Lille is the largest city in French Flanders. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in France after those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the prefecture of the Nord department.

Lille is the place to dream and to do some Christmas shopping! The month-long Christmas Market in the city is the largest in Northern France and has a tradition with centuries of history behind it. Wooden chalets of the Christmas Market offer Christmas decorations and festive food, as well as arts and crafts. A Ferris Wheel turns on the main square, which is transformed into a winter wonderland, dominated by an 18-meter high Christmas tree. Shop windows compete to be the most original, and the 3900 shops in the city offer something for every taste and every budget.

The name Lille comes from insula or l'Isla, i.e., "the island", since the area was at one time marshy. This name was used for the castle of the Counts of Flanders, built on dry land in the middle of the marsh. Lille has a temperate oceanic climate; summers do not reach high temperatures, but winters can fall below zero temperatures. Precipitation is above average year round.