Brussels is a class above so many other European cities. While spots from Strasbourg to Stuttgart clutter their main squares with standard-issue Christmas markets, Brussels takes an altogether more sensible approach to Advent. Top-of-the-range stables The magnificent Grand Place, the showpiece piazza in the heart of the Belgian capital, hosts a dramatic seasonal centerpiece: a » Read more

London’s St Pancras station is the grandest terminus in a city that is full of wonderful railway stations. It is a place to linger. For 140 years, this spectacular station has been the jumping-off point for travelers bound for the East Midlands and Yorkshire. Wider horizons Four years ago this week, St Pancras found new » Read more

Last week, we looked at ferry services that make the short hop over the Strait of Dover, linking the English ports of Dover and Ramsgate with nearby France and Belgium. These are great options if you are based in southeast England, bound for the near-continent and do not fancy the prospect of a longer ferry » Read more

Barely 20 miles separate England from France across the Strait of Dover. And though the Channel Tunnel now takes a lot of traffic that might hitherto have gone by sea, there are still plenty of ships anxious to berth in Dover – which remains Europe’s busiest ferry port. This week, we’ll take a look at ferries » Read more

Yes, the weather may still be wintry in New York and Nice, but now is the time to start planning spring and summer 2011 travels around Europe. Many European railway administrations operate on a three-month advance booking horizon, so services on lots of French, German, Italian and Spanish trains (by way of example) are now » Read more

By C.H. Kwak— With plenty of Eurocrats flaunting their nontaxable income, Brussels can be a tricky place for Cheapos. But eating and shopping in Brussels don’t have to cost an arm and a leg (although they can, if that’s what you’re into). Let me give you a few splurge options–and their budget alternatives. Chocolate It’s » Read more

By C H Kwak— With plenty of Eurocrats flaunting their nontaxable income, Brussels can be a tricky place for Cheapos. But eating and shopping in Brussels don’t have to cost an arm and a leg (although they can, if that’s what you’re into). Let me give you a few splurge options–and their budget alternatives. Chocolate » Read more

By Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries— Europe has enjoyed or endured, depending on how you view these matters, a festival of rail strikes this past week or two. And yet, by and large, business and social life continues. The impact of rail strikes varies enormously from country to country. Nationwide standstill in Belgium When a » Read more

Breezing through a Paris train station this month, we realized how easy European rail travel has become. We sit at home, plan and pay for trips online, and even print out our own train tickets. How times have changed. A few years ago, we envied rail pass holders for the freedom that came with being » Read more