The best times to visit Bordeaux, France

I've lived in Paris for over two years and have visited many times before since my husband grew up in France.

An explosion of colorful, engaging painting shows provide a welcome antidote to the short days and general lack of sunshine that can make winter in London a tad dreary. Here are six essential art exhibitions to visit over the next month.

It’s been more than two weeks since Northern Europe plunged into a deep freeze, with temperatures below zero. The result is magic for skiers and boarders: The most popular ski resorts are finally enjoying great snow in what’s already considered one of the best ski seasons in years.

Air France is saying bonjour to Phoenix by making the Arizona city its newest gateway city in the United States.

If there was any doubt about the health of the transatlantic aviation market, look no further than Phoenix. The city has just announced a new route with Air France, connecting the Arizona state capital with Paris. While air services come and go, to secure a European flag carrier on a new city pairing like this is notable. 

Mark your calendars: On April 8, 2024, a rare total solar eclipse will cut a path across the continent beginning with Mexico, passing through the US, and exiting through Canada. The line of totality for this celestial phenomenon will cross through 13 US states with some areas seeing a maximum totality of over four minutes (including Bloomington, Indiana, and Mesquite, Texas). So, there are plenty of chances to observe the eclipse as it arches from Texas to Maine, hitting Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire on the way.

There are few places in the French Alps quite as iconic as this grande dame. Perched atop the village of Courchevel at more than 6,000 feet, Les Airelles is set against a backdrop of snow-dusted pine trees and wooden chalets right at the foot of the Jardin Alpin ski slopes. With its Austro-Hungarian palace style turrets and hand-painted frescoes, it has been the go-to spot for guests looking for a stand-out Alpine escape since local businesswoman Raymonde Fenestraz created it in 1900.

On Valentine’s Day, even the most elegant New York City hotel dining rooms raise the bar in terms of their culinary offerings.

If you're ever wondering aloud where the hottest mid-winter celebrations take place, those in-the-know might quietly respond, “St. Barts.” The island's luxe air of mystery and remoteness are part of what makes it a seasonal staple for jet setters and superyachts as they follow the sun to the Caribbean in winter. The festivities rage on until the St. Barths Bucket Regatta in mid-March, but what most visitors don’t realize is that the island is practically a year-round one, since the only time hotels typically shut is at the height of hurricane season (late summer).

Fellow parents, forget the extraordinary wine for a brief moment (although there’s always grape juice for the kids). With its giddy mix of sweeping green spaces, river life, interactive museums and casual dining scene, Bordeaux tops the French charts for urban exploration en famille.

A provincial city in southwest France that deserves your full attention, Bordeaux is catwalk material. Wide aristocratic boulevards lined with elegant townhouses and glitzy designer boutiques vie for center stage with a labyrinthine medieval old town, industrial-cool wet docks and an infinite sweep of silky-smooth riverside quays abuzz with cyclists, skaters, city slickers, dandies, flaneurs – you name it.

There’s something magical about a journey by train.