Europe

Lille-Roubaix, France

The Best Places to run in the Lille metro area, including Roubaix

Wikimedia Commons

Lille is the fourth largest urban area in France and is capital of the Hauts-de-France region. It’s located in the ‘French Flanders’ region, on the Deûle River, near the Belgian border. The highlights of running in Lille center on its impressive Citadelle, paths along the Deûle, and some nice parks.

A great way to get oriented is to start with our Lille ‘runseeing‘ tour, which showcases the city’s key sights, botanical gardens, Parc Henri Matisse, and a part of the Citadelle. The Citadelle itself is one of the best places to run in Lille, featuring three concentric circle paths and great views. There are also some nice paths along the Deûle River, including a nice central loop and an additional route north of the city. A few km east of Lille, enjoy a run incorporating Parc du Héron and other area paths. We’ve also included some routes in Roubaix, notably the Parc Barbiueux and lovely paths along the Canal l‘Espierres.

Lille is very easy to get around and all our routes are easily accessible from the city’s modern transport system which consists of a metro, light rail, and buses.

Editor's Picks

Some of our favorite runs in Lille-Roubaix, France

See All Routes
  • All Routes
  • Iconic Routes
  • Weather & Climate
  • Where To Stay
  • Stores & Group Runs
  • Events

Lille has an oceanic climate more typical of northern Europe, with mild summers and cool winters. Summers temperatures rarely get hot, with average highs in the 23C (low 70sF) range and cool nights. Winters are overcast and cool but rarely frigid, with daytime temperatures typically in the 6C (mid-40sF) and nights just above freezing. The 740mm (30 inches) of annual precipitation is well spread out through the year.

ClimaTemps.com

If you stay in the city center or near Vieux Lille, there’s good access to our favorite places to run in Lille such the Citadelle and Deûle river routes.

RUNNING STORES

Lille has several good running stores. The two signature spots are Running Conseil and Off-Course Lille.

This is a good calendar of running events in Lille and the Hauts-de-France area.

The signature annual running event in Lille is the Lille Metropole Half Marathon, generally held in early September.