Every year, on the first weekend of September, the city of Lille turns into a giant garage sale. The biggest street market in Europe attracts close to 2 million visitors. Here’s our advice to help make the most of it.
Book a train ticket
Book a train ticket
Only 1 hour from Paris by train, Lille can easily be visited on a weekend. Come in September for the opportunity to visit the biggest flea market in Europe: the Lille street market.
The biggest flea market in Europe
Held every 1st weekend in September
Traditionally, every first weekend of September, the capital of Flanders welcomes the famous Braderie de Lille. Come meet the bargain hunters of France, Belgium and abroad.
From 8:00 am on Saturday the 1st of September to 6:00 pm the following day, budding traders meet bargain hunters, day-trippers and onlookers. Streets, squares, neighbourhoods, city centre, market places—the whole city comes alive like never before!
Anything, everything, whatever it is, you’ll find it!
Everything is sold, from pairs of shoes to blank DVDs, right through to small cars, encyclopaedias and novelty items. Artists from all over the city of Lille exhibit their most memorable work to all those who pass by.
Don’t miss out on a traditional dish of mussels and fries, served with a half pint of light beer. Mounds of empty shells pile up in front of restaurants, where workers jokingly fight over who has the biggest pile of mussels. And in the evening, it’s time to party!
Practical information
By train
Getting to Lille by train is fast and easy:
- From Brussels: 38 minutes
- From Paris: 1 hour
- From London 1 hour 20 minutes
- From Amsterdam: 2 hours 40 minutes
- From Strasbourg: 3 hours 20 minutes
The two stations (Lille Flandres and Lille-Europe) are located beside and within the city centre, so both are ideal options to reach the hypercentre by foot or by tram in no time!
By car
If you are travelling by car, in order to avoid congestion, it is better to park outside the city centre and take the train, tram, metro or bus. Make use of park and ride services which are free and secure and allow you to travel to the city centre by metro.
