For weekend breaks try Eurostar offers from London Waterloo to Lille with accommodation. The market on a Sunday is great and the restaurants are good value. I have been going every year for some time now and only had one bad encounter when a waiter took money from the table while I was not there but my wife spotted it, and when I returned he accused me of not leaving enough. The restaurant, Aux Moules, is well known, with the best steamed mussels you can buy. But that is an unfortunate incident that would not stop me from returning to this city. The locals will talk to you with interest wherever you are. This year we made friends with a couple from Dunkirk while in a restaurant and were invited to their home next time we come, and I would say that is typical of the people in Lille.
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