Belgium: Leuven
Leuven City in Belgium Leuven (or Louvain) is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. It is located about 25 kilometres east of Brussels. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Leuven: Booking.com Leuven has a large student population, mainly concentrated around the city centre. The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven; University of […]
Belgium: Leige
Liège City in Belgium Liège, a city along the Meuse River in Belgium’s French-speaking Walloon region, has long been a commercial and cultural hub. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Leige: Booking.com Its old town is filled with landmarks dating to the medieval era, including the Romanesque Collegiate Church of St. Bartholomew. The Grand […]
Belgium: Ghent
Ghent City in Belgium Ghent is a port city in northwest Belgium, at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Ghent: Booking.com During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a university town and cultural hub. Its pedestrianized center is known for medieval architecture […]
Belgium: Brussels
Brussels Capital of Belgium The City of Brussels is the largest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, and the de jure capital of Belgium. The City of Brussels covers most of the Region’s centre, as well as northern outskirts where it borders municipalities in Flanders. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Brussels: Booking.com Return to […]
Belgium: Bruges
Bruges City in Belgium Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Bruges: Booking.com Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings, hence it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North. Its port, Zeebrugge, is an important center for fishing and European […]
Belgium: Antwerp
Antwerp City in Belgium Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Antwerp: Booking.com Antwerp is a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. In its centre, the centuries-old Diamond District houses thousands of diamond traders, cutters and polishers. Antwerp’s Flemish Renaissance architecture is typified by the Grote Markt, a […]
Italy: A Brief History
A Brief History of Italy The First Civilisation Italy has been the home of some great civilisations, the first being the Etruscans in about 800 BC. They built cities in central Italy that still exist like Arezzo, Chiusi, Cortona, Perugia and Cerveteri. Influenced by the Greeks, the Etruscans drained marshes, built roads, loved painting especially […]
France: Reims
Reims City in France Cathédrale Notre-Dame Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Reims: Booking.com Reims is a city in north-eastern France’s historical Champagne-Ardenne region. It’s the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the well-known champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. The 3rd-century Porte de Mars triumphal arch […]
France: Rouen
Rouen City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Rouen: Booking.com Rouen, capital of the northern French region Haute-Normandie, is a port city on the river Seine. Important in the Roman era and Middle Ages, it has Gothic churches, such as Saint-Maclou and Saint-Ouen, and a cobblestoned pedestrian centre with medieval half-timbered houses. The […]
France: Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Saint-Malo: Booking.com Mont St Michel, near Saint-Malo Saint-Malo is a coastal city in Brittany, in France’s northwest. Tall granite walls surround the old town, which was once a stronghold for privateers (pirates approved by the king). The Saint-Malo Cathedral, in the center of the […]
France: Toulouse
Toulouse City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Toulouse: Booking.com Toulouse, capital of France’s southern Languedoc-Roussillon/Midi-Pyrénées region, is bisected by the Garonne River and sits near the Spanish border. It’s known as La Ville Rose (‘The Pink City’) due to the terra-cotta bricks used in many of its buildings. Its 17th-century Canal […]
France: Orleans
Orleans City in France Joan of Arc Statue in Orleans Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Orleans: Booking.com Orleans is a city on the banks of the Loire River in north-central France, and it’s the capital of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Joan of Arc famously saved the city from English siege in 1429, […]
France: Montpellier
Montpellier City in France Arc de Triomphe, Montpellier Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Montpellier: Booking.com Montpellier is a city in southern France, 10km inland from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The town’s stately Gothic Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Montpellier, distinguished by conical towers, dates to 1364. The city’s Antigone district is a chic, […]
France: Lille
Lille City in France Grand Place, Lille Lille is the capital of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France, near the border with Belgium. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Lille: Booking.com A cultural hub and bustling university town today, it was once an important merchant center of French Flanders. Many Flemish influences remain in […]
France: La Rochelle
La Rochelle City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near La Rochelle: Booking.com La Rochelle is a coastal city in southwestern France and capital of the Charentes-Maritime department. It’s been a center for fishing and trade since the 12th century, a maritime tradition that’s reflected in its Vieux Port (old harbour) and huge, […]
France: Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon Region in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Languedoc-Roussillon: Booking.com Languedoc-Roussillon (often called “the Languedoc”) is a historical coastal region in southern France, extending from Provence to the Pyrenees Mountains and the border with Spain. The area is a major wine producer, with Vin de Pays d’Oc and sparkling Crémant de Limoux […]
France: Grenoble
Grenoble City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Grenoble: Booking.com Grenoble, a city in the historical Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France, sits at the foot of mountains between the Drac and Isère rivers. It’s known as a base for winter sports, and for its museums, universities and research centers. Spherical cable cars […]
France: Nantes
Nantes City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Nantes: Booking.com Nantes is a city on the Loire River in the Upper Brittany region of western France. It has a long history as a port and industrial centre. It’s home to the restored, medieval Château des Ducs de Bretagne, where the Dukes of Brittany […]
France: Toulon
Toulon City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Toulon: Booking.com Toulon is a port city on southern France’s Mediterranean coast, lined with sandy beaches and shingle coves. It’s a significant naval base and the harbour is home to submarines and warships, as well as fishing boats and ferries. The grand Musée National […]
Italy: Naples
Naples City in Italy Naples, a city in southern Italy, sits on the Bay of Naples. Nearby is Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that destroyed nearby Roman town Pompeii. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Naples: Booking.com Dating to the 2nd millennium B.C., Naples has centuries of important art and architecture. The city’s cathedral, […]
Italy: Lake Garda
Lake Garda Lake in Italy Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location and is located in northern Italy, about halfway between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Lake Garda: Booking.com Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of […]
Italy: Tuscany
Tuscany A Region of Italy Tuscany is known for its landscapes, traditions, history, artistic legacy and its influence on high culture. It is regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and has been home to many influential and important people in the history of art and science. Find Somewhere to Stay in or near […]
France: Strasbourg
Strasbourg City in France Ornate stonework on Strasbourg Cathedral Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Strasbourg: Booking.com Strasbourg is the capital city of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region in northeastern France. It’s also the formal seat of the European Parliament and sits near the German border, with culture and architecture blending German and French influences. Its […]
France: Marseille
Marseille City in France Find Somewhere to Stay in or near Marseille: Booking.com Marseille, a port city in southern France, has been a crossroads of immigration and trade since its founding by the Greeks circa 600 B.C. At its heart is the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where fishmongers sell their catch along the boat-lined quay. Basilique […]