After two quiet months at home in Prague, with one of the coldest winters we’ve had in years settling over the city, March 2026 finally brought the kind of change of pace that makes travel feel necessary rather than optional. I was ready for sunlight, for milder weather, for long walks without numb fingers, and for a stretch in the South of France that mixed food, city exploring, live music, and a few unexpected complications. It turned into one of those months that felt like several trips stitched together: a getaway to Toulouse, Narbonne, Montpellier, and Marseille; a productive stop in Berlin; and the familiar rhythm of home in Prague between departures.
## Destinations Visited
March took me from Prague to France and Germany, with the month anchored by a southern France itinerary that had been planned around Charlie’s birthday trip and a long-anticipated visit to Les Grands Buffets. We visited Toulouse, Narbonne, Montpellier, and Marseille, then later headed to Berlin for ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade show. Back home, Prague was still cold enough that every return felt like stepping into a different season, but at least by then the Easter markets were beginning to appear and the city had started to thaw a little.
## Toulouse: A City That Immediately Wins You Over
Toulouse was the first real surprise of the month, and in the best possible way. I expected to like it; I didn’t expect to feel such an immediate pull toward it. The city has the kind of relaxed confidence that makes you want to linger. It’s about the size of Prague, with just over one million residents, but it feels softer somehow, more laid back, less formal. There’s an ease to the streets and a warmth to the atmosphere that becomes obvious very quickly.
What makes Toulouse distinctive is its architecture. Unlike so many French cities that feel unmistakably stone-colored and pale, Toulouse glows with pinky-red brick. The effect is subtle but unforgettable. In certain light, the buildings take on an almost rose-colored sheen, and the whole city feels like it’s been warmed from the inside out. It’s the sort of place where you can walk for hours and keep noticing little details: a quiet square, a tiny café with two tables outside, a boutique tucked into a narrow street, a bakery with a line forming before noon. I would happily return to Toulouse just to eat and shop, which is always a good sign that a city is doing something right.
There’s also a liveliness to Toulouse that never feels frantic. It has enough energy to keep you moving, but not so much that you feel worn out by it. That balance is one of the things I value most in a city break. You want somewhere that gives you interesting neighborhoods and good food without making every block feel like a checklist. Toulouse does that beautifully.
## The Feast at Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne
The main reason for the trip was Charlie’s birthday, and his chosen celebration was Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne. For food lovers, this is one of those destinations that borders on pilgrimage. The experience is famous for a reason: it’s vast, theatrical, and deeply committed to French gastronomy in buffet form. It sounds excessive because it is excessive, but in a way that feels intentional rather than gimmicky.
We ate so much delicious food that it became impossible to keep track of the categories, let alone the individual plates. From the start, it was clear that the value here was extraordinary. For 65.90 euros per person, we got an amount and variety of food that would have cost at least double, if not triple, in a regular restaurant. For travelers who love French cuisine, cheese, charcuterie, seafood, pastries, and the idea of trying a little bit of everything without being limited by a tasting menu, this place is a dream.
It is also one of those dining experiences that rewards enthusiasm. You go in ready to pace yourself, but the sheer abundance of excellent food makes self-control difficult. That’s part of the charm. Les Grands Buffets is not about restraint. It’s about savoring the absurd luxury of choice and the pleasure of doing it in a setting that feels both grand and slightly playful. If you’re the kind of traveler who plans trips around meals, this is an experience worth building a route around.
At the same time, it’s worth knowing that Les Grands Buffets is not an easy place to document. The dining room is dimly lit, loud, and crowded, and the atmosphere moves quickly. If you want to create content while there, you’ll need to plan carefully because eating properly and photographing everything at the same time is nearly impossible. It’s the kind of place where you’re better off experiencing the meal first and worrying about the visuals second.
## Montpellier: Relaxed, Elegant, and Easy to Love
From Narbonne we moved on to Montpellier, a city that gave the trip a gentler pace after the sensory overload of the buffet. Montpellier has an appealing blend of southern charm and urban sophistication. It felt to me like a baby Paris by the Mediterranean: elegant Haussmann-style buildings, broad boulevards, and just enough palm trees to remind you that you’re far from northern Europe. The city is compact in a way that makes it pleasant to explore on foot, but it still has enough depth to keep you occupied for several days.
Food was one of the main pleasures here. We spent time wandering markets and bakeries, and one of the most memorable treats was the éclairs from Maison Bonnaire. They were the kind of pastry that makes you stop mid-conversation because you need a moment to appreciate what you’re eating. Montpellier is the sort of destination that works especially well as a reset city. There’s no need to overschedule yourself here. A week of slow mornings, beach walks, market visits, café stops, and excellent pastries would suit the city perfectly.
That’s also what makes Montpellier appealing to travelers looking for a calm base in southern France. It’s polished without feeling stiff, lively without being chaotic, and close enough to the coast that the Mediterranean atmosphere is always present. If you want a place where you can settle in, eat well, and enjoy unhurried days, it’s an excellent choice.
## Marseille and the Reality of Off-Season Travel
We finished the trip in Marseille, though the city didn’t exactly cooperate. We arrived on a Sunday, which meant taking a 2.5-hour bus from Montpellier instead of the train that runs the rest of the week. By the time we got there, the weather had turned cold and relentless, with rain coming down in sheets. Marseille in the off-season can be difficult enough even when the weather behaves; with freezing rain added to the mix, it became a much less forgiving place.
Still, travel rarely goes according to the idealized version in your head, and sometimes the real experience is more useful than the perfect one. We adapted by finding a café with the heater blasting near an open front door, then heading to Les Grandes Halles du Vieux-Port, an indoor food hall that offered warmth, shelter, and good seafood. We spent the afternoon eating and drinking rosé, then picked up some Savon de Marseille before returning to the hotel. It wasn’t the romantic Mediterranean finale I had imagined, but it was a reminder that good food and flexibility can rescue a difficult day.
I do want to go back to Marseille properly. The city has direct flights from Prague, which makes a future long weekend very feasible, and I’d like to see it in late spring or early fall when the weather is more forgiving. Marseille clearly deserved better than the version we got this time, and I’d rather judge it after a fairer visit.
## Hidden Gems
One of the best things about a trip like this is the way the smaller discoveries end up being just as memorable as the headline experiences. In Toulouse, the hidden gem was the city’s overall atmosphere: not one landmark, but the feeling of wandering into streets filled with small restaurants, independent boutiques, and inviting corners that made the city feel lived-in rather than staged for visitors. In Montpellier, it was the pleasure of bakery-hopping and finding pastries that were so good they became part of the story. And in Marseille, despite the weather, Les Grandes Halles du Vieux-Port turned out to be a useful fallback that saved the evening and gave us a warm place to settle in.
There’s also something to be said for the hidden gems of ordinary travel life. In Prague, joining a local pub quiz became one of the nicest social things I’ve done this month. I’d always assumed my travel schedule would make any kind of regular activity impossible, but the flexible structure of this team solved that problem completely. We show up when we can, skip when we’re away, and still feel part of something. That first week, we even won. It’s a good reminder that you don’t always need a dramatic or remote destination to feel like you’re discovering something new.
## Berlin: Work, Friends, and Belle & Sebastian
Berlin was a much more productive kind of trip. Charlie and I were there for ITB Berlin, and this was the first year we both attended. The trade show was busy and successful, with plenty of meetings and the added bonus of catching up with blogger friends, including some I hadn’t seen in years. That social side of travel events matters more than people think. The conversations you have in hallways, at dinners, and between sessions often shape the rest of the year.
Our final night in Berlin ended with Belle & Sebastian at Metropol, a venue that felt gloriously weird in the best way — part concert hall, part haunted church. They played Tigermilk, their first album, and sounded as good as they did decades ago. For me, it was also a small milestone: the first concert I’ve attended by an artist I discovered through my Rolling Stone 500 albums challenge. There’s something especially satisfying about hearing music live after first encountering it through a long-term listening project. It makes the discovery feel complete.
## Life Back in Prague
Home life in Prague continued in its own small but comforting way. Lewis the cat remained very affectionate, still climbing into my lap almost every day. At times, Charlie and I end up on opposite sides of the couch, quietly competing for Lewis’s loyalty, which is exactly the kind of domestic absurdity that makes home feel homey. The Easter markets were also beginning to fill the city with seasonal energy, giving Prague a sense of movement after the deep winter slowdown.
The pub quiz, the cat cuddles, the markets, and the last remnants of winter all formed the background to the month, grounding the travel in a way that made the departures feel possible. I’ve learned that months of travel and months at home each need the other. The contrast is what keeps both interesting.
## Challenges and Misfires
Not every part of March went smoothly. The Marseille weather was miserable, the train schedule was inconvenient on a Sunday, and the seafood-heavy meal there was followed by food poisoning once I got home. It hit about 24 hours later, and while it wasn’t the worst kind of food poisoning, it still meant three days of nausea and stomach cramps. Charlie and Nick were fine, which makes me suspect one bad oyster may have been the culprit. That’s not exactly the travel memory anyone wants to collect, but it’s also part of the reality of eating very adventurously in a place known for seafood.
There’s also the practical challenge of content creation in spaces that are busy, dimly lit, and full of people trying to enjoy themselves. Les Grands Buffets is wonderful, but not ideal for capturing beautiful photos without planning ahead. If you’re traveling as a creator, it helps to recognize when a place is better lived in than documented. Sometimes the smartest move is to put the camera down and enjoy the meal.
## March in Music, Reading, and Watching
Outside of travel, the month was packed with culture. I watched Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, and it was a brutal reminder of how normalized cruelty and exploitation once were in reality TV. In contrast, Project Hail Mary in IMAX was a joy from start to finish: faithful to the book, beautifully filmed, and deeply uplifting. I also read Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West, which I found strongest when it stayed close to travel and place, and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, which I devoured in 48 hours because I wanted to see the movie only after finishing the book.
Musically, my Rolling Stone 500 albums challenge continued, with Missy Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly standing out as the month’s best discovery. Fiona Apple, Joni Mitchell, R.E.M., Janet Jackson, De La Soul, and Elton John also made a strong showing, and the playlist keeps growing as I work through the list. It’s one of those long-term projects that changes the way you listen to music, because every month brings a handful of artists and albums I somehow missed the first time around.
## Coming Up Next
April is set to be a major month, with a solo trip to Central Asia on the horizon. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and a day trip into Tajikistan are all on the itinerary, and if everything goes to plan, they’ll become countries 97, 98, and 99 for me. I’ll be spending time in Almaty, then traveling through Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, with a focus on textiles, craft traditions, and a deeper look at the region from the perspective of a solo female traveler. I’m excited for the landscapes, the train journeys, the embroidery, the architecture, and the chance to share a part of the world that still feels underexplored by many travelers.
For now, March feels like the month that broke winter open and made room for everything that came next.
