Unforgettable experiences that every traveller must explore in Paris

“They’re movable pieces of art,” says Budapest-born, London-based decorator Gergei Erdei of his new collection of hand-painted folding pinewood screens. Part of his Objects of Desires series, the six designs include trompe l’oeil columns, wing-footed mythological figures and interlinked geometric shapes. Erdei found inspiration for his pieces, which are over seven feet tall, in a recent retrospective of the Italian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli’s works at Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs and in the lacquered screens of multimedia Art Deco creator Jean Dunand; Pompeii’s crumbling frescoes and ancient mosaics informed the mythological design’s soft, ocher hues, which were achieved through multiple coats of acrylic paint. “I keep coming back to Pompeii in my work,” Erdei says. “I find the layers faded by time so beautiful, like veils of history.”

India, already the world’s largest emerging outbound travel market, is in the midst of a travel boom as 63% of Indian travelers said they’re planning to increase their travel budgets for 2024. In addition, Indian travelers are projected to become the fourth-largest global spender on travel by 2030.

Latin American soprano Nadine Sierra stars as Juliette in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Roméo et Juliette” streaming Live in HD to cinemas around the world this Saturday, March 23rd at 12:55pm ET.

Tanya Dohoney has worked on sustainability initiatives for decades. A retired attorney from Texas now living in Paris, she even started the recycling program for her workplace. When it comes to travel, she also values environmentally and socially responsible companies, which led her to choose Intrepid Travel, a certified B Corp company, for a tour in Morocco in 2019.

Some call it a war, others a capture operation or an exile effort. In any case, an excess of wild rabbits in Paris has convinced the authorities to lose them.

If you’re a sakura - or cherry blossom - lover, you’ll likely have Japan and Washington DC on your travel bucket lists. But did you know there are countless places across Europe with equally impressive pink blooms to take in this spring?

I learned how to maintain dignity and self-respect, even in the face of humiliation, from my grandmother. My mother’s mother was widowed suddenly at the same age I was when I started Accidental Icon. She sold everything she owned, including her home in Connecticut, and moved to Dallas to live with her two sisters, all three widowed during the same year. As young women, the sisters performed as a trio; one sister played the harp, one the piano, and my grandmother the cello. They traveled often, and that is what they did for the next twenty years—this time without their instruments and husbands. We saw my grandmother during this period maybe four times a year. She would call and tell us to meet her at the New York piers or the airport, when she and her sisters were embarking on a European adventure or a trip to Asia. My grandmother, in an exquisitely tailored bouclé suit, would envelop us in a cloud of expensive perfume. The jingle of the charm bracelets she wore on her slender wrist announced her arrival. She would bring gifts—pearls from Japan, or perfume from Paris—upon her return. For me there were geisha dolls, books of watercolor scenes of cherry blossoms on rice paper with transparent covers, carved perfume bottles, and netsukes made of wood.

In Paris, the splendid 1728 mansion of an American and French war hero is now Lafayette’s restaurant helmed by Michelin star chef Mory Sacko, where he is twisting brasserie staples with his signature Senegalese flair.

While many athletes are busy training for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, there is another race that is affectionately dear to Parisians—that of the annual Waiter's Race—and it is also making a comeback in 2024.

2024 is going to be the year when global tourism rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, making popular tourist destinations overcrowded. There are sweet spots, however—times when you can still visit firm favorites like Rome and Paris with fewer crowds, cheaper airfares and still find some pleasant weather (also avoiding the extreme heat that local summers now bring).

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Now we’re in March, it seems as if spring might be just around the corner. As the flowers bloom and baby animals appear, it’s a great time to plan a trip to some of Europe’s most beautiful destinations.