Eurostar - London to Lille

Don't be fooled by the smokestacks of France's working class north. This city is an island unto its own. Industrious over industrial. A cobbled quartier, urban yet navigable. Metropolitan but manageable.

Gallic finesse meets Flemish spirit for a chic yet vibrant café culture, while the cobbled streets of the old town are awash with top-notch seafood restaurants and picture-postcard charm.

Called the Carrefourby the French, at the crossroads of the country, Lille is not just location, location, location (slap bang between London, Brussels and Paris). Well connected in other ways too, from renaissance to rem. A feisty young city, ambitious, experimental, out to prove. Giving rise to the fighting spirit of General de Gaulle.

Travel on Eurostar to Lille and you can get cheap tickets from just £55 return.