11 Of The Best Country Pavilions Of The Venice Biennale 2024

The director of a newly refurbished boutique hotel in the old town of Nîmes tells me he has gained and lost a star recently. The hotel’s restaurant, Rouge, run by Benin-born chef Georgiana Viou, recently won its first Michelin star. But the hotel itself, the Margaret Chouleur, has been downgraded from a five-star to just four.

Perhaps no destination on Earth packs as much punch into its relatively small surface area as Menorca. The second largest of the Balearic Islands, at one-fifth the size of Mallorca–its high-profile neighbor to the southwest in the Mediterranean Sea–the isle’s mere 270 square miles belies its almost innumerable gifts, which span the natural to the cultural, and virtually everything in between.

Anna is the author of the Lyon chapter for our latest France guidebook. Here she shares the best experiences you can find in Lyon.

The long-awaited third season of Netflix’s hit romance period drama Bridgerton is unveiled today (May 16), and fans of the series can now not only binge on the bodice-ripping romantic intrigues, opulent outfits, glamorous balls and lavish sets of the Regency era but also plan a trip to discover the locations around Britain where the smash-hit series was filmed.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of things to see and do in Sydney—especially if it’s your first time visiting. It’s not exactly easy to get to Australia so it only makes sense to want to squeeze in as many “must-see” spots as possible during your trip.

With its Pearl Street location and its founders’ history as Australia’s largest and oldest pearling company, it’s hard to resist making pearl references about The Wall Street Hotel. But the truth is this still newish boutique hotel in New York City’s Financial District is a delightful discovery, much like finding a pearl in an oyster.

The sun-drenched sepia photograph shows a dapper European, handkerchief in pocket, cigarette in hand, sitting among a row of men dressed in bisht and keffiyeh. The moment was captured during Jacques Cartier's first visit to the Persian Gulf in 1911, on his way back to London from Delhi—part of a sales trip encouraged by his father, Alfred, then the head of Cartier. The decline of the Ottoman Empire and the 1905 Persian Constitutional Revolution had flooded Europe's artistic centers with new influences, forging an aesthetic then known as “the Muslim arts.” Eager to learn more, Jacques spent four months traveling throughout Asia and the Middle East, rifling through bazaars and emporiums and mixing with high society.

Padua, in northern Italy's Veneto region, is the site of one of the world’s greatest art treasures that should be on every art lover’s bucket list. The Scrovegni Chapel houses the extraordinary 14th-century fresco cycle by Giotto that covers all the walls and ceilings. Despite having such a masterpiece and being a lovely small city, filled with history, culture and culinary delights, Padua is far less touristy than other Italian other art cities like Florence, Rome or nearby Venice. It’s a real hidden gem. And, at just 25 miles from Venice and easy to reach from Marco Polo airport, Padua is an easy day trip or addition to a Venice itinerary.

Washington’s headline act is its natural environment.

While neon-lit Tokyo moves ahead at hyperspeed, Kyoto ambles along at a leisurely pace. During its thousand-year reign as Japan’s imperial city, artisans from around the country flocked here to hone their skills in nishijin-ori silk weaving and kyo-yaki pottery. Today, in its traditional machiya town houses, ceramicists and woodworkers still produce the same fine wares as their ances- tors. But a group of younger makers is shaking up the scene, opening next-gen ateliers, teahouses, and concept stores that swap the sometimes-intimidating rules and rituals of traditional crafts with modern designs and easygoing retail spaces. Whatever the approach, one thing is for sure in Kyoto: The handmade reigns supreme.

With summer just around the corner in the USA, you’re likely already dreaming of where to spend your vacation. 

A slew of exciting new hotels have been popping up in Honolulu — and starting June 1, there will be a new lifestyle hotel in the heart of one the city's most vibrant neighborhoods.