Venue: Lille, France

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Please book your hotel URGENTLY!
Registered participants can join the WhatsApp group to discuss accommodation

Location

DisCoTec 2025 will take place at École National Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (ENSAM).

We have recently found out that another very large symposium is taking place 300m away. Please book your accommodation urgently!

Photograph of the ENSAM main building Photo by the ENSAM on their website.

About Lille

Photo of the Paris door, Lille Photo by tupianlingang on istockphoto.com.

The city of Lille is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the most nothern region of France, and is at the center of the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL in French), which has a population of 1.5 million people.

Nicknamed the “capital of the Flanders”, Lille belongs to the Flanders historical region, a hotly contested region through the ages; Lille has been strongly influenced (and under siege) by different powers, including Holy Roman Empire and the Spanish Netherlands: this appears in the architecture of the buildings, especially in the city center and old town, that is very close to the neighbooring Belgium style.

There’s a lot to see in Lille! Please visit the tourist office website for official touristic information.

The University of Lille

With roots from 1562, and officially established in 1854 with Louis Pasteur as first dean, the University of Lille comprises 15 faculties, including the Faculty of Science and Technology, which hosts the Polytech Lille engineering school.

The university employs 10,000 people (including 3,300 academic staff) and incorporates 80,000 students (including 1,800 Ph.D. students).

How to arrive

We strongly encourage DisCoTec participants to consider sustainable options for arriving to Lille.

Travel by Train

Being 1h20 away from London, 1h from Paris and 35min from Bruxelles, Lille is an important junction of the European high-speed rail network. Lille has two railways stations:

The two stations are very close (500m apart).

Companies

In France, trains are supervised by the SNCF (French national railway company).

In addition to SNCF’s TGVs (French high-speed trains) going to Belgium, Italy and Spain, the SNCF also collaborates with other countries to propose international travels to/from Belgium/Germany/Netherlands/UK (Eurostar) and Switzerland (Lyria). Even though all aforementioned trains should be bookable through the SNCF Connect website, don’t hesitate to visit other companies’ websites to double check.

Note: SNCF Connect does not include trips from SNCF competitors (Deutsche Bahn, Renfe or Trenitalia for instance), so you might want to book your trip on Trainline.

In France, there are two categories of high-speed journey: inOui is the name of the premium service, while Ouigo is the low-cost variant. Both services usually run the same trains, TGVs.

TGVs are comfortable; they all offer free Wi-Fi in both second and first class, and 220V outlets in first class. Food and drinks are usually sold on the trains, except on short trips (no restauration service on Paris-Lille / Bruxelles-Lille for instance) and Ouigo low-cost trains.

Travel by Air

The simplest option is to travel to Lille-Lesquin Airport (Lille, LIL), and then join Lille by bus (either Ilevia n°68 to Villeneuve-d’Ascq 4 cantons metro stations, or Flibco shuttle to Lille-Flandres railway station).

Moving around the city

In the Lille Metropolis, public transportation (metro/tramway/bus/bike) is organized by Ilévia. To plan your travel, you can also rely on Google Maps.

Note: Disruptions may occur on Line 1 of metro. In particular, it will be closed on the evening of Monday, 16th of June starting from 22:30. Line 2 should function normally.

Accommodation

We have recently found out that another very large symposium is taking place 300m away. Please book your accommodation urgently!

For the registered participants who would be interested in sharing accommodation with others, here is a WhatsApp group that we have set up to match people with potential flatmates.

We are working with Hello Lille to provide a list of available rooms. However, do book your accommodation as soon as possible using any of the well-known platforms, such as:

We recommend booking either in the center of Lille or along the metro Line 2.

Here is a Google Maps list of hotels around the conference venue where you can see the walking distance and itinerary from each hotel to the venue (Click the pedestrian icon on the bottom menu, then hover over hotel markers on the map.)

Block Reservations and Special Deals

(Last updated: May 13th, 2025)

We will arrange some limited block reservations and special deals at selected hotels for DisCoTec participants. These rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For details about room types etc. please see the hotel websites, or contact the hotel directly. To secure your booking, please follow the instructions below.

B&B HOTEL Lille Lillenium Eurasanté (3*)

Lille City Hotel (3*)

Beyond the Conference: Bienvenue Ă  Lille!

Welcome to Lille, the vibrant heart of northern France, Capital of Flanders! While you’re here discussing distributed computing, why not distribute some joy among your taste buds and cultural senses? Here’s a quick guide to help you explore this charming city like a “Lillois”!

Lille’s Must-Try Beers and Bars

Best Beers Bars in Lille

Photograph of "La Capsule"
Photo of “La Capsule” by Lille Addict on their website.

Lille is a beer lover’s paradise!

Best Wine Bars in Lille

Photograph of "Les Frères Pinard"
Photo of “Les Frères Pinard” by Lille Addict on their website.

While Lille might not have vineyards on its slag heaps (yet), the city boasts some excellent wine bars. Here are our top picks for enjoying a great glass of wine:

Best Bars for a Festive Vibe

Looking for a lively spot to sip your drink while dancing or singing along? Here’s a selection of bars where great music meets a fun atmosphere:

Best Bars for Games in Lille

Bars are already great places for socializing, but these spots take it a step further by offering fun and unique games beyond your usual darts or foosball:

Best Restaurants in Lille

From traditional estaminets to iconic desserts, Lille is a foodie paradise! Here’s a guide to some of the best spots to satisfy your cravings.

Traditional Estaminets

Photograph of a table at "La Ch'tite Brigitte"
Photo of a table at “La Ch’tite Brigitte” by Lille Addict on their website.

Must-Try Desserts

Photograph of a Merveilleux
Photo of a “Merveilleux” from Fred by tendancefood on their website.

Cultural Delights

Photograph of La Gare Saint-Sauveur in the context of Lille3000
Photo of La Gare Saint-Sauveur in the context of Lille3000 taken by Laurent Ghesquière on Lille3000’s website.

Expand your mind outside the conference:

Quick Tips