The weekend before Christmas 2024, Dennis and I went to Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia for the Weihnachtsmarkt, the Christmas market. Germany is a master in Christmas markets. And a successful excursion to Bonn in 2023 left us wanting a sequel. On our way to Germany on Friday night, we learned about the 2024 Magdeburg Christmas…
Tag: Milan
REVIEW | Trenitalia Intercity Notte in Superior (Excelsior) Class
March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the…
RAIL TOUR OF GERMANY | Avoiding delay-plagued ICEs in favour of regional trains
October 2024. During a week-long whistle-stop tour of Germany, we visit Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt, Weimar in Thuringia, Coburg in Upper Franconia (Bavaria) and Kassel in Hesse. Smaller cities, yes. But each with their own significance. Untouched by overtourism. We’re avoiding using the white trains of DB Fernverkehr, Deutsche Bahn‘s long-distance section and opt to use…
European Union plans high-speed rail push, but can it get past France?
As the European Union ramps up its ambitions for continent-wide high-speed rail (HSR), a widening gap is emerging between strategic vision and operational execution.
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) plan to launch a new high-speed link between London and Paris
FS Italiane Group, known through its brand Trenitalia, announces a plan to launch a new high-speed rail service connecting London and Paris by 2029. This was announced in a press release.
ITA Airways set to integrate Star Alliance in early 2026
ITA Airways has officially received approval to start the integration process into Star Alliance following a verdict by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB). Building on its induction into the Lufthansa Group earlier this year, this decision paves the way for its much anticipated entry into the world’s largest airline alliance. The onboarding process…
Dutch budget train GoVolta postponed after not getting funds
Dutch start-up train operator GoVolta will not be able to start train services this year after Rabobank decided against granting the new rail company a loan. The train paths (‘slots’ on the rails) allocated for GoVolta’s budget trains to Berlin in Germany, Copenhagen in Denmark and Basel in Switzerland have now been returned.
London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink aspire to to triple train services to France, Belgium and the Netherlands and add services to Germany and Switzerland
High-speed rail travel from London in the United Kingdom to mainland Europe is poised for a major expansion, with plans to introduce direct routes to Germany, Switzerland, and beyond. London St Pancras Highspeed (LSPH), the company overseeing St Pancras International and the high-speed rail link to Folkestone, has partnered with Getlink, the French operator of…
Back On Track Belgium not surprised inaugural European Sleeper from Brussels to Venice didn’t reach Italy
European Sleeper inaugurated its night train service from Brussels in Belgium to Venice in Italy, via the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, in the night from Wednesday 5 February to Thursday 6 February 2025. But the sleeper train never made it passed Innsbruck. “And this is unfortunately not a surprise”, Back On Track Belgium says in…
REVIEW | ‘Welkom Aan Boord’ ft. Brussels Airlines shows reality of an airline
Brussels Airlines, production company Geronimo Entertainment and television station VTM are very prod of ‘Welkom Aan Boord‘ (‘Welcome On Board‘), a new reality show where ground staff, cabin crew and pilots are followed during their duty hours and on layovers. From Sunday 9 February 2025, you can watch the show on VTM and its app,…