Paris to Lille by train

Note that these trains depart from the Gare Du Nord in Paris.

Final Destination: Lille

Fewer trains operate at weekends.
AND there is not quite 1 x train per hour - there is a 90 min gap between departures in the early afternoon.

Arriving in Lille

The overwhelming majority of the TGVs between Paris and Lille arrive at Lille Flandres station, which has a a great location, only a 5 -10 min walk from the city centre - but note not all of the TGVs from Paris arrive in Lille at that particular station.

A few trains per day still arrive at Lille Europe station, which is a 5-10 min walk from Lille Flandres - so it is further away from the city centre.

But the timetable has been altered, the trains to Lille Europe tend to depart Paris less than 10 minutes after a train will be departing for Lille Flandres.

If your final destination is located by a station on the Lille Metro, then it doesn't matter which of the two stations in the city, the train from Paris will be arriving at, as they're both served by the city's two metro lines.

The majority of the TGVs between Paris and Lille arrive at Lille Flandres station, but a few train arrive at Lille Europe.

However it's worth targeting the trains which arrive at Lille Flandres station, not only is it closer to the city centre, the trains to Lille Europe are now typically slower, because they travel via Arras.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date - but bookings can open sooner when SNCF is running a promotion.

When looking for tickets on Oui.SNCF tick the 'direct trains' box, on Trainline tick the 'fastest journeys' box.

The price is dictated by demand per departure, so book ahead and try and be flexible re: your departure and arrival times, as trains leaving earlier or later may be cheaper.

The Oui.SNCF (French national railways website) will indicate the cheapest price per day, click on this and you will be shown the departures on which this price is available.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding.