Apart from unforgettable scenery, villages brimming with charm and a scrumptious cuisine, Provence has an interesting cultural agenda which includes three magnificent summer festivals that any culture devotee should take into consideration. Here are some tips to get the most out of them.

Festival d’Avignon

Apart from its popular Pont Saint-Bénézet (legend and song included), and having once been the Holy See, Avignon is known internationally for hosting one of the most long-standing and important performing arts festivals in Europe. Each July, the Festival d’Avignon, which was founded by Jean Vilar in 1947, fills all spaces in the city with theatre and dance performances, this year featuring a programme of some 40 works by artists from all over the world. As if that were not enough, this outstanding schedule is rivalled by a parallel Festival Off, a programme of fresher, more alternative performing arts shows. The streets, squares, bars and any imaginable free space in the city have been coopted into hosting the more innovative side of theatre and dance.

So, be sure to head for Avignon between 6 and 26 July and, while you’re there, see the stunning Palais des Papes – its sheer size and beauty will leave you open-mouthed. Soak up the different shows that will take you through the streets and mentally convey you far beyond the old “Sur le pont d’Avignon”.

International Photography Festival of Arles

Another major cultural event to bear in mind on your wanderings through beautiful Provence, held in another of its must-visit towns – Arles – adopts the form of an international photography meeting. If you stroll around Arles, which is inspiring in itself – otherwise, why should Van Gogh have been have been so fascinated by its light? – try to make your arrival coincide with Les Rencontres d’Arles (Arles International Photography Gathering). Created in 1970 by the photographer Lucien Clergue, the writer Michel Tournier and the historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, this festival is a gem for photography enthusiasts who this year, from 3 July to 24 September, will be treated to the work of 250 artists displayed at 25 venues across the city, ranging from emblematic Arlesian landmarks to such unique buildings as the former rail sheds. Sixty scheduled exhibitions, in addition to conferences, workshops, talks and all kinds of activities, will lead visitors into the wonderful world of photography.

Marseille Jazz Festival

Marseille is the site of our third summer festival proposal in Provence. A city which embraces the Mediterranean, with the sightseeing hub of its Old Port (Vieux-Port),contemporary architectural offerings like the MuCEM and the Villa Méditerranée ready to seduce even the more staid visitors, and with such enchanting corners as Le Panier, this is the city chosen to host a jazz festival as its main summer attraction. The Marseille Jazz des Cinq Continents runs for ten days, from 19 to 29 July, and features such long-standing favourites as George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Roberto Fonseca and Guillaume Perret, as well as newcomers to this port city like Norah Jones, Kamasi Washington and representatives of the new generation such as Imany. Jazz arriving from all corners of the globe suited to all tastes.

Book your Vueling to Marseille and succumb to the magic of the leading festivals in Provence.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by jean-louis Zimmermann, Fred Bigio, Les Rencontres d'Arles  (Julio Perestrelo)

The moment you set foot in the airport you are surrounded by design. Suffice to look at the street furniture, a clear example of Finnish design. Their design philosophy is so consistent they have even created a design district. Confident of the value of their brand, in 2005 they created the Design District, founded by a group of entrepreneurs, which includes the Design Forum Finland, an organisation that has endeavoured to promote Finnish design for over 120 years. The area currently functions like a “mini-city” in the centre. It is made up of over 20 streets and some 200 establishments run by young entrepreneurs and local merchants who conceive of commerce as promoting Finnish design with great impetus and creativity.

They are all identified by a sign on the door. The Design District features quaint establishments, florists, restaurants, fashion stores, design and publicity agencies, photographic studios, art galleries, and such interior design spaces as the famous Artek, and even the Design Museum.

Beyond the DD circuit itself, one can’t fail to notice other significant Finnish design and architectural works. Here are some of the landmarks you shouldn’t miss:

The Kamppi Chapel (Chapel of Silence), in Narinkkatori Square, is a must-see. It is a refuge from the city bustle which was inaugurated in 2012, the year Helsinki was designated World Design Capital. It is built entirely of timber to resemble an igloo. No religious symbol features in its interior, and its maxim is peace and silence.

