Voyage à Paris – HTS annual trip 2025

Written by Ethan Chen and Niamh Sutherland

As usual, our annual trip venturing out of the London and Manchester offices this month proved to be nothing short of spectacular. There were a wealth of choices on the activities, with 136 of us splitting off into 10 groups for a jam-packed trip around the historically, culturally and architecturally rich city of Paris – 13 years after Heyne Tillett Steel first visited the city. In this way, it was a great chance to welcome the new faces that have joined in the last year.

6 intrepid cyclists set off early to battle the stormy weather over the coast, while the rest took the more leisurely route over on the Eurostar.

We caught up with Structural Engineer Ethan Chen and Senior Civil Engineer Niamh Sutherland, to see how they found their first annual trip with the company.

Group tours and talks

Niamh: ‘My group – group 10 – kicked off their day in Paris with a hostel breakfast, then heading to the newly renovated Notre Dame. It was a lovely calm start to a busy day, taking in the gothic architecture and colourful stained windows.   

Next up was an “off the beaten track” cycle tour of Paris. Our tour guide, Josh from Hawaii, led us confidently through some of the city’s lesser-known arrondissements. A convoy of consultants attempting to cycle on the right-hand side of the road for the first time proved amusing. Thankfully, no incidents occurred, and instead, we enjoyed three hours of sunshine, hidden streets, and structural engineering commentary. We stopped for a well-deserved lunch of beer and frites before heading to the afternoon’s activity. 

The highlight for many was the cheese-making workshop. Pierre, our enthusiastic fromager, taught us how to make a mild Tomme and even a batch of salted butter. Both were sampled on fresh bread, paired with wine and even more cheese.’

Ethan: ‘The day after the cycle began feeling pretty sore, but fortunately this was eased by a croissant making workshop! This activity was highly anticipated amongst the group, and one that we were all lucky enough to get signed up to. We learned the basics of mixing dough, then moving on to forming the classic croissant and pain au chocolat. As the smell of melted butter filled the air, we gathered around the oven eagerly awaiting what was probably the freshest croissants we’ll ever have.  

We then had a brisk lunch before entering the Louvre for a self-guided tour. Our group agreed to split up and explore the vast museum to our own liking. I decided to tag along with a couple others to try and get a peek at the Mona Lisa too.

Our final activity was to the Museum of the Paris Sewers, one that both civil and structural engineers within the group were equally curious about. Unsure of what was to come, we descended the stairs into what we quickly realised was not just a museum – but the real thing itself! After getting over the initial smell, we became indulged in the history behind the sewers presented by our tour guide. We were also “lucky” to have caught a glimpse of the Parisian sewer rats – apparently a crucial and valuable part of sewage treatment. This unexpectedly fascinating activity was definitely a memorable experience for me!’

That wasn’t all – there were many other options as we got to choose between a tour around the Stade de France, a guided trip up the Eiffel Tower, and perfume making workshops too – there was even Pastries and Tragedies, where a group got to hear haunted stories of the city, whilst sampling tasty bites from local bakeries. There was something for everyone, and we reconvened in the afternoon to catch up on our varied days out.

Timing really was everything, as we realised when we had to reconvene at 4:30pm sharp for our hour long cruise. It was followed by a quick stop off at the hostel, where we got ready for our lovely 3 course Parisian/British cuisine at Public House, to celebrate the success of our practice over the past year with a speech from founding director, Mark Tillett.

Since 2007, when HTS was founded, the annual trip has been a staple in our diaries, to bring the practice together and learn about a new culture and place we haven’t been to before. This was one of our biggest trips yet at 136 people, and we’re looking forward to seeing where is next on the map for 2026.