As Europe races towards climate neutrality, rail transport is set to play a pivotal role. Yet, the sector faces a persistent challenge: trains are too expensive, and delivery times are too long, Duurzaam Mobiel writes. At the recent Bundesverband SchienenNahverkehr (BSN) industry conference in Kassel in Hesse in Germany on 5 and 6 May 2026,…
BULGARIA | Burgas to host 2027 Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday 11 May, Thursday 13 May, and Saturday 15 May
Burgas, Bulgaria’s Black Sea city, will host the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2027, bringing the world’s biggest live music television event to the country’s coast for the first time. The 71st Eurovision Song Contest will be staged at Arena Burgas, with the three televised live shows scheduled for Tuesday 11 May, Thursday 13 May…
REVIEW | Miyajima Seaside Hotel
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and…
2026 | The state of LGBTI rights in Europe’s next generation of EU members
ILGA-Europe and the Equal Rights Association (ERA) have warned that anti-LGBTI legislation and democratic backsliding are becoming a defining feature of the European Union enlargement region, urging Brussels to use accession talks more forcefully to defend fundamental rights.
GERMANY | FlixTrain to launch Munich services from 2028 with new high-speed fleet
FlixTrain will begin serving Munich in Bavaria in Germany from 2028 with a new fleet of high-speed trains, marking the company’s return to its hometown.
COLORADO | Five days in Denver and Boulder
September 2025. After Oscar came to London in June 2024 and I joined him there for a day, I’m now going to his hometown of Denver in Colorado. My second trip to the United States in 2025, after visiting my uncle and aunt in Wilmington, North Carolina. No, Denver is is not on foreign tourists’…
10 AUGUST 1826 – 10 AUGUST 2026 | 200 years of ‘omnibus’ urban public transport
April 2026. Let’s go to France. My first idea was going on a midweek getaway to Le Mans in the Sarthe department, in the Pays de la Loire or Lands of the Loire region. But there were no tours available for the Circuit de la Sarthe. So instead I opted for Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique…
Antwerp Pride 2027 dates to be determined: 2 to 8 or 9 to 15 August
2026 marks the nineteenth (19th) edition of Antwerp Pride. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 August, Antwerp in Belgium will once again be taken over by rainbow vibes. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2026 edition, the organising committee focuses on fearing less and being fearless.
BRUSSELS | Model trains take over Train World for summer exhibition from 18 to 30 August 2026
Model railway enthusiasts can take a miniature journey this summer as Train World in Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek in Brussels hosts a temporary exhibition dedicated to model trains. From 18 to 30 August, the museum and Media & Rail will bring together model railway layouts and miniature trains in an exhibition aimed at both children and…
BALTIC STATES | A week for Tallinn in Estonia, Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania by train, exploring Rail Baltica
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…