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…
Tag: France
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…
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…
Belgium among world’s top 4 in rankings by Henley Passport Index and Global Passport Index by Arton
Belgian passport holders continue to enjoy some of the world’s greatest travel freedom, although exactly where Belgium ranks depends on which international passport index is used.
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.
Brussels Airport closes first half of 2026 with 3.6% passenger growth despite Middle East / Strait of Hormuz conflict
Brussels Airport welcomed almost 11.7 million passengers during the first six months of 2026, despite industrial action and disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz. The airport also reported strong growth in cargo traffic, underlining its role as one of Europe‘s leading freight hubs.
France welcomes 102 million visitors and earns €77.5 billion from tourism in record-breaking 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…
Arriva expands Paris rail ambitions with extra The Hague to Belgium connections
Dutch rail operator Arriva has unveiled plans to significantly expand its international rail ambitions by adding direct services from The Hague and Amersfoort to Paris, complementing its previously announced Groningen to Paris route. The company is now targeting a launch in early 2028, although it acknowledges that the timeline remains uncertain.
EUROSTAR | From Brussels to London in Eurostar Plus (2026)
In 2024, I showed Oscar from Denver, Colorado the highlights of London. It was his first time in England. In contrast, Thanh and I have been to the capital of the United Kingdom many times. During the weekend of Pentecost 2026, we went together for a weekend of museums, food, and a concert.
France’s Intercités: a long-awaited renewal for the ‘forgotten’ rail network
For decades, France’s Trains d’Équilibre du Territoire – commercially branded as Intercités – have played second fiddle to the high-speed TGV and regional TER networks. These conventional long-distance services, encompassing both day and night trains, were established in 2011 to consolidate routes previously operated under brands like Corail Téoz, Lunéa, and Interregional.