Derby to Lille for the day?

[Comstock]

Hi guys.

How practical is a day trip from Derby to Lille?

I would guess it would have to be a Saturday to avoid the peak fares into London, though I would actually prefer to see the city during the week. Anyway, assuming that isn't possible

Getting the 6:01 from Derby gets me in to London at 7:34, giving me over an hour before the first Eurostar.

But I'm guessing the 7:01, arriving 8:34 is cutting it too fine for at 8:58 departure?

I can check timetables til I'm blue in the face, but has anyone on here actually done this trip?

 

[D1009]

Hi guys.

But I'm guessing the 7:01, arriving 8:34 is cutting it too fine for at 8:58 departure?

I'd say yes definitely too tight as Eurostar advertise a 30 minute minimum check in time, though I believe it's usually 20 mins in practice.

 

[northwichcat]

If you go to the Eurostar site and look for through journey options it suggests the 06:01 departure from Derby is the latest departure you can get to make the 08:58 departure from St Pancras.

One thing to remember is you might need to collect your London-Lille ticket from a Eurostar TVM at St Pancras (the tickets are a different size to the National Rail stock so aren't available to collect from NR TVMs.)

 

[Comstock]

Yeah, it's definately looking like a 6 oclock start- luckily I can cycle to the station in 10 mins

 

[tsr]

If you go to the Eurostar site and look for through journey options it suggests the 06:01 departure from Derby is the latest departure you can get to make the 08:58 departure from St Pancras.

I haven't checked recently, but I guess this piece of advice might be best applied to the journeys of Business Premier travellers, who get a short (10-minute?) checkin, and who may well be travelling in First Class from Derby and therefore may be able to take advantage of a slightly quicker connection.

 

[duncanp]

You would definitely have to get the 06:01 train on the outward journey.

Looking at return trains there is one at 21:30 arriving 23:26 which you could get if the last Eurostar is on time, or there is one at 22:25 arriving 00:21.

Whatever you do it is going to be a long day.

Have you considered staying overnight in Lille?

There are a number of cheap hotels in and around the Gare Lille Flandres charging between €50 and €80 for a single room.

 

[Comstock]

You would definitely have to get the 06:01 train on the outward journey.

Looking at return trains there is one at 21:30 arriving 23:26 which you could get if the last Eurostar is on time, or there is one at 22:25 arriving 00:21.

Whatever you do it is going to be a long day.

It is. Living near the station will obviously help, but it's a shame that the change onto Eurostar is so involved- if I could get the 7.01 it would be so much easier

If I go on a Saturday and take it easy Sunday, I should still be OK by monday.

Have you considered staying overnight in Lille?

There are a number of cheap hotels in and around the Gare Lille Flandres charging between €50 and €80 for a single room.

But then you have to worry about baggage, you have to worry about the language barrier so much more, etc, etc. I want to travel light, with nothing more than a wallet and phone and a jumper for if it gets cold.

 

[starrymarkb]

The Hotel B&B by the Grand Palais was nice, little out of town (5 mins on the Metro then about 10 mins walk) - if you are lucky you have a view of LGV Nord and the TGV sidings. It was about a 20 min walk from the city centre - cost about 45€

Language wasn't a big issue, most speak English but in provincial France an effort to speak some French (even if just "Excuse-Moi, Parlez Vous Anglais?") is appreciated. As for luggage, t shirt, pants, socks, camera and beer for on the train

 

[ex-railwayman]

You need to leave plenty of time to get through French Police's Passport Control as well at St. Pancras, so, 45/60 minutes might be adequate enough, if you also have to collect your tickets, and on a Saturday the train may be quite busy, you could get a later train right through to Lille.

What were you planning on doing once you got there, there's the Lille Grand Place which is a nice square with plenty of street cafes and restaurants, and a Cathedral, plenty of Flemish Baroque buildings, Eurolille (a gigantic shopping centre), and the Zoo (it used to be free, but, it wasn't as good as other zoos, just a couple of Snow Leopards were the main attraction) there's the River and a large Port complex, I think you could also hire bicycles to get around the local area, watch out for the trams......lol

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[duncanp]

It is. Living near the station will obviously help, but it's a shame that the change onto Eurostar is so involved- if I could get the 7.01 it would be so much easier

If I go on a Saturday and take it easy Sunday, I should still be OK by monday.




But then you have to worry about baggage, you have to worry about the language barrier so much more, etc, etc. I want to travel light, with nothing more than a wallet and phone and a jumper for if it gets cold.

Of course it is your decision as to whether to stay overnight, but having been to Lille many times I can reassure you that you won't have any problem with the language barrier. All the shops, cafes and restaurants in the city centre will have someone who can speak at least basic English.

Hope you have a good time. A ticket for unlimited travel on the metro, trams and buses costs €4.00 for a day, and I can recommend the area around the Rihour metro station for cafes, restaurants and bars.

 

[Comstock]

I really should stretch my highschool french a bit, but I get nervous about staying overnight in a foreign country (weird I know!!)

The third option is obviously an overnight stay on this side of the tunnel. London can be pricey- any options at the Kent end?

 

[harry42]

I really should stretch my highschool french a bit, but I get nervous about staying overnight in a foreign country (weird I know!!)

The third option is obviously an overnight stay on this side of the tunnel. London can be pricey- any options at the Kent end?

We used this on the way to Belgium: Travelodge Ashford (Book in advance-get it really cheap!)

 

[Be3G]

Looking at return trains there is one at 21:30 arriving 23:26 which you could get if the last Eurostar is on time

I'd highly recommend the OP buys tickets from Derby to London International CIV or London Eurostar CIV (latter only available directly from Eurostar). This means the whole Derby to Lille journey is covered by the conditions for international rail travel, which include putting a passenger on the next available train if they've suffered a delay on the railway network, or accommodating them overnight if that delay caused them to miss the last train.

 

[radamfi]

I've done a day trip to Lille, albeit from Sussex. I got the metro to as far north as possible for the novelty of walking across the border to Belgium and back.
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I'd highly recommend the OP buys tickets from Derby to London International CIV or London Eurostar CIV (latter only available directly from Eurostar). This means the whole Derby to Lille journey is covered by the conditions for international rail travel, which include putting a passenger on the next available train if they've suffered a delay on the railway network, or accommodating them overnight if that delay caused them to miss the last train.

Although some people think this is not necessary and you will still be covered in the same way even with regular tickets.

 

[noddy1878]

I've done a day trip to Lille, albeit from Sussex. I got the metro to as far north as possible for the novelty of walking across the border to Belgium and back.
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Although some people think this is not necessary and you will still be covered in the same way even with regular tickets.

I was covered earlier in the year when I was on a seriously delayed eurostar service due to a security incident at lille. I had bought all the tickets seperately. Eurostar guard just stamped all my tickets to get home incase i missed the connection. I had given myself a few hours in London but as it turned out i made my connection at paddington with about one minute to spare. Helped that i dropped onto the correct platform from the underground. And to top it off the 2h 30 minute delay gave me and my wife a free return trip to Paris a few weeks ago.