[kbdelima]

Hi There,
We are a young family of three: my husband my 19months baby & I. We are in the process of applying to EDHEC University in Lille for a master degree (Husband).
I would appreciate if someone can help me which neighborhoods do you recomend in Lille?:confused2: I do not want to live in the suburbs as my french is not high level and I need to attend classes, aslo I do not wnat to feel isoleted.
Also is it really rainy in Lille? It looks like that but I have also found there are a lot of cultural activities in the city.
Thanks a lot!!!
KBL

 

[rehna2]

I would recommend vieux Lille, Marcq en Bareoul, Wasquehal or Villeneuve D'Ascq. I would definitely avoid Fives, Wazemmes and Roubaix. Lille is nice because you can walk just about everywhere, you can park the car on Friday and not use it again until Monday. You are also close to museums and good shopping. Marcq is a little further out but is on the tram and bus lines. Wasquehal and Villeneuve D'ascq are further out but are on the Metro lines. There are lots of other nice areas; Bondue, Armentierres, Phalempin, Merignies, Foret sur Marcq, etc, but as they are not on the public transport lines they can make you feel a bit isolated. Fives and Wazemmes are busy, loud and have higher than average property crime. Roubaix can be pretty in areas but is one of the poorest cities in France and has a very uneasy feel to it (this is where we live, at least until June, then back to Lille). Send me a note when you get here, we would love to show you around (our son is 1.5 months).

Andy

 

[rehna2]

Oh yeah, I forgot, It does rain a lot!!!

 

[kbdelima]

Hi Andy!,
Thanks for your replay, it was really helpful.
OK, now everything is settled, my husband has been accepted so I guess around August will be landing in Lille (rainy as it is ;(
Well, as you mentioned we are looking for a place in Viex Lille, I guess it is the first step in order to get the rest. bank account, créche, etc,etc. The university is helping us, but they say it will be easier arounf may or june when students leave the city. My husband will travel in April to get a sense of the city and places.
I was wondering if there are any doctors who speak english in Lille ( Iguess spanish is asking too much)? My french needs a lot of improvement so having a 20month-old, kind of worries me. My husband has a good level, but I will be the one staying with our litle boy.
Thanks again!!!

 

[Bevdeforges]

I was wondering if there are any doctors who speak english in Lille ( Iguess spanish is asking too much)? My french needs a lot of improvement so having a 20month-old, kind of worries me. My husband has a good level, but I will be the one staying with our litle boy.
Thanks again!!!

You know, you may actually have a better chance of finding a doctor who speaks Spanish in Lille. That's all part of the area that used to be Spanish, along with parts of what is now Belgium. My sister-in-law taught Spanish in the local lycée and I was definitely impressed by how many of the kids in the area take Spanish.

Don't know of any doctors who speak either English or Spanish, but do ask around when you get there. You could be pleasantly surprised.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[sholl26]

Hi,

Thanks for the info. I will also be moving to Lille as of August 2011 with wife and baby who will be 18 months by then. KBL, any luck choosing a good location to live? Andy, thanks alot for sharing your experiences about the nice areas to live. Can anyone tell me what is the process to find a daycare service for baby?

Many thanks,

saddas

 

[kbdelima]

Hi All,
We are still looking for a place to live, planning to go to Lille soon this month so we get a clearer picture of the city.
About areas in Lille, do you know the area of Lambersart? is it nice for a family?
Thanks!
KBL

 

[rehna2]

Hi All,
We are still looking for a place to live, planning to go to Lille soon this month so we get a clearer picture of the city.
About areas in Lille, do you know the area of Lambersart? is it nice for a family?
Thanks!
KBL

I don't know much about Lambersart. It is close to Lille and has access to public transport. I do know that it is not an area that my wife included in our search, so there must be something that she doesn't like.

