Travel Updates and Insights

If you’re planning a trip to Europe in the next year or two, you’ll probably find increased options to travel by train between major cities. That’s because it’s much greener to travel by rail than by air. And so, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, Europe is reinvesting in high-speed rail travel — resulting in cheaper, more frequent train options competing with routes that have long been dominated by short-haul flights.

The European Commission (the policy-making arm of the European Union) is spearheading this initiative to make intra-European travel not only more sustainable, but also more seamless. Along with improving rail infrastructure throughout its member countries, the EU is hoping to launch a single, Europe-wide digital booking system. Once implemented, this will let you check timetables, book seats, and manage your tickets across Europe in one platform, instead of juggling multiple apps — SNCF in France, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, SJ in Sweden, SBB in Switzerland, and so on.

Rail travel already offers many perks over air travel. Rather than making the long and costly trip to and from airports in the distant outskirts — sitting in the back of a taxi during rush-hour gridlock or linking light rail lines together — you zip from city center to city center. Trains are also roomier, more scenic, and more relaxing than cramped airplanes. While rides are often longer than flights, high-speed trains (which can rocket through the countryside at nearly 200 miles per hour) make some formerly tedious trips surprisingly quick. Barcelona to Madrid was once an all-day journey…now it takes about as long as watching a movie.

And on longer routes, savvy travelers can consider a variety of overnight trains. Night trains are a great way not only to save money — one sleeper ticket is often cheaper than a plane ticket plus a night in a hotel — but also to save time. By falling asleep in one city and waking up in another, you’ve gained a day for sightseeing. (If you do go this route, be sure to read Rick’s tips for night trains.)

And your options — overnight and midday — are increasing. The appropriately named European Sleeper, dedicated to overnight train travel, just announced a new seasonal service from Brussels to Venice. Meanwhile, France’s SNCF and Italy’s Trenitalia are opening more trains between Paris and Milan (with seats available for as low as €29); Spain’s Renfe has announced new services between Barcelona and Toulouse, France; and in countries like Hungary, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, already high-speed rail continues to pick up speed. (To read more on this, check out the New York Times’ article on European rail travel.)

So as you plan your next European adventure, consider swapping out short flights for train rides. Your options are expanding, the prices are dropping, and — coming soon — the booking process is about to get easier than ever. Plus, by choosing train over plane, you’ll have a more relaxed journey…and leave less of a carbon footprint.

We’d like to hear from you! As a member of our merry band of travelers, please weigh in on this article by using the comments below. Meanwhile, many of these topics will also be covered on Rick Steves’ Europe’s various social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok — and we hope you’ll join the conversation there as well.

This February, we at Rick Steves’ Europe are mindful of the many important ways that our area of expertise — Europe — dovetails with Black history.

While most accounts of European history are (perhaps understandably) “Eurocentric” — focused on the established, white-dominated narrative — Europeans have been making recent strides to acknowledge the until-now-overlooked contributions of people of color. Many parts of Europe — especially Ireland and the United Kingdom — observe Black History Month in October; in the Netherlands, it’s called “Black Achievement Month.”

For much of Europe’s story, people of African descent appear on the margins of recorded history — often as servants, slaves, and entertainers — though many managed to become successful and well-respected. St. Maurice, a third-century Egyptian who commanded a Roman legion and was martyred for protecting fellow Christians, was a revered figure in the Middle Ages. And legends of King Arthur’s roundtable included a Black knight, Sir Morien.

Both names — Maurice and Morien — mean, roughly, “Moor-like.” In Europe, the term “Moor” was employed broadly to describe anyone from the African continent, whether Moorish or not. In our travels, antiquated depictions of “Moors” — which tend to be exaggerated caricatures, with very dark skin and red lips — can shock modern sensibilities, as we encounter them around the edges of famous squares, statues, and paintings.

For centuries — from the 1520s through the American Civil War — various European states (including Portugal, Great Britain, Spain, France, and the Netherlands) actively participated in the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, who were ripped from their homes, crowded onto ships, and transported in horrifying conditions to North America, where they were doomed to generations of suffering, exploitation, and disadvantage.

