France

From rock climbing on the Rhine to reviving Gabriel García Márquez’s Colombian-jungle journeys, the river cruise paradigm is being turned on its head. Maria Shollenbarger reports on the boats, itineraries and fixers taking it to the next level

Adorned with semiprecious stones, the silverware is a cut above

Sample a staple of New England cuisine in the capital of fine food

The creative director of Lalique has overseen collaborations with Zaha Hadid and Damien Hirst and pioneered the brand’s state-of-the-art new technique of digital art sculpting

It was a place of escape for Jean Cocteau and a summer gathering spot for Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich and Pablo Picasso – now guests at Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat can enjoy fine dining at La Villa Santo Sospir

When an unnamed species is auctioned at the Eiffel Tower, €40,000 will go to charity

The French restaurateur, who received no formal training, holds more Michelin stars than any other female chef – her seventh for London’s La Dame de Pic, which opened last year

A stylish boutique in Reims is dedicated to the quirky, seductive qualities of increasingly in demand indie champagnes

The chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard entertains overseas clients over lobster and linguine in his home city of Paris and shares beef tenderloin with colleagues in Miami

Relais de Chambord is housed in a boldly restored stone farmhouse in the grounds of a 16th-century château

The muted enthusiasm for this vintage is unmerited, says Winechap

Two sassy new hotel cocktail bars in Paris’s former garment district are a surefire sign the area’s back on the up and up

From perfect pain des amis to heavenly choux, the chicest addresses in Paris for bread and pastries

The Macron effect is injecting much needed joie de vivre back into the French property market. Lisa Freedman reports

A bar of soap is a simple thing, but it’s also a thing of beauty, says a perfume blogger as she rounds up her favourites

The architect and designer’s stylish highlights in her home city

A little-known French wine region beloved of sommeliers is getting top billing at an adventurous and convivial London restaurant

Hubert de Givenchy has died aged 91. In an interview last year he opened the doors of his French manor to Nick Foulkes and in a wide-ranging discussion talked about the golden age of haute couture and why he felt the time had come to sell his collection of treasured Giacomettis. Photography by Dylan Thomas