Is Lille worth an overnight on the way to Bruges? are the WWI sights easy to get to via bus?

The Great War sites are quite spread out over the area of Belgium and Northeastern France . While buses might work to some degree , there is absolutely no substitute for having a car . As an example , I picked up a car in Lille and encountered many memorials , cemeteries , battle areas , and more , on the relatively short drive back up to Ypres . Advance preparation ( homework ) and a car are essential here

I love Lille, but I don't think it's worth stopping just to see it. Packing and unpacking has to be worth it for me and I'd rather add nights to one destination or another. We visited because my daughter worked there, so we weren't just there as tourists. It has a lovely old section, some good restaurants and shopping, besides being a low key way to get used to France. Is there something besides the city that you're interested in that area?

We are on our way from Paris to Belgium and was just looking for something different along the way. We have 6 days in between Paris and Haarlem so was trying to find interesting cities via train along the way. We will stay in Bruges 2 nights, Ghent 2 nights and ???? suggestions?

ooh and if there are bus tours of the WWI sights that would be worth it right? We went to Normandy in 2004 and were stunned by it all.. My grandfather was in WWI so I will research his whereabouts before the trip in the beginning of April.

Hi,

If you're interested in seeing book stores, there is a huge one in the centre ville in Lille, the place is worth checking out.

From Lille to Ypres you see the numbers of cemeteries more and more the closer you approach Ypres. It's best to have a rental car. I haven't tracked down any of these sites between Lille and Ypres but have done a good amount to tracking down the WW1 sites from the Somme River to Arras, which served as the GHQ for the British.

I personally don't much care for Lille - I find there is too much traffic and very narrow sidewalks. Good macarons though.

I prefer the Belgian side of the border. Gent is only 45 miles away, and Bruges about the same, with Ypres midway.

Americans in WW1: You probably already know this, but Americans were latecomers to WW1. Hardly any Americans fought in Belgium or northern France which is the area you will be driving through, this is where the British Expeditionary Force fought including Canadians, Australians, Kiwis and forces from the Empire. You can look into your Grandfather's whereabouts but it is very unlikely to coincide with this route.

It was determined that the French forces needed the most help, so that front is where the Americans were sent: just east of CDG Airport, then west and south of Verdun. BTW, the largest American cemetery in France is from WW1, just west of Verdun.

https://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/meuse-argonne-american-cemetery

I went to Lille for the excellent art museum. Some people are interested in the older, auto-driver subway system. The city has the nickname "Little Paris", and there are some architectural similarities. Like Paris, it has a very diverse population. The NY Times had an article on Belgian food in Lille. The two train stations are connected by a long, long corridor, so don't worry about the fact that there are two.

I don't visit that many war sites, but if you use the search box here, you might find some past discussions of how to do them without a car. Lille to Bruges is a special case of public transportation, I don't know the details, but you don't want to go by train, through Belgium because it's very indirect. It took me over three hours to get from Antwerp to Lille, with two changes.

You didn't list your planned Belgium locations. Local trips are very easy, but I wouldn't pick Bruges for five nights.

thanks for the advice. I think we will skip Lille and head to Bruge, Ghent , Brussels?, Antwerp? and then to Amsterdam and Haarlem...any favorites there? places to stay? thanks