But Europe’s story also includes many people of color who made important contributions to society. Included in this lengthy list is Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870), the French novelist of African and Haitian descent who wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo; Juan de Pareja (1606–1670), a freed-slave-turned-student of the Spanish painter Diego Velásquez who gained acclaim as an artist in his own right; and Ignatius Sancho (1729–1780), born on a slave ship, who became a well-respected writer and composer in London, where he advanced the abolitionist cause. The Jamaican-born nurse and entrepreneur Mary Seacole (1805–1881) cared for injured British troops and founded successful businesses during the Crimean War; however, as is so often the case with Black narratives, Seacole’s story was overshadowed by her white peer, Florence Nightingale.

Europe has greatly benefitted from the contributions of many Black Americans, as well, especially in cosmopolitan hubs such as Paris and Berlin. When jazz — created by Black musicians in New Orleans — spread around the world in the 1920s and 1930s (the Jazz Age), these cities became European centers of the form, hosting performances by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. To this day, jazz is beloved throughout Europe. Also in the Roaring Twenties, the American-born dancer, singer, and actress Josephine Baker was the toast of Paris, a trendsetter in both in fashion and culture; she later worked with the French Resistance against Nazi rule during World War II.

Berlin has played host to several prominent Black Americans who made an impact on the city’s history. Olympian Jesse Owens humiliated Hitler’s white supremacist stance by dominating the 1936 Olympics. Martin Luther King, Jr. traveled to both West and East Berlin in 1964, preaching against the divisiveness of walls. Activist and philosopher Audre Lorde introduced notions of Black pride and feminism to German society as a visiting professor during the 1980s and 1990s. And in 2008, even before he’d been elected to the American presidency, Barack Obama enjoyed a rock-star reception when he spoke before more than 200,000 people at the Brandenburg Gate.

Like the United States, Europe continues to reckon with dated attitudes surrounding people of color. For instance, in 2004, the Viennese coffee company Julius Meinl redesigned its historic mascot, which had caricatured African features. In 2020, following the murder by police of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests that began in the US spread around the world; in Bristol, England, activists toppled a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it into the harbor. And in recent years, both the king and the prime minister of the Netherlands have formally apologized for their country’s role in the slave trade.

Here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we celebrate Black History Month as an important reminder to continue our ongoing mission of uncovering and incorporating Black stories in our guidebooks and other content — so that we can help introduce travelers to these powerful, often-overlooked narratives all year round.

Speaking of which…what are we missing? In the Comments, please share your thoughts on how Black history has helped shape Europe.

We’d like to hear from you! As a member of our merry band of travelers, please weigh in on this article by using the comments below. Meanwhile, many of these topics will also be covered on Rick Steves’ Europe’s various social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok — and we hope you’ll join the conversation there as well.

As Rick likes to say, there are two IQs for travelers: those who queue…and those who don’t. But this advice isn’t just for how to beat crowds at big-ticket attractions. New systems have streamlined the process of passport renewal and going through Immigration and Customs, and you can now save time both at the sight you’re heading to — and the airport you’re heading through. So as this year’s travel plans begin to take shape, here’s what to know…and a few tips.

First, renewing your passport is now as easy as online shopping. No more waiting at courthouses and DMVs: The US State Department has rolled out an online passport renewal program, where you can do it all from your couch — photo, payment, everything. Make sure you read all of the requirements (for example, you must still possess a passport that expires within a year or expired less than five years ago) and as always, plan ahead. While the renewal process is now easier and more convenient, it still takes six to eight weeks for your new passport to arrive.

Using your passport to cross borders also looks different, as automated checkpoints that use “e-gates” are becoming standard — especially at European airports. At Immigration, you’re now likely to be met by a machine that scans your passport, takes the worst possible photo of you, and then lets you through; sometimes, you’ll also follow up briefly with a (human) border guard.

When approaching these checkpoints, review the signs carefully: Some lanes are marked for EU passports only, while others are for all passports. So far, the e-gates at many airports are open only to Europeans, but a few also permit Americans. Noticing this can save you a long wait in line.

During this process, you might see signs that say “Biometric Passports Required” — but fear not: You probably have one. All U.S.-issued passports since 2007 are required to be biometric (also called e-passports), meaning they contain a protected chip that stores your information. This means stamps are becoming obsolete, and the pages of your passport will no longer be an inked scrapbook of your travels. Those still craving a stamp can try asking a border guard, but no promises.

Even with these improvements, reentering the United States can still be a pain. Long lines are common at any US Immigration checkpoint — but there are a couple of handy tricks to help reduce your wait time.