The older Church of Temppeliaukio, popularly known as the Church of the Rock, is visually stunning, resembling a UFO embedded in a rock, the only design of its kind in the world. Prominent between the roof and the rock is a thick glazed front that lets natural light into the interior. This is one of the most widely visited buildings in the city.

Another of Helsinki’s majestic constructions is its famous train station. This veritable gem of the Art Nouveau – which the Finns oddly call “National Finnish Romanticism” – was designed by the Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. Presided over by four huge sculptures, the exterior stands out as grandiose, while the interior is also admirable.

The Kallio District is acclaimed as one of the most hip districts on the planet. Indeed, it bears all the traits of this sub-culture, with its a-thousand-and-one Indie music nightspots, organic food, vinyls, brunch, food trucks, vintage, design, etc. One worth highlighting is Made in Kallio, a radical design store which doubles as a café and a studio belonging to a design collective. This space hosts events, including exhibitions and flea markets. Here, you’ll be anything but bored.

Helsinki’s design hub, where it all started, is undoubtedly the Arabia Centre, where you can find such brands as Iittala, Fiskars and Arabia, which account for a 90% presence in Finnish homes. Here, too, is one of the most prestigious design universities in Europe, the Alvar Aalto University of Art and Design. It can be reached by tram and is worth devoting a morning to. You can visit the factories and purchase the odd Finnish design article.

If you’re an unconditional fan of art nouveau, this is your ideal city, as Helsinki boasts one of the most prolific repertoires of this style in the world. Download the most emblematic routes, here.

In closing, to approach contemporary design, you should not pass up the chance to see the Kaisa House university library, a majestic building which breathes design throughout. It is Finland’s largest library and its architecture has been awarded several prizes.

I would take Vueling and turn up there right now. Helsinki is one of the most wonderful cities I have ever visited, with endless opportunities for outings and sightseeing. What’s more, it is near St Petersburg, opposite Tallinn and just a short jaunt away from Stockholm.

Text by Tensi Sánchez of actitudesmgz.com

Photos by Fernando Sanz

What do cities like Cannes, Berlin,Venice, San Sebastián or Locarno have in common? Well, they all host long-standing film festivals and, for a number of days and at different spots in town, all feature both screenings and parallel events as a tribute to the seventh art. Visiting these cities during a festival reveals a different side to them. Instead of the conventional tourist escapade, it involves experiencing the city from a cultural viewpoint like any of its residents. To the above-mentioned cities we should add Rotterdam, famous for having one of the largest maritime harbours in the world. It is also an industrial centre and a capital of football, with three teams in the Dutch top-flight Eredivisie – Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. Over and above that, however, Rotterdam is privileged to host a highly potent film festival which turns the city into one of the leading world cinema hubs for a period of twelve days.

This time around, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (its official name) will take place from 25 January to 5 February 2017, and the programme is dedicated to art house films, both European and international, and the leading figures of independent cinema. This year is dedicated to a retrospective of Jan Němec, one of the paramount filmmakers in Czech cinema, who died a few months ago. A tribute to his figure will involve screening his best known films, as well as a posthumous film, The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street. The official festival lineup will feature the latest movies by Jim Jarmusch, Paterson and Gimme Danger, in addition to the long-awaited film, Jackie, by Pablo Larraín, starring Natalie Portman.

