February 2026: Leigh was invited on a FAM trip to Lille, organised by Paul Hutton of Amplified Hotels and graciously hosted by Claire Vallin and Marion Bolland of WiZiU Hotels. The trip offered a fantastic opportunity to explore this charming northern French city while experiencing a selection of its excellent hospitality venues.

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Destination Overview:

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Lille, the vibrant capital of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France, is a city rich in history, culture and architectural beauty. Influenced by both French and Flemish heritage, Lille is known for its elegant squares, ornate façades and colourful buildings that reflect centuries of prosperity and craftsmanship. Once a major trading hub during the Middle Ages, the city has evolved into a lively modern destination while carefully preserving its historic charm.

Lille is also the birthplace of General Charles de Gaulle, the French military leader and former President of France, whose legacy remains an important part of the city’s identity and can still be seen throughout the city today. Thanks to its excellent rail connections, Lille is also one of the most accessible European city destinations from the UK, just 1 hour and 20 minutes by Eurostar from London, making it an attractive and more sustainable travel option for meetings, events and short breaks.

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Easy and sustainability driven - Eurostar:

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Our journey began at London St Pancras International, where I breezed through security and passport control before meeting my fellow FAM travellers in the Eurostar Business Lounge. The lounge provided a calm and comfortable space to relax before departure, and I happily took advantage of the selection of hot beverages and snacks while getting to know the group.

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Soon we boarded the Eurostar for our Business Class journey to Lille. The journey itself was incredibly smooth and took just one hour and twenty minutes, demonstrating just how accessible this beautiful French destination is from London. Travelling by rail also makes Lille an excellent choice for those looking for more sustainable travel options, significantly reducing the carbon footprint compared with short-haul flights. The Eurostar staff were attentive and extremely helpful throughout the trip, even making a thoughtful effort to find a meal option suitable for me, despite my extensive list of dietary intolerances.

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What Lille can offer to your events:

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Upon arrival at Lille Europe Station, we received a wonderfully warm welcome from our hosts, Claire and Marion. They escorted us to the nearby Hilton Lille — located just a few metres from the station, where we enjoyed a hot drink while discussing the itinerary for the visit.

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The Hilton Lille is a modern four-star property situated in the heart of the city’s business district, ideally positioned between Lille’s two main train stations and within walking distance of the historic Old Town. The hotel features 124 contemporary guest rooms, offering comfort and stylish design for both business and leisure travellers. Guests can enjoy the on-site Europa Restaurant, which serves French cuisine inspired by local and seasonal ingredients.

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The hotel is also well suited for corporate meetings and events, offering seven flexible meeting rooms.

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After our welcome briefing, our luggage was kindly transferred ahead to L’Hermitage Gantois, which would be our home for the evening.

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Our first exploration of Lille took us on a short but beautiful walk through the city to the historic Meert Bakery, Museum and Restaurant, founded in 1761 and famous for its traditional vanilla-filled waffles. Over the centuries the elegant patisserie has welcomed many notable visitors, including Charles de Gaulle, a proud son of Lille, who was known to enjoy the bakery’s famous waffles.

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The walk itself offered a lovely introduction to Lille, allowing us to take in some of the city's architecture and atmosphere.

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Lunch at Meert was a truly memorable experience. We were seated in a private dining room where each course was carefully explained to us, and once again my dietary requirements were thoughtfully accommodated. One of the highlights was a traditional local dish, a rich broth featuring fish and seafood, which was absolutely delicious. I did try to obtain the recipe, but unsurprisingly it remains a closely guarded secret.

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After lunch we visited the Meert museum, where we met a waffle baker demonstrating the traditional Meert waffle recipe using historic equipment. The experience became even more interactive when we were invited to try making our own waffles under expert supervision. It was great fun and offered a fascinating insight into one of Lille’s most famous culinary traditions. We concluded the visit with dessert and hot drinks before continuing our afternoon.

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To walk off our lunch, we headed to L’Hermitage Gantois to check in and enjoy a site visit. This remarkable property is one of Lille’s most historic buildings. Originally founded in 1462 as a hospice by Jean de la Cambe, it provided care and shelter for the sick and poor for centuries before being carefully restored and transformed into a luxury hotel. Today it operates as a five-star Autograph Collection hotel that beautifully blends historic architecture with modern luxury.

