Travel Dispatch: Learning to Love Cézanne in His Picture-Perfect Hometown

May 24, 2025

Montagne Ste.-Victoire, which dominates the horizon in Aix-en-Provence, France, also looms large in the paintings of Paul Cézanne. Gabrielle Voinot for The New York Times

Dear Travel Fan,

I hope you are having a good start to your Memorial Day weekend. In addition to the holiday’s solemn purpose, it, of course, is the unofficial kickoff to the summer travel season. (If you are one of the millions of people traveling this weekend, we have a roundup of how to weather the possible chaos.) It seems fitting that this week, much of our coverage focused on travel within the United States:

Our 36 Hours column visits Annapolis, Md., a big sailing town and home to the U.S. Naval Academy.
We’ve got a roundup of state parks that can serve as “dupes” for their nearby national parks, which may be facing staff shortages this summer.
We visit some of the remaining drive-in theaters in the West. (Is there anything more American than going to the drive-in movies?)

We’ve also got some ideas for you if your summer travels are going to take you abroad, including beautiful Italian hotels at price points high and low and a Paul Cézanne-focused tour of the artist’s hometown, Aix-en-Provence (one of our 52 Places to Go in 2025). If you’re looking for more inspiration, our colleague Jason Farago, a critic on the Culture desk, put together this list of his five favorite artworks in Mexico City.

Earlier this year, we looked at the trends that would be shaping travel, and digital detoxing made our list. This week we have a guide to how to travel without your phone (remember, it’s how everybody traveled not so long ago).

Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend, whether you’re traveling or staying home,
Amy Virshup

OPEN UP YOUR WORLD

Montagne Ste.-Victoire, a tan granite peak lit up by the sun, rises in the distance behind a foreground of tall, slender, dark green trees.

Learning to Love Cézanne in His Picture-Perfect Hometown

Aix-en-Provence, the French city where the artist spent most of his life, is celebrating all things Cézanne this summer with the reopening of his estate and studio.

By Alexis Steinman and Gabrielle Voinot

The Enduring Appeal of the American Drive-In

Has anything really changed at drive-in theaters across the country? A photographer based in Bozeman, Mont., visited a few to find out.

By Janie Osborne

An Italian villa’s spacious stone balcony, furnished with beige couches, overlooks a landscape of rolling hills and farmland. The sky is cloudy with patches of blue sky.

Abercrombie & Kent

For Your Next Italian Getaway, a Taste of la Dolce Vita

Whether your budget is $100 a night or $1,800, a selection of new and restored hotels and luxury villas await in Rome, Tuscany and beyond.

By Stephanie Rosenbloom

A group of cyclists rides along a paved road that cuts through a desert landscape at Snow Canyon State Park, in Utah. There are large, reddish-brown rock formations in the background.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

5 State Parks That Feel Like National Parks

With popular destinations like Yellowstone and Zion hit hard by staffing cuts, nearby state parks offer beauty and majesty with far less uncertainty.

By Ruffin Prevost

The bow of a sailboat, shot from the deck, with the mast and sail in the center of the photo. A woman is hoisting the sails as a man looks on. Other people are on the boat.

Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times

36 Hours

36 Hours in Annapolis, Md.

Visitors to Annapolis can sail the Chesapeake Bay, tour the Naval Academy, enjoy top-notch restaurants and pop into bustling bars.

By Charles Babington

TKTKT

My 5 Favorite Works of Art in Mexico City

Our critic Jason Farago shares what you shouldn’t miss in a city imprinted with seven centuries of cultural history.

By Jason Farago

THE CHANGING WORLD OF TRAVEL

Travelers with luggage queue up at a security checkpoint.

Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

What Travelers Should Know About This Messy Memorial Day Weekend

With airports and airlines experiencing delays and cancellations, and staffing shortfalls at national parks, here’s what to know before you go.

By Claire Fahy

In an in illustration, a person’s legs are seen walking away with a roller bag toward a city skyline while a phone lies on the ground.

Weston Wei

Travel 101

How to Travel Without a Phone

Leaving your device at home might seem daunting, but it can result in a deeper connection to a place and more authentic interactions with locals.

By Noah W. Miller

Feedback, thoughts, tips? Email the Travel desk at travel@nytimes.com.

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