Have you met Magritte?

Immerse yourself in another culture and discover more about the places you visit. Did you know that the Belgian Artist Magritte was born 110 years ago? Did you know that Gustave Eiffel who designed the Eiffel tower also invented suspenders?

We’ve found interesting places and exhibitions so you can discover a different side to the cities you visit. Be it the latest exhibition, a crazy one-off event, or the most talked about new opera, you won’t miss out on the best events.

If you’ve just visited either Lille, Brussels or Paris let us know what you discovered on little break? What do you know that no one else does? Sarah

Randonnée Paris du Printemps walks

Paris
Art & Culture
March 1st, 2010

Hikers of all ages come out for the annual Randonnée Paris du Printemps walks. Setting out from the Gymnase Henry de Montherlant, walkers opt to complete one of two circuits of varying lengths, each taking in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne. A 10km hike takes in the Bois’ waterfalls... [Read more]

The Paris Boat Show

Paris
Art & Culture
November 25th, 2009

Attending any boat show is partly an aspirational thing. The reality is, that many of the super-yachts on display are beyond the means of any visitor to the boat show. But they give boats shows an element of grandeur. They also give the organisers an element of risk. I have never been as terrified, as when, age 7, I started the engine on one of the boats at the London Boat Show which wasn’t in the water and almost burnt out the engine. The way I was shouted at by the employees should have been... [Read more]

The Salon Page Book Fair

Paris
Art & Culture
November 21st, 2009

Books are brilliant. In a world of war and poverty, this is one of the few things which is almost universally agreed upon. Arguably, French books are even better: Zola and Camus, are just two of the pantheon of great French writers. Thus, the Salon Page Book Fair – taking place... [Read more]

Paris Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

Paris
Art & Culture
November 6th, 2009

The Paris Gay and Lesbian Film Festival may seem from the title like it is locked into a very tight genre. But this is simply not the case. The films on show here would do any film festival proud with action, horror, comedy, and drama films all in the mix. Indeed, this film festival... [Read more]

Paris Photo

Paris
Art & Culture
October 26th, 2009

Paris is an incredibly beautiful city so it seems to me that to organise a photography exhibition in Paris which has a focus on Arab and Iranian photography is somewhat odd. Nonetheless, Paris does not have a monopoly on beautiful scenes and the richness of Paris Photo – 23 different... [Read more]

International Contemporary Art Fair

Paris
Art & Culture
October 9th, 2009

Artists and collectors flock to Paris’ Grand Palais and Louvre for the International Contemporary Art Fair, one of the major dates on the global calendar. Buy an original painting, print or sculpture – what better memento of your visit? Illustrious guests at recent fairs... [Read more]

The city of love, fine food, art and stunning scenery #4

Paris
Art & Culture
October 1st, 2009

Part Four: Eiffel Tower – I tried really hard to omit the iconic tower from my “Things to do in Paris” list as I was sure it must be the one common denominator on everyone’s blogs. But the more I thought about the imposing 324 metre structure, the more I realised... [Read more]

The city of love, fine food, art and stunning scenery #3

Paris
Art & Culture
September 26th, 2009

Part Three: Bateaux Parisiens Sitting on the banks of the Seine you can’t fail to notice a constant procession of boats floating by. Hundreds of tourists pack into the variously branded barges – all taking in the magnificence of the monuments which lie along the route. Some... [Read more]

An American in Paris

Paris
Art & Culture
September 16th, 2009

I am sitting at an outdoor cafe on the stone bank of the Seine across from Ile Saint Louis, eating a crepe. I am trying to do multiple things at once here. With my non-crepe-eating hand, I have a book pressed open on the table with the base of my wrist, to keep my page. The book... [Read more]