wazemmes Market

Wazemmes market is held at the Place de la Bonne Aventure on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings. This market is particularly busy on Sunday mornings and is one of the most popular meeting places for the residents of Lille at the weekend. You can find fresh vegetables, all the ingredients necessary for cooking, as well as the traditional roast chicken. Just in front of the covered market (les halles), there is a flower market. If you are looking for naturally grown products, you will also find some stall-holders who sell them here. In the rue Jules Guesde, close to the market, you can also find all the most unusual or exotic products necessary to cook every type of dish in the world.

Euralille

The new area, located between Lille-Europe station and Lille-Flandres station was designed by the Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas. It has proved highly popular as it receives 7 million visitors a year and is now one of the busiest shopping centres in Lille. The Corbusier Viaduct provides the liaison between the 2 stations, which are only 400 metres apart. If you are travelling by train and you arrive at Lille Europe station and your next train leaves from Lille-Flandres station, you can go from one station to the other on foot, although there is also a metro which links the 2 stations.

A little curiosity and the desire to wander will allow you to discover the new routes and the different buildings which have been constructed between Lille-Europe station and Lille-Flandres station. Overlooking the Place de l'Europe, to the left, Lille-Europe station is "a model of a new type of station linking the train and the people" explains the architect J.-M. Duthilleul, director of the SNCF development workshop.

A 400m long window, depicting the TGV, opens onto the town centre with a 15m high glass facade. Its roof, shaped like a wave, has two tower blocks rising above it. The adjoining metro station forms the connecting link between all the different forms of transport : the VAL metro, the TGV, the car parks and the by-pass.

The first building, the Tour du Crédit Lyonnais rises 20 storeys above the station. C. de Portzamparc imagined it as a unit rising into the sky of the connurbation to signal the town's rebirth, playing with metal and glass at the top, and stone and glass at the bottom. Because of its shape, some people have nicknamed it 'the Flipper' and others, 'the ski boot'. Next to it is the Tour Lille Europe and the Atrium. The heart of this 25 storey building consists of a concrete portico which straddles the station. All the floors and the outside envelope are made of glass, attached by metal braces and cables at the top. At the foot of the building, the Atrium houses company offices.

Just to the right, playing with colours like Mondrian, you can see the Euralille Centre. Its vertical glass facades are extremely sober but when you go inside, the Centre presents many interesting perspectives. As for the roof, "it looks like a sort of woven and perforated metallic flaky pastry, playing with transparency and light", explains its designer, Jean Nouvel, partner of the regional architect, M. Paindavoine, who also designed the Aéronef and the Espace Croisé. Over 130 small shops, 7 large stores, a hypermarket and several restaurants are located on the two floors of the shopping centre. 500 metres away, half-hidden by the two tower blocks, is Lille Grand Palais, designed by the architect and town planner, R. Koolhaas. The town gave him the responsibility for developing this " new part of town " on a 70-hectare site in 1988. The vast ellipsis of Lille Grand Palais stands on very light pillars, and houses three types of activity: professional trade fairs, congresses and shows.

On the other side of the viaduct, 'grows' the 8-hectare Park Matisse, designed by the architect, G. Clément. Once the green space reaches maturity this new 'green lung' will attract many people for walks, or for jogging if you are more sports-minded! From this spot you can join the remains of the fortifications at the "gate of Roubaix", which will take you through to the old town.

The "Rue de Béthune" in Lille

This street was the first pedestrian street to be created in the town. Many chain stores are located here and you may even find some shops familiar to you from your own home country. Starting from the Place de la République, where you will find the Prefecture and the Palais des Beaux Arts, go down the rue de Béthune and you will arrive at the Place du Général de Gaulle where you will find, among other shops, the Furet du Nord which is the biggest book shop in Europe. In the nearby Rue de Béthune you will find most of the cinemas in Lille.

The "Vieux Lille"

The old, historical part of Lille, the " Vieux-Lille " is highly touristic and many luxury French franchises are located in this area. You will also find many art galleries here, all kinds of games shops and, in the evening, many bars liven the streets. The Vieux-Lille is therefore a favourite haunt for Lille's student population.

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