Over the coming weeks, some 15 million visitors will descend upon Paris for the 2024 Olympics. And many will linger longer, hitting the country’s hotspots such as the much-loved Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, which already teems with travelers. So if you’ve been eyeing a hotel nestled in the quaint town of Gordes, or dreaming about a dip off the coast of Antibes or Saint-Tropez, you might want to think again. But that doesn’t mean you have to rule out a sojourn to the South of France altogether–other sunny locations including lesser-trafficked Marseille and the Luberon Valley, sans Masseratis and glitzy Gucci slides, are indeed worthwhile for a quiet city break.
Supermodel Erin Wasson and her Marseille-born husband opened cafe Cécile Food Club last year.
Le Bords De Mer's simple rooms let the Mediterranean scenery outside shine.
Skip flying through Paris and take a direct flight to Nice (both La Compagnie and Air France fly direct from New York City this time of year.) If Paris is an unavoidable layover, consider a connecting flight that will land you in Marseille (rather than Nice), a seaside city that has had a major resurgence. The gritty port city isn’t only seasonal and teeming with tourists, but home to much of France’s cool crowd. In recent years, there’s been an influx of creatives here, from Paris and beyond. With them, came a slew of new restaurants, bars, and shops; last year, Texan-born supermodel Erin Wasson opened a bakery, Cécile Food Club, with her Marseille-born husband, Barthelemy Tassy.
Check into Le Bords De Mer, the towering white boutique hotel that sits on the water’s edge with rooms overlooking over the Med. Grab lunch at the restaurant for a Marseille-classic: chickpea fries with anchovy mayo, accompanied by a glass of Champagne. Then, squeeze in a shop at Maison Empereur, an old-school store with a labyrinth of wood-paneled rooms stocking more items than you would find in Mary Poppins’ bag, from bath bombs to retro ice cream dishes and chic gardening shoes. Wind down the day with a Spritz or Tuba negroni at the Tuba Club Restaurant, where tables are planted on the rocks, where waves pound below. Stay for dinner or head into the Opera District in the city for a meal at Premices, a snug two-story dining room filled with locals, where the creative kitchen highlights local producers with plates such as turnips with kiwi salsa verde.
Domaine De Chalamon is a French country house with rooms that incorporates splashes of pastels.
Domaine De Chalamon's gardens conjure images of Versailles.
Avoid the rosé seekers jamming up the coastline’s buzzy beach bars, and make a beeline for this area with pockets of refuge that’s known for its rolling hills and historic towns with bustling markets.
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A flamboyance of flamingos was feeding on plankton in a reed-lined marsh. The water reflected their lithe bodies beneath clouds the color of their plumage, blushed by the setting sun. Suddenly, my guide told me to grab my binoculars: Black silhouettes of cows waded through the marsh like hippos in the Serengeti. I had never seen cattle so graceful in the water. This aquatic ballet perfectly summed up the Camargue.
Beyond Simone Biles going for gold and the opening ceremony, one of the most talked about aspects of the Summer Olympics in Paris is the athletes village — and one of the biggest hotel companies in the world is in charge of maintaining it all.
Landal GreenParks UK, the UK’s fastest growing company offering holiday breaks in nature, has seen a 24% YoY increase in summer bookings driven by longer staycations in the Southwest region.
Many of South America's top sights are best experienced on a cruise ship. You can take in the lush scenery as you sail down the remote Amazon River, marvel at Chile's breathtaking fjords from the sea and come face to face with rare indigenous species in the Galapagos Islands.
Whenever I visit Saint-Rémy-de-Provence—which I do a few times a year to visit my parents, who retired here almost a decade ago—I roll out of bed every morning before 7 a.m., often feeling the effects of the rosé from the night before, and walk with my dad into town while the streets are still waking up. This is partly because it gets so hot here in the South of France, and partly because my dad is a creature of habit. The morning routine goes a little like this: a brisk stroll up the road to the Bar Tabac des Alpilles, where the owner Patrick brings out coffees (café express for my dad, café creme for me) and one of the other early morning regulars hands us a newspaper to thumb through.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tim Winkler, a recent graduate from Germany taking a gap year to travel. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is celebrating 50 years of its Super 8 brand with a super special promotion. On Aug. 8, Wyndham Rewards members will have a chance to buy 15,000 points (enough to book at least one free night) for only $8.88 plus tax — the same price the original Super 8 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, charged back in 1974. Here are all the details.
Cruising around the islands of the South Pacific is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for many travelers. While some of the island nations, like Fiji, are well known to Americans, others, like Niue, are less familiar. A South Pacific cruise promises cultural experiences, beautiful landscapes and plenty of water-based activities.
Games wide open! The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are here—so, expect to hear the roar of that slogan in the weeks again. There’s simply no way to quantify, or perhaps, prepare for, the already-electrifying energy infiltrating the host city and the largest Olympic ceremony ever. Despite the Games’ 300,000 spectator capacity, Paris is expected to receive around 15 million visitors, including 2 million from abroad, in the coming weeks.