Discover the splendor of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, a region proud of its mining past and its elegant architectural heritage. The landscapes dominated by the belfries bear witness to the past greatness of the region, which is now experiencing a cultural renaissance, as evidenced by Lille, European Capital of Culture, and the Louvre-Lens Museum. You’ll then head to Boulogne-sur-Mer, a city of Art and History, before exploring the seascapes of the Opal Coast and its fine sandy beaches bordered by spectacular dunes and cliffs.
Hotel and restaurant in town. The rooms open out to an enclosed garden, a small oasis of greenery where the organic herbs, fruits, and vegetables that supply the restaurant are grown. Stunningly, this is in the heart of Old Lille, in an 18th century private mansion with beautiful classic lines.
Protectors of an undeniable charm, ceilings, floors, and antique woodwork have been conserved and are boldly married with the contemporary decors of the rooms, as well as works of art scattered throughout the hotel: it was indeed designed to be a genuine cultural space. At the restaurant, the chef produces a creative and "astounding" cuisine emphasizing local and seasonal products.
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It's a huge market! You can find anything there: from toilet cubicles to Master paintings… It's a great place to go when you want to meet up and enjoy mussels and French fries. Real mountains of shells rise along the pavements at the end of the event. It's also an excuse to have a party!
La Piscine Museum in Roubaix
This former swimming pool has been converted into a beautiful museum. You can walk along the corridors between the Master paintings. My favourite painting, Cock fight in Flanders, which was painted by the Belgian artist Rémy Cogghe in 1889, can be found here!
The Braderie de Lille
It's a huge market! You can find anything there: from toilet cubicles to Master paintings… It's a great place to go when you want to meet up and enjoy mussels and French fries. Real mountains of shells rise along the pavements at the end of the event. It's also an excuse to have a party!
La Piscine Museum in Roubaix
This former swimming pool has been converted into a beautiful museum. You can walk along the corridors between the Master paintings. My favourite painting, Cock fight in Flanders, which was painted by the Belgian artist Rémy Cogghe in 1889, can be found here!
On the route
The Castelain Brewery
Founded in 1926, this microbrewery has become a reference across the north of the country. The Castelain family has owned the brewery for over 50 years. From one generation to another they have managed to develop typical beers from our region. This is demonstrated by the Ch’ti blonde beer, a great traditional...
Restaurant and hotel in a park. The Château de Beaulieu is an architectural gem with elegant facades and interiors in a romantic park, one hour from Le Touquet, between the Opal Coast and Belgium. The subtle balance of classic architecture and contemporary art makes this the perfect setting for what is one of the top restaurants in the region. The Chef pays tribute to Pas-de-Calais producers by using ingredients like Boulogne-sur-Mer scallops, Étaples bass and other fish from the North Sea. Meurin believes that “because of the currents in the nearby sea, the fish become strong and daring, which enhances the quality of their taste”. Savour his creations in two glass-roofed restaurants.
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Imagine Master pieces amid the slag heaps… The paintings are not on the walls here, they are on show in the middle of the rooms instead. You can walk around them in this modern, Japanese-style and made to measure setting.
The northern belfries
Built between the XIth and XVIIth centuries in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands, these belfries still dominate the scenery. In Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque styles, they once performed multiple functions: watch towers, prisons, safes, etc. They are still a symbol of this region...
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The Audomarois marshlands
The Audomarois marshlands extend over more than 3,700 hectares and 700 km of waterways (of which 170 km are navigable). The monks who settled here were the first to cultivated these fertile soils. Today, forty market gardeners still produce beautiful vegetables here. Emphasising the relationship between...
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The Louvre Museum, Lens
Imagine Master pieces amid the slag heaps… The paintings are not on the walls here, they are on show in the middle of the rooms instead. You can walk around them in this modern, Japanese-style and made to measure setting.
The northern belfries
Built between the XIth and XVIIth centuries in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands, these belfries still dominate the scenery. In Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque styles, they once performed multiple functions: watch towers, prisons, safes, etc. They are still a symbol of this region...
La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil -
France
14 rooms - 2 villas
This property is open.
