Lille weekend break: this hotel with parking is the deal

Just a 12-minute walk from Lille Europe station, at the Carlton Hotel you can expect a palatial level of service, a generously-proportioned 35m2 room (so you won’t all be under each other’s feet!), a comfortable sofa-bed for the kids, luxury mod-cons (mini-bar, Nespresso machine, spa bath) and of course, you can ask the friendly staff for pretty much anything you need! The icing on the cake for your family weekend break in Northern France is the view from your room; each comes with a memorable vista of Lille’s stunning Flemish architecture.

If the aim of a family weekend break is to strike a balance between convenience, keeping the kids happy AND giving yourselves some precious time out, the Carlton Hotel in Lille ticks all the boxes: leave the car in the Carlton hotel parking facility and instead get around town on city-bikes (ask staff for details). Head off to discover Lille’s citadel - a vast park where all Lille locals go for the great choice of activities. You can buckle up for a treetops trail (specially adapted courses for kids), visit the zoo, hire a self-drive boat to cruise down the river Deûle, or simply enjoy a nice family walk or picnic. Back at the Carlton, round the day off with a sauna or that massage you’ve booked, and that’s everyone happy, right?

Because your family weekend break is over the water in another country, the kids will discover there’s a whole new world right on the doorstep. Soak up the culture with them at one of Lille’s oldest and most beautiful museums - Lille’s natural history museum - where the collections are brought to life for kids thanks to children’s activity booklets. There’s the Palais des Beaux Arts art gallery too where every Sunday afternoon, family visits help kids engage with art in a fun way. Hotel staff can even help you make the booking, if you like.

And if you haven’t yet been to Vieux-Lille - the enchanting old quarter - you’ll find it’s a real crowd-pleaser. Admire the architecture, stroll around the old streets, and treat yourself - as the locals do - to a waffle from the famous ‘Meert’ emporium or to one of the unique meringuey sensations from ‘Aux Merveilleux de Fred’.

City-walking calls for resting too so pitch up at an alfresco café on Place de la Treille; the kids can have a run around without going out of sight whilst you sample a local Northern France beer. Allow time for the old town’s array of independent boutiques and check out some possible restaurants for the evening: there are typical ‘estaminets’ (a Northern France word for a bar) in rue de Gand, plus ‘Les Fils à Maman’ and ‘La Dinette’, both highly-recommended for families. One last thing: don’t call time on your family weekend break in Lille before you’ve all tried a cone of Northern France’s finest fries from renowned ‘Friterie Meunier’ on Grand’Place – you’ll be talking about it for weeks to come!

So many things to do in Lille in just one family weekend break… who knew?