Saving the seine

A slow train journey through southern France shines a light on one of Europe’s early engineering masterpieces, the Canal du Midi, and the historic cities that thrived on its waters

Take the train for a laid-back tour of the Côte d’Azur’s glitzy cities and lesser-known towns, jumping off to buy a slice of pissaladière, visit a museum or dip your toes in the sea.

The Canal du Rhône au Rhin stretches 237km through the east of France, but we had decided to spend a leisurely trip travelling just 55km, following the River Doubs between the cities of Dole and Besan

During this year’s scorching summer, I ended many of my rides with a dip in a small, long-neglected harbour near where I live. Occasionally I had to compete for space with fishermen who chose to cast

Dr Smita Patel dreamed of a natural swimming pool in her garden, and after years of waiting, the dream finally came true, as Nicola Stocken discovers

It’s 30 years since daily Eurostar services began whisking visitors to Belgium’s capital — and the city known for Tintin and beer is still full of surprises