On Thursday 11 December 2025, six months after opening and one month after closing on 11 January 2026, I travelled to Paris in France for the ‘Le mystère Cléopâtre‘ or ‘The Cleopatra Mystery‘ exhibition at the Institut du monde arabe (Institute of the Arab World). An excuse to visit the Light City, even if it…
Tag: Austria
FLIXTRAIN | New Talgo high-speed fleet confined to Germany, European ambitions dropped
Seven months after heralding “a new era of train travel in Germany and Europe“, FlixTrain has reversed course. The company has confirmed that its €2.4 billion order of 65 new high-speed trains will now be deployed exclusively within Germany, abandoning earlier plans to use the fleet for international services. The German privateer announced its plans…
Brussels shows strong tourism stats as it’s the leading city in the world for international meetings
Brussels in Belgium is the leading city in the world for international meetings organised by international organisations. This is confirmed by the annual UIA ranking published late June 2025. The Brussels-Capital Region maintains its top position, and this excellent result reinforces the record-breaking tourism figures for our capital.
Belgium 16th safest country in 2025
Belgium has been ranked among the world’s 20 safest countries for 2025, according to the latest edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI). The country placed 16th overall, achieving a score of 1.492 out of 5, where lower scores indicate higher levels of peace.
GRINDR UNWRAPPED 2025 | Belgium and the Netherlands still love twinks, Taipei’s popularity rises
December is the time of the year for lists and recaps and gay dating hookup app Grindr again did just that. It tells us some semi interesting facts about typical or not queer destinations we (don’t) go to. Why am I looking at ‘Grindr Unwrapped 2025‘ for Trip By Trip? While Danny is not a…
Leo Express now links Germany to Poland / Ukraine and ÖBB links Vienna to Trieste
Two major developments in European rail underline how international long-distance services are expanding both through new open-access routes and major infrastructure upgrades. Private operator Leo Express from Czechia is preparing its first move into the German passenger market with a trans-European service from Frankfurt to the Polish–Ukrainian border, while Austria’s ÖBB has launched a dramatically…
Leo Express files plans for extraordinary 2026 Bratislava–Ostend and Venice–Northern Germany services
Leo Express has formally notified Schienen-Control in Austria of its intention to launch two unusual new open-access rail services: a year-round Bratislava–Ostend line from December 2026, and a seasonal Venice–Heringsdorf / Kiel service beginning in summer 2026. The filings, submitted on 11 December 2025, appear in the Austrian regulator’s register of planned new commercial rail…
European Sleeper to launch Amsterdam and Brussels to Milan night train service, delays Barcelona plans
European Sleeper, the Belgian–Dutch cooperative behind several recent night train initiatives, will launch a new three-times-weekly night train linking Amsterdam Central and Brussels-South with Milan from 18 June 2026. This marks the company’s second new international night-train route for next year, following the previously announced Paris–Brussels–Berlin service that begins at the end of March 2026.
Leo Express and Arenaways plan direct train between Prague and Venice
The Czech railway company Leo Express, in cooperation with the Italian carrier Arenaways, is planning a new direct rail connection between Prague in Czechia and Venice in Italy.
Trenitalia eyes expansion into Germany’s high-speed trains market
The Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), better known under its brand name Trenitalia, is considering a major expansion into Germany’s long-distance rail network with a fleet of around 50 high-speed trains, a move that could introduce the first large-scale competition for Deutsche Bahn on its home market.