It is that time of the year when Europeans just love to chill out on the beach. But not all of us head south for summer sun. Canny travelers in search of the best deals and the longest sunshine hours make for those parts of the Baltic which boast some of Europe’s best beaches. July » Read more

With many travelers surely now in full planning mode for summer 2011, let’s take a look at the winners and losers in the European battle for the tourist’s dollar (or euro). Greece Greece’s economic misfortunes led to a crash in confidence among the country’s hoteliers, and 2011 is shaping up to be a bargain year » Read more

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

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

Last month’s air travel mayhem across much of northern and central Europe prompted many travelers to rediscover long-distance bus travel. Networks such as those managed by Deutsche Touring and Eurolines suddenly found their services much in demand. Although in practice Eurolines’ routes are operated by more than 30 independent companies, the Eurolines web portal allows » Read more

Does Tallinn, Estonia hold the key? Photo by Elmada. Next Friday, January 16, I’ll be heading off to Paris for a week of hotel visits. Paris is always a joy, even in the midst of a cold January, and I’m looking forward to sleeping in three different (and yet unnamed!) hotels while spending my days » Read more