While meeting an arriving friend at Berlin’s Tegel Airport last week, we both heaved an internal sigh over what would be our last trip to that airport. Tegel’s no more special than any other airport really (although its design *is* unique, if entirely impracticable in the current airport security climate), unless you count all the » Read more

By Theadora Brack in Paris— Tripping to Paris? Do you plan to shop? Well then, look and listen! Throughout Paris, there are shopping zones where you can buy anything, as well as scattered districts where clusters of stores carry similar items. Shopping fanatics, unite. Here’s a mini-guide. So dust off the printer! But first, a » Read more

By Terri Fogarty, publisher of EuropeUpClose.com— If you’ve fallen in love with France as I have, you have probably traveled there more than once. Now that you have seen Paris and beyond, including all the regular tourist attractions, its time to learn about the fabulous Gard region of France. The Gard is located just west » Read more

In mid-December each year most of Europe’s rail and bus companies revamp their schedules, but many also do some mid-year tweaking of their timetables. So here’s what is in store for the upcoming summer period. The new summer schedules will feature in the June 2012 edition of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, which is » Read more

By Bryan Pirolli in Paris— While walking down Avenue Montaigne in Paris and checking out the Chanel and Givenchy shops, I get self-conscious. This is why I rarely walk down that particular street. Fashion is a quintessential part of Parisian culture, whether we like it or not. Alas, if I’m not going to wear designer clothes in » Read more

By Regina W. Bryan in Barcelona— I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of sleeping in a dorm room unless there’s no other alternative. Those days of communal snoring are pretty much a thing of the past for me, and yet here I am, crushing on Ítaca Hostel in Barcelona. Of all the hostels » Read more

By Nina Derham in London— If your accommodation in London doesn’t include breakfast, then a hearty brunch can be a great way to set yourself up for a busy day of sightseeing. It also saves you from splashing the cash on two separate meals. As if that weren’t reason enough, it’s also darn tasty and » Read more

By Molly Hannon in Berlin— It is no exaggeration to say that bread is the staff of life in Germany, and although the recent organic health-food renaissance may make whole-grain bread seem like a recent phenomenon, it clearly is not. This wholesome, dense bread dates back to the time of the Gauls and Visigoths and has » Read more

By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam— Throughout history the Dutch have been known for being good at business. In Amsterdam, tolerance is essential for a lucrative economy. The cannabis industry is a perfect example: One quarter of all tourists in Amsterdam visit a coffeeshop during their visit. However, a new law making marijuana use off-limits to » Read more