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The hotel offers 88 individually designed historic bedrooms and suites, each reflecting the building’s heritage while providing contemporary comfort. For meetings and events, the property features eight meeting rooms. The hotel has kept most of the historic features, including a chapel and stained glass windows. Some of the meeting rooms offer a beautiful and historic backdrop to your event.

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Next, we tried something completely different with an escape-room-style activity nearby. Working in teams, we navigated a series of puzzles and challenges across multiple themed rooms. Some knowledge of French certainly helped, thankfully Claire was on our team and translated wonderfully for us. Like many Brits, I had arrived expecting everything to be in English, but the experience reminded me that I should really make more effort with languages. Another addition to my ever-growing to-do list!

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Our competitive spirit continued with a game of bowling, although this version was slightly different from traditional ten-pin bowling, giving players three attempts to knock down the pins. It was great fun and I was delighted to come second.

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Afterwards we returned to the hotel to freshen up before heading out for the evening.

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Our next stop was a site visit to the Grand Hotel Bellevue, a beautiful four-star hotel perfectly positioned on the Grand Place, offering stunning views over Lille’s historic square and the city’s distinctive Flemish architecture. The hotel features 60 elegant bedrooms and suites, many with views over the square, combining classic charm with modern comfort. For meetings and events, the Grand Hotel Bellevue offers three meeting rooms.

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From there we enjoyed dinner in a delightful ski-chalet-style restaurant within the hotel. The cosy wooden chalet was decorated with skiing equipment, fur throws and blankets, creating a charming Alpine après-ski atmosphere.

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Dinner was a raclette experience — a wonderfully social way of dining where melted cheese is served alongside accompaniments. The other guests enjoyed meats with their raclette, while once again my dietary needs were thoughtfully catered for. The food and wine were exceptional and made it a fun, relaxed and delightful evening.

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Later, some of us ventured out for a nightcap and a gentle stroll through Lille’s evening scene. As a lively university city, Lille has a wonderful atmosphere after dark, with welcoming cafés, stylish bars and cosy spots dotted throughout the historic streets,F offering something for those who simply want to relax and soak up the city’s vibrant yet relaxed ambience.

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Eventually we returned to L’Hermitage Gantois and retired for the evening. My room was unique, luxurious and wonderfully spacious. The bed and bedding were incredibly comfortable, ensuring a restful night’s sleep.

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Breakfast the next morning offered an extensive selection, which I thoroughly enjoyed before we set off for our next visit: Couvent des Minimes.

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The Couvent des Minimes is one of Lille’s most remarkable historic buildings. Originally founded as a convent for the Order of the Minimes in the early 17th century, construction took place between 1622 and 1638. The building later served a variety of roles following the French Revolution, including use by the French army, before eventually being restored and transformed into a hotel. Today it is a listed historic monument and an impressive four-star hotel that carefully preserves its historic character while offering modern comforts.

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The hotel’s architecture is particularly striking, featuring a former cloister surrounding a large central courtyard, now covered by a dramatic glass roof which houses the hotel’s bar and communal spaces.

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Couvent des Minimes offers 83 spacious bedrooms and suites, combining contemporary design with the historic atmosphere of the former convent. There are nine meeting rooms too.

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Following our site visit we enjoyed lunch at Couvent des Minimes, where once again my dietary requirements were carefully accommodated. The food was excellent and provided another opportunity to sample the quality of local cuisine.

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In the afternoon we embarked on a beer tasting and guided tour of Lille. We learned about the region’s brewing heritage, explored the different styles of beer produced locally, and gained fascinating insights into the city’s history and landmarks along the way.

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Our final visit of the trip brought us back to the Hilton Lille for a site inspection of its bedrooms, conference facilities and event spaces. We concluded the FAM trip with a relaxing hot drink and cake before making our way back to the station.

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Soon we were boarding the Eurostar for our return journey to London. Once again the staff looked after us exceptionally well, providing a smooth and comfortable end to a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable trip.

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Summary:

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Overall, Lille proved to be an incredibly accessible destination, easy to walk around to get to and from places,  full of culture, history, fantastic cuisine and excellent hospitality, all just a short 1 hour 20 minute journey from London.  This also ticks the sustainability box too without having to spend hours on a train.

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