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Carcassonne is spectacular, but the Cathar country around it is just as rewarding. Dramatic fortresses perched on rocky peaks, villages ranked among the most beautiful in France, vineyards stretching to the horizon, and the Canal du Midi: the Aude countryside deserves a day or two of its own. Here are…

Annecy, the “Venice of the Alps,” is far better connected than its setting between lake and mountains might suggest. It has an international airport less than an hour away, a train station right in the centre, and good roads from the major cities. The best route in depends entirely on…

Every June, Annecy becomes the world capital of animation. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the largest event of its kind anywhere, draws filmmakers, studios, students and animation lovers from across the globe for a week of screenings, encounters and discovery. The next edition runs from 13 to 19 June…

Most people discover Annecy in summer, when the lake sparkles and the crowds fill the old town. But winter might just be my favourite season here. The lake wrapped in morning mist, the old town lit up and quiet, snow-capped mountains on the horizon, and the smell of melting raclette…

Westminster is one of the world’s great centres of political power, and for most of its history, women were almost entirely absent from it. Walk through Parliament Square today and among the bronze statues of Churchill, Lincoln, Gandhi and Mandela, you will find exactly one woman. Yet the story of…

Carcassonne is easier to reach than its medieval, middle-of-nowhere appearance suggests. It has its own airport, sits on a main train line, and is a straightforward drive from several major cities. But the best way in depends entirely on where you’re coming from, and a couple of the options people…

Annecy is my hometown. It is one of those places that looks almost too perfect in photos: turquoise lake, snow-topped mountains, flower-lined canals winding through a medieval old town. And here’s the good news. It’s just as good in person. But most visitors do the same three things and leave,…

One day in Carcassonne works, as long as you accept the trade-off: you’ll see the city itself well, but not the lake, the vineyards or the villages around it. Most visitors make a different mistake, spending the whole day inside the Cité and leaving at four, never discovering that the…