 

[kirikara]

Hi guys, I grew up in Roubaix, went to school there and my entire family is from Lille.
I think Lambersart can be nice, depending on the area. One thing to remember is this entire area (roubaix/lille/etc..) was very strong when it was a big center for textiles mostly during industrial revolution
(early 20th).There is a strong history of different waves of immigration to help out with the textile industry.
It has tons of very pretty mansions where the industrial bourgeoisie lived etc. The area went downhill and struggled quite a bit, but some of the cities have turned around and have really recovered. Lille is one of them, Roubaix much less so.
Big town for merchandising jobs (la redoute, 3 suisses, castorama, Auchan, etc.. a lot of the big names are in Lille).
Transportation is very good, but there are some not so good area to just avoid. Roubaix is definitely one of them. Tourcoing can be rough in some parts, some suburbs of Lille.

La Madeleine has some very pretty brick houses and is closer to Lille centre, and right on the tramway.

The vieux Lille is great, my fave, but I dont know if I would choose that for a family with kids. definitely practical if your hubby is studying though.

It never gets awfully cold/snowy like Chicago does (that is where I am now) but it is really rainy. A lot of white/grey day where you feel you are in a bubble.
Summers are rarely steady hot..You get lots of off days. But if you are there for a few years, there so much to do.. you probably will still like it.
The saying is that peoples' heart in Lille are warmer to make up for the cold.. It is true.

The city itself is beautiful. My friends visiting use to laugh about how there was ALWAYS something going on every weekend on the Grand Place.
if you have a car, you can do some really cool day trip (le touquet, bruges, brussels) and then it is also a big tgv center Paris in train in 1 hour, London in less than 2 i think.The Eurostar and Thalys stop there.

If you have specific areas in question after the trip, I can always ask my parents or sister.

 

[brockprice]

For a student

Hi, Everyone!

I'll be moving to attend Universite Lille 1 at the end of August to complete a masters program. The Vieux Lille sounds great-- You mentioned this area might be good for students? I will likely be living together with other program students and we're all doing research to learn more about the Lille neighborhoods. Any updates or recommendations from earlier posts would be so appreciated! Thanks so much!

Brock

 

[sholl26]

Hi, Everyone!

I'll be moving to attend Universite Lille 1 at the end of August to complete a masters program. The Vieux Lille sounds great-- You mentioned this area might be good for students? I will likely be living together with other program students and we're all doing research to learn more about the Lille neighborhoods. Any updates or recommendations from earlier posts would be so appreciated! Thanks so much!

Brock

I just came back from Lille for house searching, and we chose a place in Marcq en Baroeul. It seems to be a very clean and nice area, and very close to Lille center - access through buses and Tramway.

 

[Alexandra111]

Lille Neighborhoods

I just came back from Lille for house searching, and we chose a place in Marcq en Baroeul. It seems to be a very clean and nice area, and very close to Lille center - access through buses and Tramway.

Hi Brock,

I just arrived in Lille yesterday, I am here to complete an internship over the next year. I am currently renting in Tourcoing but would really like to move out to Lille center as soon as possible. Could you advise me of where to look for apartments? I have just finished University and would not mind living either on my own or with other young people my age in a clean, safe, and lively area.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Alexandra

 

[sholl26]

Hi Brock,

I just arrived in Lille yesterday, I am here to complete an internship over the next year. I am currently renting in Tourcoing but would really like to move out to Lille center as soon as possible. Could you advise me of where to look for apartments? I have just finished University and would not mind living either on my own or with other young people my age in a clean, safe, and lively area.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Alexandra

I don't have a lot of knowledge on this because I was in Lille just for a few days, but from what I saw Vieux Lille and Vauban are two nice areas that are mostly clean and very close to the center.

 

[KrisLille]

Hi

I strongly recommend La Madeleine, which is very close to Lille and a very nice quiet area, especially around the town Hall

 

[rubytuesday04]

Hi, Everyone!

I'll be moving to attend Universite Lille 1 at the end of August to complete a masters program. The Vieux Lille sounds great-- You mentioned this area might be good for students? I will likely be living together with other program students and we're all doing research to learn more about the Lille neighborhoods. Any updates or recommendations from earlier posts would be so appreciated! Thanks so much!

Brock

Hi! I am making the move from Lyon up to Lille in 2 weeks time also to study for a Master 2 at Lille 1. I've been looking at Vieux Lille/ Villeneuve D'asq as it is closer to uni, and close to Lille Grand Palais.

Good luck with the search!