The first time we went to the Braderie de Lille was in 2023. We went there because we enjoy looking at antique and vintage items in general, and one of our friends is from the Lille area, so we went with her. Two years later, we wanted to go to the Braderie again, and my brother-in-law had moved to the area, so we decided to visit them and go to the Braderie together.
What and where is Braderie de Lille?
Lille is a large city in northern France, very close to the Belgian border, and from Calais, it takes about 2 hours by car. The Braderie de Lille is renowned as the largest flea market in Europe, held annually on the first Saturday and Sunday in September. It also has a long history, dating back to 1127. You can read more about Lille in our previous article!
Last time we left the UK from Folkestone via Le Shuttle on Saturday morning and only managed to see the braderie from the early afternoon. This time, we decided to go on Friday, which is the day before the Braderie, and join on Saturday morning.
As last time, we travelled there by car and took the Le Shuttle. If you are not planning to buy a large item, such as furniture, you can also take the Eurostar from London St. Pancras International to Lille Flandres without any changes.
Book a train ticket from the UK to Lille with Trainline to get the best price and manage all your journeys in one place!
We arrived in Calais and headed to Cambrai on the outskirts of Lille, where we booked a flat via Booking.com.
Where is Cambrai and what to see
Cambrai is located 1 hour away by train from Lille Flandres. They are famous for their traditional sweets called Bêtises de Cambrai, local beer and the battle of Cambrai.
We will discuss our time in Cambrai in more detail in the following article.
Where we stayed in Cambrai
We stayed in an apartment building converted into a hotel called “Le Vauban”, which is located right next to a large public park and a high school with free parking. I think we booked the smallest room, but it was just enough for two people for three nights. The room was clean and stylish, and they provided some tea and a Nespresso coffee machine. There was also a fridge-freezer, a microwave, a fan, a cooker, basically everything we needed to stay and also cook at the place.
Before arriving, the host asked us if we preferred either a bottle of red or white wine or beer. The north of France is famous for beer, so we asked for a beer. When we arrived, they left a bottle of local beer from Cambrai in the fridge for us! Isn’t it sweet?
The downside of the room was that the smell of the infuser was too strong for us. We kept it in a cupboard in the bathroom until the day we checked out.
Otherwise, the location was great, and close to the train station, and the host was helpful and kind. We didn’t take our dog, but the place is also pet-friendly.
Saturday: Braderie de Lille
We woke up around 6 am to catch the train at Cambrai station at 7 am. Then we received a message from Trainline stating that the train had been cancelled. Nooooo! So, we decided to take the next one, which is 1 hour later, and therefore decided to have breakfast at my brother-in-law’s place.
Book a local train ticket from Cambrai to Lille with Trainline and have a worry-free experience.
The train to Lille Frandres was packed, but luckily we could find seats. Phew. In the end, we arrived at Lille at 9 am. There were already a lot of people! The weather was nice, but not as hot as it had been two years ago. However, since we arrived in the morning, it was still a bit chilly in the shade. A jacket was helpful.
What we learnt from the last Braderie de Lille
In the previous Braderie de Lille blog article, we highlighted several key points worth keeping in mind.
Stay hydrated
Bring a bottle with you, as there are frequent drinking fountains in the parks. The weather is generally good and warm during the day. Additionally, you frequently communicate with vendors to negotiate.
Beware of high ABV drinks
Beers from the north are generally high in alcohol, and there is a long queue for the toilets everywhere!
Pickpockets
There are a lot of people. Think of a human traffic jam on the main street. You will want to carry some cash to buy something special. So, ensure that you don’t place it in a location that is easily accessible.
Bring cash
Most vendors only accept cash. But if you don’t have a French bank card, withdrawing money from an ATM incurs an extra €6 charge.
Some practical French phrases for the Braderie de Lille
This list might be helpful for non-French speakers like me! Remember those phrases to make your shopping experience smoother.
Bonjour. (Hello.)
This example is very basic but essential. Just like when you are going into a shop, the stall is their shop, so if you see the shop owner, say “Bonjour”.
Combien ça coûte ? C’est combien? (while holding or pointing at the item) (How much is this? How much?)
This phrase is one of the most valuable ones during the braderie. Some shops mark the price on the items, but many don’t. I used to be scared to ask the price because I thought it might be expensive. But actually, it wasn’t always the case.
I was hesitating, but my husband or my friend asked for me and it was a BARGAIN! I really appreciate that they asked, and since then, I have remembered this sentence and now use it a lot.
Pouvez-vous faire une réduction sur cet article? Pouvez-vous faire X euros ? (Can you offer a discount on this item? Can you do X euros? )
These sentences are always worth trying to get an item slightly cheaper than its marked price.
Merci beaucoup! (Thank you very much!)
As important as “Bonjour”. You can just say “Merci”, but putting “beaucoup” is more polite.
Bonne braderie! (Have a nice Braderie!)
This last one is optional, but I heard a lot during the braderie.
I love that French speakers say this. They use “Bonne” or “Bon”, and change the “Braderie” a bit like “Bonne journee” (have a nice day), “Bon appetit” (enjoy your meal), “Bonne nuit” (good night), “Bonne année” (a happy new year), etc.
Early lunch is a chip butty?
We found some nice stuff already and got hungry around 11 am. So we decided to sit by the food truck and have an early lunch before the crowds arrived.
We ordered a sandwich with some fries. But look at this! When my husband came back with it, I really thought that he had ordered a chip butty! But, way under this mountain of chips, there was a fricadelle (a long meat patty) in the bun, too. We had to eat through a pile of chips before reaching the fricadelle, though. That was a funny moment during the braderie.
With enough energy to last for a full day, let’s go back to treasure hunting!
Early afternoon
It’s getting busier and busier; we can feel that this year there are more people than there were two years ago. We decided to return to Cambrai before the peak time, but still couldn’t avoid the crowd. The main avenue leading to the train station was heavily congested, and this brought us to a halt on several occasions. We were standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers until we reached the train station.
The Lille Flandres train station was also jam-packed with people, so we were worried the train would be full too. But there were station staff who were checking the train ticket, so surprisingly, the train itself wasn’t that busy.
What we bought at this year’s Braderie de Lille
Enamel canisters
Ricard carafe
Les Tunique Bleus cartoon comic books
Closing words
Given how busy Lille was, we decided not to go back on Sunday. Instead, we went to Arleux, which is a 25-minute drive from Cambrai. Luckily, there was a “smoked garlic festival” (Foire à l'Ail Fumé) during the weekend! We didn’t know about the area, so it was fun to discover a new town during a festival!
We also explored a bit of Cambrai on Sunday afternoon, which we will cover in more detail in the following article.
We are active on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss our future blog posts.
