The shores of the Atlantic and Mediterranean lure millions to Europe every year but if we had our druthers, we’d turn to the continent’s lakes for repose and brilliant scenery. Ten towns, in particular, make us jones for a little lake time.

Paris. City of Light. City of Love. City of Branché Nightlife. Unfortunately, not all of us have the Fashion Week look – or the lucre – to penetrate the velvet ropes of the French capital’s most exclusive boîtes. But with so many terrific live music halls, jazz clubs, dive bars and discothèques, to even risk … More

Although we seldom associate the south of France as a winter holiday hub today – the summer season so completely dominates the tourist agenda – this phenomena is relatively new. Once a remote backwater with a subsistence economy of olives, citrus, fish and shellfish, the Côte d’Azur became a branché health resort for the British … More

There is life beyond the inner arrondissements of Paris. The banlieues, intermittent unrest in the likes of Clichy-sous-Bois aside, exert some pull and, sans doute, the 11e to 20e arrondissements include some of the best bets in the capital. We chose ten for Paris visitors to discover.

Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Paris – Photo … More

From medieval island citadels to hilltop military fortifications, sombre La Manche graveyards to urban museums, France is replete with wartime landmarks, memorial sites and relics of the past. Discover ten of the very best.

As seductive as the south of France is in summer, we kind of like it off-season too. Maybe even prefer it. Domestic holidaymakers, international college students, jet-set VIPs and look-at-me-now celebs may swell the likes of Saint-Tropez, Cannes and Juan-les-Pins in July and August but Le Midi is vast – well beyond the borders of … More