10 best castles in France: from formidable forts to lavish riverside châteaux

Europe’s rail services fall short of expectations and expensive ticket prices don’t necessarily translate to higher-quality services, a new report has found.

Paris and Berlin are about to get a little closer.

Planning to drive between France and Italy in 2025? You can now take the Mont-Blanc Tunnel, which links the two countries beneath the Alps, as it has been reopened after months of renovation work.

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It is a common scenario for anyone booking online: That affordable hotel room or concert ticket suddenly gets pricey at checkout, when service and other fees get tacked on.

Dec 17, 2024 • 17 min read

The drive south through Normandy was familiar. Or at least it would have been if not for the thunderclaps and warm sideways rain. While we waited at a rest stop for the weather to ease up, my husband, Andrew, and I showed our sons, ages two and five, pictures from the last trip we took abroad together before they were born, when we traveled on the same road through western France. We'd had a bag of cherries on the center console and the heater going full blast in a rented Morgan convertible. Last year we decided to re-create that journey, punctuated with overnights at some of the grandest chateaus in all the land, this time with our two small chaps. There's a hidden Beauty and the Beast quality to the setting of Hotel Château du Grand-Lucé, our first stop of the trip, in the Loire Valley, about an hour north of Tours. The approach to the 80-acre estate is through a brief, sleepy village, Le Grand-Lucé, and a locked gate that obscures the sight of the 18th-century limestone mansion inside. As we spilled out, punch-drunk after nine hours in the car, swallows were climbing and diving around the slate roof. The four of us stood there, chins tipped, ensorcelled by the place.

As of 1 January 2025, Romania and Bulgaria will officially become full-time members of the Schengen Area, which allows free movement between member states for 450 million citizens.

Dec 12, 2024 • 6 min read

Set high in the French Alps just minutes from the Swiss border, Lake Annecy is a prime destination in both summer and winter for European vacationers—but it's often overlooked (or simply unknown) by many Americans in favor of nearby ski (and après) meccas Chamonix, Grenoble, or Geneva. The lake's northern shore includes the city of Annecy, a bustling mini-metropolis full of high-end boutiques and dining, museums, and attractions—and through its medieval Old Town runs a series of mountain-water-fed canals, which are home to flocks of stunning white swans and lend the city its reputation as the Venice of France.

Our AmaWaterways guide, Andrea, is leading us through the narrow streets of Arles, France, to a perfectly preserved Roman amphitheater — a relic of the ancient world as magnificent as anything you'll find in Rome. But as we soon learn, the 2,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site isn't just an icon of the Roman era.

Street theft isn’t petty to a victim. Having your pocket picked or bags stolen can ruin your trip and your finances.