LILLE IN FRANCE

Lille, France’s fourth largest metropolitan area, in its north part, is a European metropolis of about 1.9 million inhabitants; an international crossroads: 100 million Europeans (British, Belgian, Dutch and French) are within 300 km of this regional capital.

Lille is the 1st European centre for catalogue and long distance sales, the 1st place in France for textiles and the 2nd for number of large business headquarters (printing and publishing, insurance, courtiers).

Lille is also an important centre for research and development. The regional and university hospital is the 1st employer of the area and the close by Eurasanté houses business developing European solutions in biotechnical, medical equipment and information technology sectors, in addition to hospitals and faculties of medicine, pharmacy and odontology. 3200 scientists work at Eurasanté.

Lille is the 3rd University City in France welcoming over 92000 students.

Lille is also an artistic and historic city. In 2004, it was designated as a European Culture Capital. Since then, Lille has become an important tourist destination, recognised for its welcoming living environment, well-preserved heritage and active cultural life

HOW TO REACH LILLE

Lille airport is very close to the city (10 km). It has some direct international connections indicated on the website www.lille.aeroport.fr/gb. Lille is also less than an hour away by train from two larger international airports:
Paris Charles de Gaulle: 51 minutes
Brussels Zaventem: 38 minutes

Rail: Lille Europe TGV station offers multiple and frequent links to major French and European cities: Eurostar from London- 1h20; from Bruxelles –38min; direct TGVs from Roissy-CDG airport and Paris-1h.

More information at SNCF www.sncf.com; Eurostar(http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/index.jsp

SNCB http://www.b-rail.be/main/F/

Lille Flandres train station with direct TGV from Paris

Motorway network: Lille is at the central axis of 6 motorways, from Paris (220km) Amsterdam (290km) Liege (240Km) Dunkirk (80km) Calais (110km) and Bruxelles (110km)

CLIMATE

FRANCE, situated in a temperate climatic zone, has four distinct seasons. In July (summer season) the temperature ranges from 18°C-20°C with sunny skies and occasional rains.

GASTRONOMY

All the conviviality of the inhabitants is found in the local gastronomy. Tasty and generous, it comes from both Flemish traditions proudly preserved and a touch of French “art de vivre”. Among the many culinary specialities, three dishes make particularly the originality of the Lille tables: the Flemish carbonade of beef stewed in beer and onions; the waterzoï (young vegetables, cream and poultry or fish) and the potjevleesch usually eaten cold (white meats in jelly and bacon). These dishes can be accompanied by a locally brewed beer  (tasty with a fair degree of alcohol). The local sweets take advantage from the vergeoise (brown sugar) on top of tarts, in caramel custard, waffles and “ babeluttes” of Lille

CURRENCY

Since January 1, 2002, the EURO (€) is the official currency (used in 12 countries of the European Union)

Notes: 500/200/100/50/20/10/5

Coins: 2€/1€/50cents/20c/10c/5c/2c/1c.

One euro is divided into 100 cents

In March 2008 the exchange rate is around 1.6$ for 1€

CREDIT CARD

Credit cards, including VISA, MasterCard, American Express are accepted at major hotels, department stores and restaurants.

CASH AND CHECK

Foreign bank notes and traveler’s checks in US dollars can be converted into Euro at foreign exchange banks and other authorised exchange offices. Look for a sign indicating “CHANGE”. Remember that even though exchange rates are fixed, agent commissions vary: they must be clearly displayed. In general, it is best to find a larger bank or exchange office in the centre of town or in a financial area. If only a small amount of money is being exchanged, the hotel's money exchange rate may be adequate. Traveler's checks in Euros offer a safe means of travelling with cash. 

BUSINESS HOURS

Banks are open from 8 or 9 a.m to 5 p.m. on weekdays, could be closed between 12 and 2 p.m. and on Saturday or Monday. When closed, you can find near by, Automatic Trailer Machines (ATM) opened 24h a day, providing cash with a credit card. They are very popular in France and work better with VISA and MASTERCARD.

Stores in old Lille are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and could be closed during lunch time. Big suburban stores (Auchan Carrefour) and in Lille Europe are open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Major department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Le Printemps) are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. They are closed on Sundays.

TIP AND TAX

Almost all restaurants include tax and a 15% service charge (service compris) in their prices. If a meal or service has been particularly good, leaving another 2-3% is customary, as is leaving the waiter the small change from your bill if you pay in cash. If service is not included (service non compris) a 15% tip is appropriate. In hotels, tip porters approximately 1.50€ for each bag and chambermaids 1.50€ a day. Taxi drivers should be given 10-15% of the metered fare. Tip hairdressers 10%, assistant 5%. Small tips of around 1€ are reasonable for cloakroom and washroom attendants, ushers and museum tour guides. It is standard practice to tip tour guides and bus drivers after an excursion, generally 1.50-3.00€, depending on your level of the satisfaction.

VISA AND PASSPORT

All foreign visitors to France must have a valid passport and visa. Visitors from countries which have a special agreement with France or members of European Community do not need a visa. For more information, please contact the local France consulate or embassy in your country, or refer to the website www.diplomatie.gouv.fr.

COUNTRIES for which a VISA is not needed

-Visa Exemption Agreements (26 countries):

ASIA:     Israel, Malaysia, Brunei, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao.

OCEANIA :   New Zeeland, Australia.

AMERICA :  Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile Dominica Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Argentina, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela.

EUROPE :     Saint-Marin, Saint-Siege, Andorra, and Croatia.

-Members of European Community and European Economic Area (30countries):

Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway.

ALL OTHERS COUNTRIES (AFRICA particularly) MUST HAVE A VISA.

INSURANCE

Participants are advised to take out adequate travel and health insurance before leaving their respective countries. A health insurance would cover medical treatment and a possible repatriation. The Organizing Committee has no insurance coverage for the participants and will not be responsible for any accident that may occur during the Conference.

ELECTRICITY

France uses 220-volt systems.

TIME DIFFERENCE

In relation to Greenwich Mean Time, France is + 1hour.