The Île de la Cité is where Paris started, and the Palais de Justice is what eventually consumed most of it. The complex occupies the western half of the island and has functioned as a seat of French judicial power for centuries, though what you see on the facade today is largely the result of 19th-century reconstruction under Haussmann and architect Joseph-Louis Duc. The bones … [Read more...] about Palais de Justice, Paris: The Courthouse on the Island Where the City Began
Inside the Petit Palais: The Courtyard Garden Nobody Expects
Most people who visit the Petit Palais see the street facade, walk through the entrance portico, and go directly to the galleries. The interior courtyard garden stops them cold. Nothing about the Beaux-Arts exterior prepares you for it. The garden is arranged around an oval basin at its center, the water running a deep algae-green that in certain light reads as olive or … [Read more...] about Inside the Petit Palais: The Courtyard Garden Nobody Expects
Petit Palais, Paris: The Free Museum Most Visitors Walk Past
The Petit Palais sits on Avenue Winston Churchill in the 8th arrondissement, built for the 1900 Universal Exposition and never relinquished. Paris kept it, converted it into the city's municipal fine arts museum, and has been filling it ever since. Admission to the permanent collection is free. The temporary exhibitions — the banner here advertises a Roly Ferenczy show — run on … [Read more...] about Petit Palais, Paris: The Free Museum Most Visitors Walk Past
Notre-Dame Under Scaffolding Is Still Notre-Dame
The cranes are part of the composition now. You stand on the parvis, construction fencing at your knees, a red hydraulic lift blocking the left portal, and the west façade still stops you cold. Eight centuries of Gothic precision, and it doesn't need your sympathy. Notre-Dame de Paris reopened in December 2024 after five years of post-fire reconstruction — one of the fastest … [Read more...] about Notre-Dame Under Scaffolding Is Still Notre-Dame
Global Traveler Rhine River Cruise, Oct. 29–Nov. 5, Europe
Luxury travel publication Global Traveler is inviting subscribers and readers to join publisher and CEO Francis X. Gallagher on an exclusive Rhine River cruise taking place Oct. 29 through Nov. 5 aboard the newly launched fleet from Transcend Cruises. The sailing marks a rare public opportunity to experience a cruise line designed specifically for private charters, meetings and … [Read more...] about Global Traveler Rhine River Cruise, Oct. 29–Nov. 5, Europe
Ambassador’s Ambition Sealed in Bordeaux After Onboard Death and Mass Gastrointestinal Illness
A 90-year-old passenger has died aboard Ambassador Cruise Line's MS Ambition, and roughly fifty other passengers and crew have reported gastrointestinal symptoms, after the ship arrived in Bordeaux on the evening of 12 May. The Gironde prefecture has suspended all disembarkation, confining 1,233 passengers and 514 crew to the vessel pending laboratory results. Initial tests … [Read more...] about Ambassador’s Ambition Sealed in Bordeaux After Onboard Death and Mass Gastrointestinal Illness
The Manta Resort Unveils Third-Generation Underwater Room off Pemba Island
The Manta Resort has announced the launch of a fully reimagined Underwater Room in the waters off Pemba Island, Tanzania — the lesser-known companion island to Zanzibar, situated in the ecologically significant Pemba Channel of the western Indian Ocean. The new structure places guests three metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean, with reef life visible through the … [Read more...] about The Manta Resort Unveils Third-Generation Underwater Room off Pemba Island
Atlas Adventurer Inaugural Season 2028–2029 Expands Atlas Ocean Voyages Into Asia and Africa
Atlas Ocean Voyages has unveiled the inaugural deployment of Atlas Adventurer, a major fleet expansion that also marks the brand’s first dedicated entry into Asia and Africa. The new luxury expedition yacht will launch its debut season on November 6, 2028, departing from Kobe, before concluding in Athens during late spring 2029. The season represents one of the company’s … [Read more...] about Atlas Adventurer Inaugural Season 2028–2029 Expands Atlas Ocean Voyages Into Asia and Africa
Spirit Airlines Crowdfunding Campaign Tops $337 Million
Spirit Airlines shut down all operations at 3:00 AM on May 2, 2026, after 34 years of flights, leaving thousands of employees without jobs and an equal number of travelers holding worthless tickets. Within hours, a TikTok creator named Hunter Peterson launched a campaign to buy it back — not through private equity or a corporate acquisition, but through a public crowdfunding … [Read more...] about Spirit Airlines Crowdfunding Campaign Tops $337 Million
Bahamas Alcohol Ban, May 12, 2026: What Travelers Need to Know
The Bahamas is enforcing a nationwide ban on alcohol sales on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the date of the country's general election. The restriction runs from 8 AM to 6 PM local time and applies to every establishment on Bahamian soil — restaurants, resort bars, hotel properties, and cruise line private islands without exception. Thousands of cruise passengers arriving at Bahamian … [Read more...] about Bahamas Alcohol Ban, May 12, 2026: What Travelers Need to Know