Atlantic Flavors, English Horizons

Home of French explorer Jacques Cartier and once a hub for corsairs and adventurers, history hums around Saint-Malo's granite walls. Soak it all in while strolling the ramparts around the Intra-Muros historic center or pause for Breton crêpes and traditional cider among the grand ship-owners' mansions of Place Chateaubriand. Named after a Welsh monk and nestled in a sheltered harbor near the fairytale abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo and its surrounds are revered for their gastronomy, which finds its apogee at three-star Le Coquillage where chef Hugo Roellinger is a master of Breton culinary art. For a more down-to-earth experience, few pleasures beat a chilled glass of Muscadet and a dozen Cancale oysters served harborside as the sun sets over Saint-Malo. 

Yachting enthusiasts gather annually on the Isle of Wight for Cowes Week, a global gathering of racing yachts and traditional sailboats that have churned the waters of the Solent since 1826. It was here in 1851 that the US yacht America claimed victory in the first America's Cup, the oldest sporting trophy in the world; now sponsored by Louis Vuitton. Delve deeper into the island’s royal pedigree at Osbourne, favored palace of Queen Victoria, or cruise around the Needles, a jagged ridge of chalk-white cliffs that jut into the English Channel, or hike trails through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve which covers the entire island.

Built on the indomitable spirit of its inhabitants over 2,000 years, London is one of the most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities in Europe. Feel the weight of history as you walk the Thames past the Houses of Parliament as Big Ben chimes the hour, and on to St. Paul’s and the Tower of London’s hulking walls. Feast on royal pageantry during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, visit Westminster Cathedral, or solve the maze at Hampton Court Palace, before taking a seat at a top table in Mayfair or Soho, where members’ clubs and Michelin stars fuse heritage and culinary art. Architectural mastery frames historical context in South Kensington’s Museum Quarter, and noble institutions like the Tate Modern, British Museum, and National Gallery are home to some of the world’s finest artwork.