For frequent international travelers, Global Entry is a good investment. For a fee of $120 (which must be renewed every five years, and many major credit cards will reimburse), it registers you as a “trusted traveler,” meaning you just walk up to the dedicated machine, take your picture, and then meet briefly with a Customs agent. There is, naturally, a catch: In order to be approved, you must go through a background check and conduct an in-person interview with a TSA officer (normally at an airport). But after that hassle, you’ll enjoy expedited reentry at nearly all major US airports — and even a few international ones. (Here is the list of airports that accept Global Entry.) Better yet, Global Entry also includes TSA Precheck for domestic flights — saving you lots of time in TSA lines, anytime you fly within the US.

As an alternative to Global Entry, consider Mobile Passport Control (MPC) — an underappreciated app that can also save you time. It’s free and requires no background check or interview: Simply download the app and upload your passport information. Then, when your plane lands, answer a few basic questions about your trip. The app will generate a QR code, which is essentially your landing form. At passport control, just look for the MPC logo…and wave goodbye to the hundreds still standing in the old-school Immigration line.

Crossing a border will likely always involve some sort of waiting, but these technological upgrades are making the once-archaic process more efficient. And by taking advantage of these, travelers will find it’s becoming easier to get your passport…and to use it.

We’d like to hear from you! As a member of our merry band of travelers, please weigh in on this article by using the comments below. Meanwhile, many of these topics will also be covered on Rick Steves’ Europe’s various social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok — and we hope you’ll join the conversation there as well.

While “good travel” is perennial, the specifics of how to travel are always in flux. So what’s a traveler to do?

The Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Updates and Insights blog is here to provide clear, relevant information and advice on major European trends and developments — so you can make the most of your trip, while avoiding roadblocks along the way.

More than four decades ago, when Rick Steves’ Europe was just starting out, we zipped an entire trip’s budget (in the form of travelers’ checks) into our money belts, exchanged leftover coins at every border crossing, and collected passport stamps like souvenirs. We showed up to big museums without reservations and prebooked hotels by phone — if we prebooked hotels at all. A paper map was always tucked into our back pocket.

These days, we tap-to-pay on public transit and simply smile for the camera as we zip through border checkpoints. We book reservations online months in advance, ensuring entries to marquee sights and snagging our choice of the limited supply of good-value lodgings. The fear of getting lost has been resolved by the constant comfort of our smartphones. And on the list of travelers’ biggest concerns, overcrowding and extreme weather have replaced language barriers and expensive phone calls home.

And yet, the fundamentals of good travel remain much the same — and Europe is just as alluring as ever. So even though it’s now best to prebook admission to the Sagrada Família, marveling at the colorful, organically twirling genius of Gaudí’s masterpiece still raises goosebumps. The Venice “access fee” is a bureaucratic headache, but once you’ve reached the Grand Canal, it doesn’t reduce any of the “Am I really here?” wonder of floating under Rialto Bridge. And dragging escargots from their shells at a Parisian café still induces an “ooh la la,” even if you now pay for your snails with a tap of your phone instead of by leaving euros (or francs) on the table.

Yes, Europe is always changing. But only some of those changes are truly relevant to travelers — while others are “much ado about nothing.” This has led to an abundance of irrelevant “travel information,” which is more sensationalist rumor than useful advice. Our goal here is to cut through the noise and be a voice of reason, practicality, and fresh-from-the-rucksack guidance on how to navigate Europe today.

Our well-traveled staff, who clock as many days each year in Europe as anyone in the business, are constantly returning with updates, insights, and observations. On this blog, we’ll use that firsthand knowledge to carry on our mission of teaching good travel by helping you understand exactly how new developments will affect your trip…and how they won’t.

What’s the story on the new visa-waiver programs in the United Kingdom (ETA) and the European Union (ETIAS), both due to begin in 2025? When will Notre Dame Cathedral finally reopen after its devastating fire? And exactly how much do you have to pay to enter Venice on certain days next summer? You’ll find clear, practical answers here.

(And for detailed updates to our print guidebooks, don’t miss the guidebook updates for each.)

And we’d like to hear from you! As a member of our merry band of travelers, please weigh in with your own updates and observations by using the Comments for each article. Meanwhile, many of these topics will also be covered on Rick Steves’ Europe’s various social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok — and we hope you’ll join the conversation there as well.

Welcome to the Travel Updates and Insights blog! And stay tuned for the latest from Europe.