Let’s go on a road trip to discover what lies beyond big cities. We would like to suggest several routes so you can hire a car and go exploring.

Classic summer questions (“Where are you off to this summer?” “Which month are you taking holidays?” and so on) include the typical one of a friend wondering which music festival you'll go to this year. Every summer when the temperatures start rising and the good weather begins, your mind turns to that festival that you never miss year after year... Or perhaps your festival ego wants to experience something new and outside your comfort zone this year?

With too many summer 2018 festivals to choose from, we wanted to offer a selection of the most appealing, the most interesting, the ones that we wouldn't want to miss... Here they are!

Brussels may rightly pride itself on having a large number of Art Nouveau buildings, a veritable pole of attraction for anyone visiting the city. Indeed, the Belgian capital was one of the focal points where this art movement emerged in the late-19th- and early-20th century. Art Nouveau ended up permeating all artistic disciplines, from architecture to sculpture, painting, furniture design, jewellery and graphic design, among others.

Modernism, which came to be known as Art Nouveau in France and Belgium, took its first few steps in Brussels in 1893 with the construction of the Tassel House, located at 6 Rue Paul-Emile Janson, designed by the architect Victor Horta. The idea was to then create a new style which involved breaking with the past by leaving behind the historicism which prevailed in architecture at the time and usher in another style which more accurately reflected the modern era. This break led to the rise of two trends in the city – the floral style, with forms inspired by nature, of which Victor Horta was the most prominent exponent, and the geometric, as championed mainly by the architect and designer, Paul Hankar.

The advent of this movement coincided with a time of growth in the city, when such districts as Schaerbeek, Etterbeek, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles were in the throes of urban renewal, so that many of the houses that went up in those areas were imbued with the new style. Some 500 buildings from that period have survived to the present.

The Major Landmarks

Among the must-see gems of Art Nouveau in Brussels are, in the first instance, the four buildings known collectively as the“Major Town Houses of Victor Horta in Brussels”,all of which were designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. They are as follows:

Tassel House. As mentioned above, it is regarded as the first manifestation of Art Nouveau in Brussels, as well as one of the first in the world to open up a new direction in contemporary architecture.

Hôtel Solvay. Located at 224 Avenue Louise, it is possibly one of the standout buildings of Belgian architecture. Its facade reveals the presence of glass, iron and natural stone, Victor Horta’s favourite materials.

Hôtel van Eetvelde. Edmond van Eetvelde, administrator of the Congo Free State, commissioned Victor Horta to design this town house with a view to providing a modern space for entertaining his visitors. Located at 4 Avenue Palmerston, it is striking for the innovative distribution of its interior spaces and for the stained-glass and mosaic ornamentation.

Maison & Atelier Horta. Converted into what is now the Horta Museum, this was the home of Victor Horta, built from 1898 to 1901. It comprises two independent buildings in that each has its own style, but they were conceptualised as a unified whole and are interconnected.

Another building that should feature on your itinerary through the Art Nouveau landmarks of Brussels is the Comics Art Museum. Built in 1906, apart from from being a compulsory place of pilgrimage for devotees of the ninth art, it is a magnificent example of Art Nouveau, the work of the iconic architect of the time in this city, Victor Horta.

Also make a point of visiting the Musical Instruments Museum, designed by the architect Paul Saintenoy and originally built as the Old England department store. And, wander down Rue Saint-Boniface, where you will come across five buildings designed by the architect Ernest Blérot at number 15, 17, 19, 20 and 22. And, lastly, we recommend you head for 71 Rue Defacqz, where you can admire the Paul Hankar House.

Now that you have some of the keys to discovering Art Nouveau in Brussels, book your Vueling here and get ready to enjoy it all.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by mertxe iturrioz, Arco Ardon , William Murphy , Steve Cadman, J. Miers

Not for nothing is the small town of Saint-Émilion a veritable magnet for wine lovers. The surrounding farmland is blessed as one of the leading red wine producing areas in Bordeaux, along with the Médoc, Graves and Pomerol. Celebrated worldwide, each year it attracts wine connoisseurs, tourists and passers-by who roam from one chateau to the next in search of the best local wine. But, that is not the only reason they come here. They are also drawn by the magic enveloping this town of steep, narrow streets, Romanesque churches and picturesque ruins which, alongside the vineyards, make up an irresistibly charming ensemble. No wonder, then, that Saint-Émilion and its environs are listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.

Saint-Émilion is named after the monk Émilion, who settled here in the 8th century and was credited with performing a number of miracles. The monks that were gradually drawn to the area were instrumental in getting the wine-marketing business off the ground, based on the vineyards which have been tended in Saint-Émilion since Roman times.

A must-visit destination for wine connoisseurs, the town features numerous landmarks well worth visiting. Its Monolithic Church is one of these. Carved out of a cliff from the 12th to the 15th century, its interior is surprisingly spacious and the complex is crowned with a lofty tower. Other highlights of Saint-Émilion include the Collegiate complex and the Cordeliers Cloister.

And, needless to say, there are always the chateaux, which can be visited as part of tours offered by the Saint-Émilion Tourist Office. But, why not strike out on a different kind of visit. Here’s how…

Les Grandes Heures de Saint-Émilion

When planning your visit to Saint-Émilion, we suggest you factor in one of the leading local festivals, Les Grandes Heures de Saint-Émilion. What makes this festival so special is that it is the only way to visit some of the region’s magnificent chateaux where this splendid, popular wine is made, in a unique, out-of-the-ordinary setting. The programme features classical music concerts accompanied by wine tasting sessions, endowing a visit to the wine cellar with a wholly different dimension. The festival opens in March and runs until December, when the last concert is held. This year, the first concert is scheduled to take place in the Château Fombrauge on 29 March.

The sites where you can enjoy this experience include the Château Soutard, Château de Pressac, Château Angélus, Château Cantenac, Château Fombrauge and Château Cheval Blanc, known for being one of the few producers whose wine is designated Premier grand cru classé A.But the programme is not limited to the wine cellars dotting the area; some of the concerts are also held at such emblematic sites as the Monolithic Church of Saint-Émilion. Be sure to book your ticket in advance.

Book your Vueling to Bordeaux, which lies just 40 kilometres from Saint-Émilion, and get to know one of France’s leading wine-producing areas.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Image by Tim Snell