The focal point of the festival will be De Doelen, a venue with an eventful history in downtown Rotterdam. Its location gives you plenty of time to stroll around and discover the city between screenings. De Doelen was built in 1966 and is both a convention centre and the primary venue of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The other cinemas providing screenings are also in the city centre, in such charming theatres as Oude Luxor and the Pathé Schouwburgplein. They are relatively near some museums which are well worth visiting, including the Maritime Museum, devoted to the importance of maritime culture and various aspects of sailing. Apart from the exhibition space, it features a canal in the surrounding area offering all types of parallel activities. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is Rotterdam’s stellar art museum with an amazing collection, a dream come true for any painting enthusiast. Its exhibits include works by Salvador Dalí, Tintoretto, Hubert van Eyck, Willem Heda and Pieter Bruegel, among others, but it doesn’t stop there – the museum also covers other art disciplines (industrial design, installations, graffiti) and itinerant exhibitions that are refreshed each month. By the way – the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is just a stone’s throw away from Museumpark, one of the city’s lungs and most beautiful parks.

Apart from the aforementioned films and cycles, the International Film Festival Rotterdam also hosts a number of out-of-the-ordinary special screenings. One of the most prominent is a whole, day-long session dedicated to children. This year it falls on Sunday 29 January and features a selection of films which the little ones can enjoy in the company of their parents. Other events worth mentioning include two short marathons to be hosted on 4 February. Lasting six hours each, they will be held in the Kino Rotterdam, a cinema where you can also have dinner or a drink, if you wish. Check out the rest of the festival events here.

Be sure to discover Rotterdam through the prism of its cinema festival – book your Vueling here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

London is in a class of its own when it comes to cultural offerings. This list of exhibition spaces to visit may seem overwhelming, but it is well worth seeing some of these museums or exhibition halls whenever you happen to be in London. One such privileged spot is the Victoria & Albert Museum, dedicated to art and design, which has been hosting an endless stream of exhibitions lately. This alone warrants at least a brief visit to London.

This is true of Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, the latest jewel put out by the V&A to steal our hearts, cajoling us into making room on our agenda to delight in the work of this brilliant couturier. The exhibition, inaugurated on 27 May and running until 18 February 2018, pays tribute to Cristóbal Balenciaga, one of the great visionaries of haute couture. A contemporary of Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, he managed to seduce everyone with his technically perfect minimalist designs based on polished lines and new materials. His craftsmanship once prompted Coco Chanel to remark, “He alone was a couturier in the truest sense of the word… the others are simply fashion designers”.

On display at this exhibition, curated by the fashion specialist Cassie Davies-Strodder, are a hundred garments and twenty hats, most of which come from the V&A collection. Among the curiosities at this show is the chance to discover some of Balenciaga’s dresses and hats in detail, thanks to the collaboration of artist Nick Veasey who uses X-ray imaging techniques to reveal the complexity hidden in the designs.

This is the first exhibition in the United Kingdom dedicated to Balenciaga, who opened his first boutique in San Sebastián a hundred years ago, while eighty years have gone by since he arrived in Paris, fleeing from the Spanish Civil War. It was there that he eventually set up his own workshop and earned international fame. However, recognition was late in coming to this outstanding couturier. Acclaimed for his meticulous craftsmanship, he always shunned the limelight, despite boasting such customers as Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner and the millionaire, Mona von Bismarck.

New Design Museum in London

Still within the confines of design, to make the most of your London getaway we recommend you take the opportunity to visit the new premises of The Design Museum, which opened its doors on 24 November. Housed in the former Commonwealth Institute, the building has 10,000m² of floor space and a parabolic ceiling. Renovation work on the premises was assigned to British architect John Pawson. The goal of this reconversion was to turn the museum, previously housed in more modest premises in the city, into a veritable beacon of design, by way of a Tate Modern of design and architecture. Apart from revelling in the new design space, you can also visit the newly unveiled exhibition, Designed in California. It explores how the ideals of the 1960s counterculture morphed into the tech culture of Silicon Valley, and how the “Designed in California” concept became the global phenomenon we know today.

Fire up and make your getaway to fine design – book your Vueling to London here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Photo: Dovima with Sacha, cloche and suit by Balenciaga, Café des Deux Magots, Paris, 1955. Photograph by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation