Olivier Krug: My life in travel

'If you walk everywhere when you travel it gives you time to use your eyes'

Olivier Krug, the director of the House of Krug

Berlin is one of the most exciting cities in the world.

I've just come back from my first visit. My great, great, grandfather was German, so it's quite close to my roots. It's one of the first places where he sold his champagne when he started trading in the 1840s.

Living in Japan in the early 1990s was so exciting.

I think I'm the only man from Champagne who lived in Japan for two years; I was working there as it is a big market for us. I loved it. There's a tradition of having good things and they have an outstanding understanding of craftsmanship there too. And pleasure – they have a sense of pleasure which is unlimited. I still visit but not enough, maybe twice or three times a year.

Texans love champagne.

I recently went to Texas for the first time. We had a fantastic dinner of lobster tacos accompanied by champagne, which I will remember for the rest of my life.

London is my favourite place in the UK.

I love the ambience and the fact that it's very international and that there is this backbone of history and British style. It's a city that gets the world moving, talking and shaking and I love that atmosphere. I like beer as well and a good glass of wine. I've tried British sparkling wines one or two times; I thought they were good. I probably visit the UK six or seven times a year.

My holidays are not about travelling.

I go to a small island on the Atlantic coast of France called Ile d'Yeu, which is far from everywhere. You have no internet connection, no phone. It's a fishing island off the Vendée and my best holidays are staying there with my family, my four children, with no agenda. And I love fishing.

Light show: Tokyo is Olivier Krug's favourite city (Getty)

Tokyo is my favourite city.

It's the city that welcomed me. And I love Venice too for all the reasons you can imag- ine. No one really talks about Reims, my home city, but it's one of the most beautiful cities in France. And it's a place with a very strong history because it has seen so many wars and invasions.

My best meal abroad was a burger and French fries … with champagne.

I went to a beautiful restaurant, Auberge du Soleil, in the Napa Valley in California with my friend who had a really rare bottle of champagne. We had burgers, French fries with it. It was wonderful.

You should walk everywhere when you travel.

The same tip applies everywhere: spend a bit more time and walk. Because when you walk, you have time to use your eyes. I walk a lot.

Olivier Krug, the director of the House of Krug, is featured in Assouline's new Luxury Collection book, Certified Indigenous, £30 (luxurycollection.com/assouline)