36 hours in Salzburg, between tradition and modernity

Austria Europe Salzburg

36 hours in Salzburg, between tradition and modernity

Salzburg is a baroque gem that is a must-see! Whether musical, historical, vibrant or traditional, the Austrian city can be discovered in less than 48 hours. With a thousand-year-old fortress, a sparkling river that divides the city and a mountainous environment, you will feel like you are in a fairy tale from the moment you arrive.

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Mont Miné Glacier: Autumn walk in a lunar scenery

Switzerland Valais

Mont Miné Glacier: Autumn walk in a lunar scenery

Looking for new walks to recharge my batteries, one place had been catching my eye for a while: the Val d’Hérens and more particularly Mont Miné Glacier, which is at the far end of a Valais valley.

I will take you for a simple but wild hike in a mountain setting that will turn into a timeless, lunar landscape.

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Lake Brienz: Iseltwald and Giessbach, peaceful Bernese hideaways

Bern Switzerland

Lake Brienz: Iseltwald and Giessbach, peaceful Bernese hideaways

Give me a lake and mountains and I would feel at home. I didn’t think I’d get such a familiar impression when I first went to Iseltwald and Lake Brienz, and throughout my visits, it has become my favourite place in Switzerland. A place for which, one day, I could perhaps leave my beloved Riviera.

Situated in the Bernese Oberland, this corner of Switzerland is certainly the perfect postcard and shows the diversity of landscapes that Helvetia enjoys. Colourful lakes, majestic mountains, enchanting villages and lush green fields – no more clichés than that. And this is probably its charm!

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The complete guide to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Europe Scotland United Kingdom

The complete guide to Edinburgh

“There’s no leaving Edinburgh, No shifting it around: it stays with you, always.”

Alan Bold

With my eyes fixed on the gloomy sky that covers Lake Léman with an opaque mist, I see no ray of sunshine emerging from my balcony. I am simply reading but my thoughts are elsewhere. My heart too. I am nostalgic, happy to be back in my beloved Switzerland, but I can’t repress the tiny depression that hugged me when I returned at the beginning of the year 2020. It seems that students often feel this feeling when they return from a university exchange. I miss it, I miss my adventure, I miss my Scottish life, and above all I miss Edinburgh!

This state of mind doesn’t go away but, life goes on, you get used to it again, you start classes again. Then, Covid-19 takes over… It’s almost a year since I left for Edinburgh. But I look back and ask myself: How did this city manage to fascinate me so much, to give me an incredible feeling of freedom? Everyone is different and will experience the same thing in a totally distinct way, yet Edinburgh is worth visiting, worth living, and I will reveal its secrets in this article. This is the complete guide to discovering the Scottish capital.

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The must-sees of the Swedish capital, Stockholm

Europe Sweden

The must-sees of the Swedish capital, Stockholm

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, appears to be a quiet and trouble-free little town. However, beneath its apparent tranquillity, it hides a dynamic city. Situated on the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is built partly on fourteen small islands at the mouth of Lake Mälaren and is mainly grouped into five districts that are not to be missed (Gamla Stan, Ostermalm, Södermalm, Djurgården and Norrmalm).

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The Vintgar gorge, between limpidity and hordes of tourists

Europe Slovenia

The Vintgar gorge, between limpidity and hordes of tourists

Slovenia has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world, and the Vintgar Gorge is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful places of all! But all this instagrammable beauty comes at a price, and it can be frustrating to struggle to get a glimpse of it without crowding and bumping into hordes of tourists along the narrow paths and trails.

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The Romantic Road, an enchanting road trip in Germany

Bavaria Europe Germany

The Romantic Road, an enchanting road trip in Germany

From the vineyards of Franconia to the first foothills of the Bavarian Alps, the Romantic Road is a lovely trail that meanders among the most authentic and historic German towns for approximately 400 kilometres.

It is the most renowned and valued itinerary in Germany and whether we are foreigners or native Germans, we all have the same feeling: an impression of going back in time to discover the rich history of that region and its culture. All of that is pleasantly accompanied by landscapes which change over the crossed territories: vineyards, countryside, meadows, forests, and to conclude marvellously the journey, the Bavarian mountains.

From Lower Franconia in Würtzburg to the south of Bavaria in Füssen, gateway to the prestigious castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria, let yourself be guided by one of the most charming roads in Europe.

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Hallstatt, an idyllic alpine village overwhelmed by mass tourism

Austria Europe Hallstatt

Hallstatt, an idyllic alpine village overwhelmed by mass tourism

Nestled among the rugged Dachstein and Salzkammergut mountain ranges and overlooking a crystal-clear lake, the alpine village of Hallstatt in Austria offers a truly breathtaking sight. In recent years, however, this place has become a major centre of European mass tourism. When I visited it in the summer of 2019, I never thought I would be surrounded by so many tourists, even in the middle of July. I mistakenly thought that this village was not affected by the summer tourist season.  But at the same time, if I had been able to discover this place on social networks, a lot of people could have done the same…

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The ultimate guide to Québec’s national parks

Around the world Canada North America Québec

The ultimate guide to Québec’s national parks

* This article groups together the different Québec national parks described in the various articles

Vastness territory where nature is omnipresent, Québec represents a world of discoveries. During our road trip in the province, we focused on this wild natural side of the region, which led us to explore several Québec national parks.

Quebec national parks are grouped under the name “SEPAQ”, literally “Société des Établissements de Plein Air du Québec”, administered by the Quebec government, although some of these parks are part of the Canadian national parks network. Only three parks in Quebec are given the appellation of “Parks Canada”.

With over twenty destinations located throughout Quebec, according to the organisation’s official website, these parks list more than “6,995 km² of protected areas”.

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