West Loop

Destinations

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  Avignon

  This graceful city is the belle of Provence’s ball. Famed for its annual performing-arts festival and its fabled bridge, Avignon is an ideal spot from which to step out into the surrounding region.

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  Barcelona

  A forward-thinking place, on the cutting edge of art, design and cuisine but with an equally rich past stretching back to Roman days. You’ll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with this vibrant city.

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  Bern

  One of the planet’s most underrated capitals, Bern is fabulous. With the genteel, old soul of a Renaissance man and the heart of a high-flying 21st-century gal, this riverside city is both medieval and modern.

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  Bordeaux

  The largest urban World Heritage Site. Bolstered by its students and some 2.5 million tourists annually, La Belle Bordeaux now scarcely seems to sleep at all.

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  Lauterbrunnen

  Bijou Lauterbrunnen, with its main street cluttered with Swiss chalet architecture, is friendly and down to earth. It’s known largely for the crash-bang spectacle of the Trümmelbach Falls.

  Lauterbrunnen

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  Madrid

  Spain’s capital is a vibrant place and has a raw energy that is infectious. Explore the old streets of the centre, relax in the plazas, soak up the culture in excellent art museums and experience the city’s legendary nightlife.

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  Nice

  Nice is the Côte d’Azur’s most cosmopolitan city. It’s a heady mix of old and new, ethnic and domestic, sunshine and smog but somehow Nice still manages to be irresistible.

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  Paris

  What can be said about the sexy, sophisticated City of Lights that hasn’t already been said a thousand times before? Quite simply, this is one of the world’s great metropolises, a trend-setter, market-leader and cultural capital for over a thousand years and still going strong.

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  San Sebastian

  Stylish San Sebastian has the air of an upscale resort, complete with an idyllic location. The natural setting – crystalline waters, a flawless beach, green hills on all sides – is captivating, but the city itself has plenty to offer. 

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  Valencia

  Valencia is where paella first simmered over a wood fire. It’s a vibrant, friendly, mildly chaotic place with two outstanding fine-arts museums, an accessible old quarter and an exciting nightlife scene.

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  Tours

  Hovering somewhere between the style of Paris and the conservative sturdiness of central France, Tours is one of the principal cities of the Loire Valley. It’s a smart, solidly bourgeois kind of place.

  Find out more about Tours