The Paris to Venice overnight train will now leave from Gare de Lyon, above. Photo:
Hellebardius
November 30, 2011
hiddeneurope
Europe’s new rail schedules come into effect on Sunday December 11, 2011. And these new schedules will, for the most part, apply through December 2012. The latest monthly edition (dated December 2011) of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable has just landed on our desks, and we’ve been taking a peek at what rail travelers » Read more
Posted in Belarus, Budapest, Copenhagen, Denmark, France, hidden europe, Madrid, News, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Train, transportation
October 26, 2011
hiddeneurope
It’s that time of year when we are apt to meddle with time. Most European countries adopt daylight saving time (DST). All those that do favor seasonal DST will thus set their clocks back by an hour early next Sunday morning, October 30. This means that overnight trains in Europe next Saturday night will pause » Read more
Posted in Belarus, Europe, Events, hidden europe, Iceland, Local Customs, Media, Practical Info, Russia, Trip Planning, Ukraine
September 13, 2011
hiddeneurope
Anyone for Kalmykia? It is a republic that lies in eastern Europe between the Volga and the Manych River. Kalmykia is in the premier league of offbeat destinations in Europe. It is even less visited by leisure travelers than Ruthenia, Lusatia or Moldova. If you like feather grass steppes and wide open spaces, then Kalmykia » Read more
June 1, 2011
hiddeneurope
The June issue of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable is something of a publishing milestone, being the 1,500th edition since the book was first published in 1873. Ideal reading, we would say, for canny Cheapos looking to plan complex itineraries around Europe by train this summer. The book lists train, bus and ferry schedules » Read more
Posted in Amsterdam, Berlin, Edinburgh, Europe, Finland, Germany, Helsinki, hidden europe, Latvia, London, Norway, Riga, Russia, Scotland, St. Petersburg, Train, transportation, Trip Planning, United Kingdom
May 25, 2011
hiddeneurope
The new high-speed rail service linking Helsinki with St. Petersburg, just launched last December, has been an immediate success, with passenger numbers in the first four months of 2011 up over a third on the same period in 2010. With the journey time slashed to 3 hours 36 minutes, it is no surprise that cross-border » Read more
March 9, 2011
hiddeneurope
Europe’s ferry schedules are famously fluid, and it’s often devilishly hard to keep pace with new route developments. Here is our choice of a quartet of interesting ferry options for spring and summer 2011. 1. St. Peter Line to Russia The news last week that over 60 ships were trapped in thick ice in the » Read more
Posted in Alternative Transportation, Estonia, France, hidden europe, Ireland, Malta, Russia, Scotland, Spain, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, transportation, Trip Planning, United Kingdom
February 16, 2011
hiddeneurope
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
Posted in Amsterdam, Belarus, Belgium, Brussels, Budget Deals, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, hidden europe, London, Paris, Practical Info, Russia, Train, transportation, Trip Planning, Ukraine
August 18, 2010
hiddeneurope
We had a friend from Russia staying over the weekend. “It’s so nice to be back in Europe again,” he said as we met him from the train in Berlin after his overnight journey from Kaliningrad. His comment made us ponder European geography. Kaliningrad is just 330 miles from Berlin and it is most certainly not » Read more
August 11, 2010
hiddeneurope
If an article in last week’s Financial Times is to be believed then the end is nigh. Not of all life as we know it. The FT merely predicts that the days of the guidebook are numbered, as ever more travellers switch to online sources to get key information on destinations. The newspaper noted that » Read more
March 31, 2010
hiddeneurope
It was 25 years ago this spring that Athens assumed the mantle of being Europe’s first ever “Capital of Culture,” and so kick-started a program that has developed into a mainstay of the European culture and travel calendar. Since then, cities from Bruges to Bologna, Stockholm to Sibiu, have basked in the limelight for a » Read more