How to do Champagne on a prosecco budget: a tour of France’s most famous wine region

I hold up a glass of rosé the colour of the setting sun. It’s summer in a glass, with fresh strawberries on the nose and ripe fruit in every fizzy sip. Vines roll into the distance, bees hum drowsily, the hills look parched. As I sit on the terrace at White Castle Vineyard in Monmouthshire on a scorching June day, it feels like I could be in the South of France. It seems to me the least Welsh of settings.

As a city known for its festivals and food, it’s no wonder New Orleans has a special gustatory way of celebrating the Christmas holidays. Although modern festivities no longer require celebrants to stay up all night, revelers can still indulge in the nearly 200 year old feast of Réveillon every December, as the Catholic French Creole inhabitants of the city did before them.

LVMH luxury travel company Belmond is expanding its presence on the rails from Scotland to Singapore and South America with more lavish accommodations, top chefs and new itineraries ahead of rival Accor’s launch of a competing product in 2024. The moves are designed to take advantage of well-heeled travelers' desires for unique experiences, according to Belmond executives speaking to the media during the International Luxury Travel Mart.

As I stood surrounded by photographs of the musicians who bravely played on as the Titanic sunk deeper and deeper toward her icy fate, I felt myself fighting back tears. The live pianist had paused briefly — leaving space for me and others in the room to reflect on the moment's significance.

The year was 2005 and Antonio Catalán created the first AC Hotel in his home region of Navarra, Spain. His goal was to create something simple and modern that offered the essence of Spanish hospitality without the frills that guests didn’t always demand. This meant no bell staff, no minibars and fewer ensuite frills. The affordable price point made it a success, and it grew to dozens of hotels across Spain and Italy before catching the eye of Marriott.

A long line of empires have ruled and fled northern Tunisia’s shores, leaving behind a trove of treasures in a country where Arabic, African and European cultures coexist in unexpected ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in the capital, Tunis, home to one of the best-preserved medinas in the Islamic world: a 730-acre maze of grand mosques and busy souks, where getting lost along its alleyways is both a joy and an inevitability. Here, palaces once inhabited by wealthy Ottoman families are open for travellers to marvel at the painted ceilings and geometric patterns that adorn their shaded courtyards. 

When it comes to journey time from the UK to Portugal, the choice between hopping on a plane or taking the train is a no-brainer.

One of the best ways to get to know a country is through its food and beverage offerings. For the holiday season, check out these excellent wines from under-the-radar wine regions in different parts of the world (which we should be drinking more from!) for your wanderlust wine-loving friends who are eager to try something new. Note: All wines mentioned are available in the United States.

With nearly 10 million people expected to throng the streets of Paris during the Olympics this summer, visitors already knew getting around the city would be a challenge. But now it will probably be a lot more expensive, too.

By far the favourite European ski destination, France consistently welcomes around a third of British skiers who are drawn by the convenience of a winter sports break in our near-neighbour country. Along with offering good no-fly travel options, skiers have a huge choice of wide-open slopes, lifts zigzagging across dramatic mountains and modern accommodation.

Umberto Cosmo, co-owner and co-founder of Bellenda wines, describes himself as a perpetual, restless traveler. As a wine enthusiast and successful entrepreneur, he is curious, inquisitive, and adventurous—willing to take risks and try new ideas.

France has been one of my favorite destinations in the world since I first traveled to Grenoble as a high school exchange student nearly 30 years ago. The following year, I turned 16 while spending a magical summer in Paris, studying art history and taking field trips to the city's landmark museums.