Weekly travel reads: Architourism in France

[The Travel Wire #102] Hiking Norway’s heavily monitored Russian border, the highest peak in Samoa, Paris is for introverts, and more travel reads.

Travel reads

• Architourism in France: the retro futurist seaside town near Montpellier that’s out of this world [The Guardian]
“Built in the 60s and 70s to curb a holiday exodus to Spain, with apartments inspired by Mayan pyramids and featuring ‘intergalactic curves’, La Grande-Motte is having another moment in the sun with fans of modern architecture.”

• Hiking Norway’s heavily monitored Russian border (archive) [BBC Travel]
“A series of scenic paths trace the Norwegian-Russian border. But as you trek through the tundra and forests, you may notice watchtowers and cameras hanging in trees.”

• Get lost! [A Sense of Wander]
“I was in London recently, where I did something radical: I got lost. On purpose. One morning, I stepped out of my hotel in Bloomsbury and headed to….to where? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care.”

• A silly silly hike up Mount Silisili, the highest peak in Samoa [Intrepid Times]
“In search of the highest point in Samoa–and escape from the tourist trails–a traveller joins an eleven-hour trek through dense, humid rainforests up volcanic terrain, following the footsteps of a less-than-certain machete-wielding guide.”

• Paris is for introverts [The Quiet Life with Susan Cain]
“Introducing a new feature of The Quiet Life! A Travel Guide for Seekers of Quiet, Depth and Beauty.”

• What makes Australia Australia? [Chris Arnade Walks the World]
“Thoughts from Sydney and Darwin.”

• Unpeeling Daejeon, South Korea’s (supposedly) dullest city [The World According to Tharp]
“A sweaty dive into South Korea’s hinterlands, Part 2.”

• Straphangers in Berlin [High Speed]
“A second look at one of Europe’s great transit networks.”

• A glamorous life of international travel [Long Captions]

• Rocking my way through the streets of Helsinki. Part 1. July 2026. [Hungry for travel by Igor]