Lille car hire, tailor-made for you
We make car hire easy, because we know you can’t wait to feel the freedom of the road. Wherever your travels take you, the keys are waiting to unlock the world.
Plan your journey around Lille
A cosy city centre with a rich cultural life, Lille is a godsend for art lovers who can get their fill at the many beautiful art museums and galleries here.It is relatively easy to get around Lille by hire car in the city thanks to clear signage. Bear in mind though that parking is not free and street-side spaces can be tricky to find. However, there are plenty of car parks.
A picturesque square sits in Lille’s centre, La Grand Place, surrounded by architecture spanning from the 17th to 20th centuries. In the middle of the square stands the Column of the Goddess, the city's symbol. It was built in memory of local resistance to the week-long Austrian siege of Lille back in 1782.
There are many historical buildings to explore around the city. The most prominent is the Palais de Beaux Arts de Lille, the city's finest art museum, which displays world-famous paintings and sculptures (closed on Tuesdays).
Lille’s grand opera house (Opéra de Lille) can be found in La place du Théâtre, built in the early 1900s. If you peer closely at some of the facades around this grand square you might be able to spy cannonballs jammed between the bricks, another reminder of the infamous Austrian siege.
Road trips from Lille
Lille's proximity to the northern coast of France and the Belgian border makes it an excellent base for exploring northern Europe.Dunkirk, an 80km drive north-west, is known for its beautiful beaches but also for its role in World War II. Operation Dynamo, the British evacuation of 338,000 troops from the area between 27 May and 4 June 1940 is considered one of the wisest manoeuvres in British military history. The Dunkirk 1940 museum was built to describe the event.
Historical military attractions are also plentiful in the beautiful city of Arras, 40 minutes’ south of Lille by road. Famous for its First World War battles, underground museum Wellington Quarry opened in 2008 within some of the many kilometres of tunnels dug by the British army between 1914 and 1918. The tunnels connect to a mine shaft which dates back to the Middle Ages and the Roman Empire.
France's northernmost national park is a 1.5-hour drive to the north-west of Lille. Caps et Marais d'Opale Natural Regional Park is full of good hiking, biking and riding trails in an area set aside to preserve the unique vegetation of the area. Wetlands are best explored by boat and there are a number of different types to rent including canoes, rowboats and motorboats.
Continuing on to the UK? Calais lies 110 kilometres to the north-west of Lille, from where ferries or the Channel tunnel connect travellers to Folkestone.
Your journey starts here
The moment you arrive at your location, we’ve got you covered. Whether you fancy a cute compact for an urban jaunt, an elegant saloon for a business trip or a spacious people carrier for a family holiday, your perfect vehicle is standing by.
Frequent renters get upgraded – and additional days for free – by signing up for Avis Preferred loyalty benefits.