A Six Nations weekend doesn’t need a home nation on the pitch to justify the journey. And the Lille Six Nations fixture – France v Italy at 15:10 on Sunday 22nd February – is close enough for UK fans to travel light, spend well, and be home on Monday.
Lille Six Nations travel documents and border checks
France is in the Schengen area. Passport rules are specific and usually enforced strictly: your passport must be issued within the last 10 years on the day you enter, and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.
If you are going by Eurostar, build in time at St Pancras. The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) began a roll-out last October and you may require first-time biometric registration (photo and fingerprints) at the border. You do not need to do anything in advance for EES, but expect processing time on your first trip.
From London to Lille, then on to the stadium
Eurostar advertises London–Lille journeys from 1 hour 22 minutes. Lille’s centre is compact, with cafés and brasseries for pre-match planning and debriefs. Arrive on Saturday and keep it simple: a leisurely lunch, a stroll around, maybe a museum, then a relaxed meal in the evening.
Sunday’s match is at the Decathlon Arena (Stade Pierre-Mauroy) in Villeneuve-d’Ascq. For most visitors the simplest plan is metro first, taxi second. The stadium’s access guidance points fans to Metro Line 1 (stations “Cité Scientifique” and “4 Cantons”), with services increased before events and extended afterwards.
Cash, cards and why a few Euros still help
You can pay by card in most of the places you’ll want to go. But cash is still in the mix: Banque de France analysis puts it at 43% of point-of-sale transactions in France in 2024 and the French are notable for still valuing cash and recognising its many advantages. A cash float can save time and awkwardness, especially for:
- tips – service charges are usually included (“Service compris”) so rounding up payment or leaving a small tip (a “pourboire”) is voluntary and discretionary. That said, it is customary to leave something for notably good service.
- quick street food, bakeries and independent purchases
- splitting a taxi or paying for late-night “small extras” without a debate over whose card gets used.
Lille Six Nations costs – some guide prices
Lille is rarely priced like Paris, and it often feels better value than London for casual spending. Crowd-source data website Numbeo suggests an inexpensive restaurant meal is about €16, a 500ml draft beer around €7, a cappuccino around €3, and a 330ml Coke or Pepsi around €2.75. A 3-course meal for 2 in a medium standard restaurant will be about €65 plus drinks.
Getting around is straightforward. Ilévia (Lille’s metro, tram & bus operator) says the single ticket (“ticket unitaire”) remains €1.80 under the tariff in force from 1st August 2025. A comparable London example is from £2.80.
Taxis are best treated as a contingency. France applies regulated taxi pricing rules, including a nationwide minimum fare of €8, with local tariffs varying by time and conditions. In Lille the base fare is €2.00 and €1.90 per km – but the minimum fare still applies.
How much cash to carry for the Lille weekend
If you are paying by card for most things, you’re not carrying cash to pay for everything but you are using it for convenience and perhaps peace of mind. You’re carrying it to remove friction.
For most adults, €60 – €100 is a sensible minimum for tips, snacks and small purchases over a weekend. If you expect a bar-heavy evening, or you want a stronger buffer for shared taxis and late changes of plan, €120 – €200 is more comfortable. Take mostly €10s and €20s, plus change some for a handful of €1 and €2 coins when you arrive.
A practical way to organise Euros: Money4Travel
It always makes sense to buy your foreign currency before you set off. Airports can be expensive, and buying it on arrival is just a nuisance. Using Money4Travel means you can order Euros online and collect them locally, which suits a short Eurostar break. The website compares rates and finds the most competitive local offer within a ten-minute drive of your postcode.
For regular travellers, there are two additional features on offer. The loyalty scheme, Pips, can be used towards future orders or related services under its terms. And the buy-back guarantee is designed to reduce the risk of over-ordering by allowing you to sell back a portion of unused currency at the original rate, subject to conditions.
A closing thought
Check your passport, allow for EES processing time, and arrive with a cash float for tips and individual purchases. Then relax. Explore this delightful and often overlooked corner of France, then hop on the metro for the stadium. Keep taxis as a back-up, and enjoy the match-day city.
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Money4Travel.com – the online service for foreign currency sales in the UK. More about the author.
For reference: gov.uk advice for France (entry); gov.uk advice for EU Entry/Exit System; Eurostar; Decathlon Arena; Banque de France; Numbeo Lille; Ilévia.
Every effort has been made to quote accurate prices. Those mentioned are correct at the time of publication. Prices may change without notice.
