Maureen O'Hare

Following the news that the Pompidou Centre is closing for five years, another famous French attraction is shutting down for renovation.

In our travel roundup this week: How a forgotten airport was once the gateway to Europe and the tale of a 19th-century waterway which became “the heart of the universe.”

The 2,500-year-old Maiden’s Tower in Istanbul is an icon of the city and has recently reopened after a major two-year restoration.

In travel news this week: railway ambitions in Greece, Vietnam, Britain and the United States; exciting new maritime adventures from Virgin Voyages and the Orient Express; plus the world’s top cities for 2024.

Data analytics company Euromonitor International has revealed its top 100 city destinations for 2024 and there are a few surprises at the top of the list.

In travel news this week: crackdowns on overtourism in Florence and Pompeii, new developments in the world of long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights, plus the California couple who moved to France, where things did not go as they hoped.

Britain, birthplace of rail transport, will get its first ever luxury sleeper train touring England and Wales next summer.

In travel news this week: the Chinese pets earning “snack money” in cafés, a European capital that’s had enough of “drunk” tourists, and the New Zealand airport that’s curtailing caresses.

Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia and a number of other countries have warned their citizens about traveling to the UK, as a spate of anti-immigrant riots grips cities across Britain.

Spanish startup HALO Space hopes to begin commercial flights to near-space in 2026. The flights will last around six hours and prices start at $164,000 a ticket.