Virgin Trains has taken a major step towards challenging Eurostar‘s dominance of cross-Channel passenger rail services after the United Kingdom‘s rail regulator gave the green light to a track access agreement that could allow the company to launch international services in 2030.
Tag: Amsterdam
NMBS / SNCB’s centenary train visits Schaerbeek (29–30 August), Liège (12–13 September) and Antwerp (10–11 October)
NMBS / SNCB will mark its centenary with a unique travelling exhibition bringing together almost a century of Belgian railway history in a single 300-metre-long train. Featuring historic locomotives and carriages spanning from the 1930s to the latest generation of rolling stock, the exhibition will visit Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek in Brussels, Liège-Guillemins, and Antwerp-Central Railway…
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…
ANTWERP | Rhine and Danube drought brings surge in river cruise visits
Exceptionally low water levels on the Rhine and Danube are forcing river cruise operators to reroute their itineraries, turning Antwerp into an unexpected summer hotspot for river cruises.
ANTWERP PRIDE | Ype Driessen’s ‘Vanilla’ explores sex, friendship and breaking free from romantic expectations
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.
Switzerland breaks tourism records with nearly 44 million overnight stays in 2025
I turned 45 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam…
GoVolta unveils ambitious expansion with new services to Cologne, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, and high-speed trains to Paris
Dutch open-access operator GoVolta has announced its most ambitious expansion plans yet, notifying the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, ACM) of three new international routes while also seeking permission to carry domestic passengers on its Amsterdam to Berlin and Amsterdam to Paris services. Spoiler alert: notifying a government agency such…
Eurostar to launch direct, no-train-changing London to Antwerp services from December 2026
Eurostar will introduce direct services from London St Pancras International to Antwerp-Central Railway Station from 14 December 2026, eliminating the need for passengers travelling from the United Kingdom to change trains in Brussels-South.
Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal
Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians.
First Mechelen Canal Pride on Saturday 25 July
Mechelen will make Belgian LGBTQIA+ history on Saturday 25 July 2026 when it hosts the country’s first-ever Canal Pride. Inspired by Amsterdam‘s famous canal parade but on a much smaller scale, the event will see decorated boats and canoes travel along the city’s Binnendijle waterway in a celebration of diversity, visibility and inclusion.