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11.08.2023 - 15:39 / theguardian.com
Sun, sea, surf, sand and a sleeper train to Paris: Hendaye has it all. Nestled in this less-discovered corner of the Bay of Biscay, bordering Spain, Hendaye has a quaint old centre with cobbles and cute little cafes. Head to Le Palmier for great pizza. Over the road a lovely little artisan market sells local crafts and tasty treats. If you’re more adventurous, Hendaye’s sheltered bay offers the perfect playground for beginner surfers. Sleeper trains between Paris and Hendaye mean sustainable travel is possible. Lie back, watch the world pass by and wake up in Paris for breakfast.Hannah
The Chaîne des Puys is a unique mountain range and a Unesco world heritage site to boot. It’s a string of 80 young, dormant volcanoes (not extinct!) along the Limagne fault. For a full volcanic immersion, take a train up the iconic Puy de Dôme, picnic deep down inside the crater of Puy des Goules and swim in the beautiful crater lake, Gour de Tazenat. To some, the chain looks like a sleeping dragon and it’s no wonder this land of volcanoes is the place of dragon myths, told in mesmerising 3D cinematics at Vulcania theme park. Vince Sandwell
Guardian Travel readers' tips
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Cycling slowly down the winding Loire, soaking up the landscape, butterflies and birdlife between vineyards and wine caves, then evenings punctuated by the city delights of Saumur, Angers and Nantes, each a pedaller’s paradise. A wonderful surprise greets me when I reach the sea at Batz-sur-Mer: beaches and rocky coves on one side and vast, hand-worked salt marshes on the other. This understated village has more than enough, with a handful of small hotels, restaurants, cafes, a sheltered harbour beach and a wider peninsula ringed by a wonderful 25-mile coastal cycle route. Simply sublime.John Martin
Alsace is maybe one of the most beautiful French regions. All of the villages are gorgeous – Turckheim, Eguisheim, Kaysersberg, Sélestat, Obernai... and there are plenty of castles, like the Haut Koenigsbourg. The s Unterlinden museum in Colmar houses a medieval altarpiece called the Retable d’Issenheim, a masterpiece. The humanist library of Sélestat is really cool too, and Strasbourg is a great destination, with a very warm, ambient feel to it. The cathedral is incredible. The museum of the Oeuvre Notre-Dame and the Palais Rohan are definitely worth a visit too. Benjamin Lee
The Route Napoléon inspired a week-long meander from Nice to Grenoble. The breathtaking Gorges du Verdon was a definite highlight, but it was the town of Die that stole our hearts.
Booking early brings rewards – 2-for-1 fares, free Premium or Economy airfare, and more.
The cities in Europe with the largest pipelines at Q2 are led by London, with 82 projects/14,767 rooms, and Istanbul, with record project counts of 42 projects/7,222 rooms. Following are Lisbon, with 37 projects/4,262 rooms, Dublin, with 32 projects/6,173 rooms, then Dusseldorf, Germany with 31 projects/5,669 rooms.
“People will tell the same old story until they hear a better tale,” says Ahmed, an elder I meet by chance in Tangier's casbah—a Cubist jumble of white buildings beneath circling gulls that cry out over the morning call to prayer. We're chatting, perched on the high ramparts of the old Portuguese citadel, our heels in Africa, Europe on the horizon like a giant seabird gliding toward us. “Birds go back and forth without borders,” muses Ahmed, his words flying just as freely among Darija (Moroccan Arabic), French, and Spanish. Tanjawi—or Tangerines—are sociable polyglots who speak in a meze of languages. Ahmed's hair is as silvered as Moroccan sardines, his green eyes drizzled with amber like the olive oil in bissara pea soup.
The European Union has upheld France’s landmark climate law that bans select flights on routes where trains are time competitive.
Can airlines reduce the total hydrocarbons they burn? Aviation plays a role in the climate emergency, contributing an estimated 3 percent of the world’s carbon emissions a year.
The Biggest Innovators in Travel and Hospitality: 2022 Year-End Edition We’re back with another installment of inspiration in hotels and hospitality. Female-led luxury seemed to be a common theme this year, alongside those maintaining standards, leading teams, and executing on subtle touches for the people who notice. Here are a few brands, ideas, and services that deserved a hat tip in 2022.
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, and this Sunday France and Argentina will face off in the final match in Qatar. The winner will be determined by a heated playoff, but who takes the title in the World Cup of Tourism?
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday unveiled plans for a high-speed train route connecting their respective capitals, Paris and Berlin, beginning next year.
Tour operators need to make serious inroads into tech adoption to capitalize on the forced digital offshoots created by the pandemic. A Skift 2023 Megatrend forecasts that the global tours and activities software market is set to skyrocket, with a projected value of $1.2 billion by 2026.
Elizabeth Stenne’s career painting bespoke pieces of art for some of the world’s most luxurious hotels spans more than three decades.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, April 12. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Air France is upgrading its 12 Boeing 777-300ERs with the airline’s new long-haul business class product, a process that is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The aircraft will also get the same economy and premium economy seats as those found on its cutting-edge A350s.