May bank holidays 2011 travel deals

With its brace of bank holidays May is the ideal month to get away for a little city break, or maybe even use those well deserved days off to extend a longer holiday. And with the weather likely to hold up far better than at home, Paris, Brussels and Lille are ideal destinations for your early summer sejourn. As well as all the usual tourist attractions, there are plenty of special events and festivals happening throughout May, so read on to find out some amazing attractions.

Short cinematography
Head to Brussels before mid May and you can catch the end of their Festival of Short Films. Held in the Cinema Vendôme in Ixelles, the festival presents an intriguing, snappy selection of short films from all over the world and is ideal for any film fans with short attention spans.

Fun for all the family
Running throughout the month of May, Paris’ Foire du Trône is one of the largest and oldest country fairs in France, dating back to 957 when merchants met with farmers and producers to trade grain and rice. Nowadays the event incorporates a huge amusement park with arcades and roller coasters, as well as more traditional attractions such as a large Ferris Wheel, carousel rides and wandering acrobats, jugglers and fire-eaters. Check the Foire due Trône's programme of events for this year’s festivities.

 

Jazz Festivals
May certainly seems to be the month for all that jazz. From mid-end May, Paris’ Rive Gauche will be swinging to the beat of the Saint Germain Jazz Festival as local and international musicians perform everything from electro-jazz to the blues. Then in Brussels, there is the Jazz Marathon from at the end of May, a huge jazz party which will have the city hopping and be-bopping for one weekend. More than 450 musicians will perform in the city’s main squares (Grand Place, Place du Grand Sablon, Place Ste-Catherine and Place Fernand Cocq) as well as in 50 venues, clubs and hotels.

Gastronomic Lille
May is a good month for food in Lille as there are two events devoted to different cuisines. On 1 May every year Lille unites to celebrate the forever popular dish - soup. La Louche d'Or - or The Golden Ladle - takes place in the bistros and stalls of Wazemmes market found at Place de la Nouvelle Aventure. Then at the end of the month and for the first week of June, Marché Artisanal (formerly known as Lille aux Saveurs) takes place. Eat your heart out at this gourmet food festival in Lille's Place Rihour. Stalls offer a selection of tasty titbits including cheese and charcuterie. Try some of the regional specialities, such as tarte au sucre (sugar tart) or crème brûlée à la chicorée (crème brûlée with chicory).

A night at the museum
Museums throughout France open for free for one night, offering a chance to whizz round some of the country's finest temporary and permanent collections until 1am. The date varies but is usually the 3rd Saturday in May. The Nuits des Musées is an initiative launched by the French Department of Culture in 2005. It opens up some 1000 museums throughout France and Europe to the public, against a background of debates, competitions, conferences and exhibitions, all for no charge. Special events and illuminations await in many of Paris and Lille’s major museums.

Celebrate Diversity