Hotel and restaurant in the country. La Grenouillère, originally a typical regional family restaurant, has become under the amazing starred Chef Alexandre Gauthier, one of France's most inventive chefs, a place which is definitely out of the ordinary. The century-old buildings have been preserved, but two sleek new metallic marquees by architect Patrick Bouchain have redesigned the property. The restaurant, which now opens out onto the garden and greenery, serves a radical cuisine, one that is rooted in the local area and uses freely and imaginatively ingredients from the sea and from hunting and gathering. You can extend your sensory experience by staying in one of the huts in the garden.
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The Somme Bay lets you leave your daily life behind. It's a place of escape where you can even find seals! Its vast beaches are open to the wind and your thoughts and the walk will offer you great solitude. The lights are exceptional all day long. Head to the Marquenterre park to admire thousands of...
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Nausicaá, Boulogne-sur-Mer
Nausicaá is an incredible centre dedicated to the sea which is located between the beach and the city port. The site has assembled some 40 aquariums and terrariums since 1991 and is home to nearly 36,000 marine species (the giant shark tank is amazing!). Films and wonderful displays for all generations...
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Philippe Olivier's Cheeses, Boulogne-sur-Mer
Philippe Olivier was chosen as the best cheese maker in France in 1996 and comes from a long line of cheese makers. His family has been collecting, producing and selling cheeses since 1907! Favouring small producers, his raw milk cheeses are carefully matured in his cellars in Boulogne-sur-Mer. So how...
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The port of Étaples
You can come and breathe in the atmosphere and buy your fish as early as 8 am. Many little stalls sell the day's catch there. Scallops, sole, turbot, cod and flounder for a little weekend in Le Touquet… The sea fishing aquarium-museum is also nearby. It is a little-known yet quality tourist attraction.
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The Somme Bay
The Somme Bay lets you leave your daily life behind. It's a place of escape where you can even find seals! Its vast beaches are open to the wind and your thoughts and the walk will offer you great solitude. The lights are exceptional all day long. Head to the Marquenterre park to admire thousands of...
Read Moreless
Nausicaá, Boulogne-sur-Mer
Nausicaá is an incredible centre dedicated to the sea which is located between the beach and the city port. The site has assembled some 40 aquariums and terrariums since 1991 and is home to nearly 36,000 marine species (the giant shark tank is amazing!). Films and wonderful displays for all generations...
**Offer cannot be combined, valid for an itinerary in at least 2 different Relais & Châteaux establishments, reserved with Relais & Châteaux concierges, discount applicable on certain rates and certain establishments. List available from our concierges.
Total price communicated as an indication, based on a stay of the number of nights recommended on this webpage, taking place in the next 3 months, and based on double occupancy (excluding recommended activities, excluding properties not bookable online).
Reservation Service
To give you inspiration, Relais & Châteaux presents the Routes du Bonheur:
Suggestions for travel itineraries that you can fully personalise according to your wishes and the experiences you would like to discover. Our consultants are available to help customise your route and assist you in making reservations at our properties. It is up to you to reserve any recommended activities on-site or nearby that might interest you.
** Offer cannot be combined, valid for an itinerary in at least 2 different Relais & Châteaux establishments, reserved with Relais & Châteaux concierges, discount applicable on certain rates and certain establishments. List available from our concierges. Call our concierge to tailormade your booking and itinerary*. *Price of a local call
From Lille to the Opal coast, wonders of the north
" I am a local lad first and foremost, a true "Ch’t'i"! I was born in Lens and I spent my childhood in Violaines before attending the Lille School of Hotel Management. I was self-taught and learnt my trade by cooking our region's great products on a daily basis. After taking over a little café in Laventie, I opened my restaurant in Béthune. A first, and then a second star, were awarded for the teamwork. I now have the opportunity to serve a customer base of both regulars and tourists in our Relais & Châteaux de Busnes, at the Louvre Museum in Lens and in our restaurant in Lille. The Nord Pas-de-Calais region is certainly worth a trip for its cuisine, heritage and beautiful landscapes… "
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