48 HOURS IN EUROPEAN CAPITALS

Every Saturday in The Independent’s award-winning Traveller section, our “48 hours” stories explore new and exciting city-break itineraries. Now, 25 years after the series was first launched, we’ve produced this special, designed to help you get the most from a visit to a selection of 20 key North American cities. Among them, you can choose from New York’s dizzying nightlife, the rollercoaster thrills of Orlando, the Hollywood glitter of Los Angeles or Vancouver’s great outdoors. We’ve also included a range of accommodation options to suit your budget.

Visit the Most Popular Destinations in Provence, France

#1 New Release in Flowers and Bed & Breakfast

Discover why Provence, France is the best place for your next wanderlust-fueled quest and lose yourself to sunny beaches, lush vineyards, and historic architecture.

Take an unforgettable tour of this treasured southern region of France. Soon to be your favorite of all tour guide books, author Georgeanne Brennan uses her insider’s view to take you on the getaway of a lifetime. With engaging text and gorgeous photos, she paints the perfect picture of the many gems of Provence. Beauty abounds as you travel through the sunny Côte d’Azur to the mountains of Haute Provence; to lavender, poppy and wheat fields; through bustling markets; to fisherman-filled harbors; over vine-covered hills; and into ancient castle ruins.

A guide for travelers, wine lovers, dreamers, and anyone interested in Provence, France. Discover Provence is also for those who want to be a part of something picturesque and historically significant. One of the most visited areas of the world, Southern France is famous for its beautiful views, flavorful foods, and opulent French wines. Turn the pages of Discover Provence to immerse yourself in this magical region.

Inside this perfectly curated Provence book, you’ll find:

• Indispensable driving tips for stress free way-finding
• An insightful guide to understanding French wine
• Intimate knowledge of Provence’s villages and their traditions

If you enjoyed travel destination books such as A Year in Provence, Rick Steves France, or Adventures on the Wine Route, then you’ll love Discover Province.

Dive Into the Fascinating World of Marine Biology!

#1 New Release in Scuba Travel Guides

Beneath the Blue Planet is the perfect educational guide for divers, snorkelers, children, and parents. Learn about the ocean, its ecosystems and its conservation from the founders of Reef Smart Guides!

Your blue planet adventure starts now! Beneath the Blue Planet is the ultimate guide to the ocean, its creatures, and its conservation. This comprehensive and pioneering book answers many of the burning questions that divers and snorkelers have after exploring the underwater world. If you want to know how the ocean works, understand the perils that coral reefs face and learn about some of the world’s most fascinating marine creatures, then this book will guide you.

Beneath the Blue Planet traces the story of our ocean from Earth’s formation to the modern day, detailing the science behind everything from currents and chemistry to the fascinating ecology of its creatures, ranging from plankton to whales. Beyond explaining why the ocean and its inhabitants are so remarkable, Beneath the Blue Planet explores the serious challenges this precious environment faces, and offers insights into how we can work to preserve it for future generations and continue ocean exploration.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• The story of the ocean from its formation to the modern day
• Coral reefs and the remarkable creatures that inhabit this ecosystem
• The fascinating natural history of modern-day sharks and their ancient relatives.
• The challenges faced by the ocean and what we can do to preserve it for future generations

If you liked Oceanology, 100 Dives of a Lifetime, and are a fan of the Reef Smart Guides, Dive and Snorkel travel series, you’ll love Beneath the Blue Planet.

Find the Best Beach in the Keys to Dive

#1 New Release in Florida Keys Travel Books and Scuba Travel Guides

The newest addition to the Reef Smart series, Reef Smart Guides Florida Keys is the #1 guide to finding the best beach in the Keys to dive—from North Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas.

An essential guide to exploring the Florida Keys. Whether you’re looking to spice up your current dive log book or if you're looking for the perfect adventure gift to give, Reef Smart Guide Florida Keys is it! This guide helps snorkelers, swimmers, and scuba divers in the keys find the best beach in the keys—along with access points and what to expect along the way.

Detailed descriptions and maps for your cool new hobby in Florida. With incredible detail, and Reef Smart’s 3D rendered illustrations, learn every aspect of over 100 sites. From currents and depths to dangers and suggested routes—even reef guides and common wildlife—everything is planned out—so you can dive without a hitch!

In this guide to snorkeling Florida Keys beaches, you’ll find:

• A guide to diving in the Keys with descriptions to over 100 sites
• 3D rendered illustrations to prepare you for each site on your Florida adventure
• Information on Florida nature and species, you’ll find while snorkeling Florida Keys sites

If you enjoy diving books like 100 Dives of a Lifetime, Florida Bucket List Adventure Guide & Journal, or Reef Smart Guides Bonaire, you’ll love Reef Smart Guide Florida Keys.

Reconnect With Your Inner Wild

From wild harvesting, finding your own paths and reading hiking guides, to just stepping outside and appreciating nature, Re-Wild brings you 50 practices to bringing nature home. Book a stay here!

Beginner’s hiking guide to pro wild harvesting. Divided by levels of difficulty, this nature guide book gives swaths of practical advice. From simple things like how to feel at home in nature and learning fun nature facts to finding a trail if you’re lost to foraging plants, mushrooms, herbs, or wild harvesting knick-knacks on nature trails, this hiking book has something to teach you.

Connect with nature. In the day-to-day, we can lose ourselves in the stress and anxiety of the world we have built. Nature is enough to help you reconnect physically and spiritually to your roots. Simple practices such as taking a walk in the woods or swimming in a cold lake can help you to get outside your head and become one with nature. Immerse yourself in the beautiful images of places you've never been and find the most primitive form of peace we have ever known with Re-Wild.

Inside Re-Wild, you’ll find:

• 50 accessible and simple practices to reconnect with nature
• A stirring mix of evocative illustrations and photographs
• Tips on everything from wild harvesting to mindfulness, helping readers from both a practical and conceptual point of view

If you liked The Nature Fix, Surviving the Wild, or The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods, you’ll love Re-Wild.

A World of Sexy Sleuths, Mysterious Missus, and Female Villains

Flip through tales of beautiful women, female villains, and clever consorts. Delight in crime, mystery, and suspense in story after story featuring femme fatales.

A delightful menu of villainy and seduction. Dangerous women are a steadfast tradition of crime and mystery books. Choose between stories that compare to mystery best sellers, tales that feature the smart sleuth, the daring detective, the mystery date-turned-nemesis, or the baby-faced beauty. Perfect for fans of crime novels, fiction, strong female characters, or mystery and suspense books, The Extraordinary Book of Femme Fatales honors its heritage with stories featuring strong women and female villains who have mastered the art of seduction.

Marvelous mysteries, hand-picked by an expert. Maxim Jakubowski, one of the top best selling authors in mystery fiction books, has scoured the genre for the best new mystery and thriller stories featuring femme fatales. In The Extraordinary Book of Femme Fatales, he presents the best of the best in mystery literature featuring strong women, fiction, and good for her stories.

Inside The Extraordinary Book of Femme Fatales, you’ll find:

• Stories with strong female leads, female villains, and more
• Crime, seduction, and adventure
• A look at what happens when women are the big bad heroes

If you liked The Maidens, The Jealousy Man and Other Stories, or The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021, you’ll love The Extraordinary Book of Femme Fatales.