Featured Links

ABOVE: Two Eurostar trains at the Gare du Nord in Paris, France.

The archived links below are from the "Featured Links" section of our Europe for Visitors home page. They're listed in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.

For thousands of other links with descriptions, see our city guides, our many European travel articles, and the 200+ pages of links in our Europe Travel Planner.

Midsomer Murders Locations Index
Are you a fan of the long-running British TV and DVD movie series? If not, why not? And if so, you can plan a self-guided tour of Midsomer movie locations with this guide.

PutYourFlareOn
An American expat blogs about living in Paris, motherhood, and buying a café, L'OisiveThé, in the French capital's Asian district near the Place d'Italie.

Fright Nights
Britain's "Original Ghost Hunting Company" has evening tours, ghost festivals, haunted weekends, and even ghost-themed corporate events.

Pension Milou
How can you not like a canine pension famille on the Côte d'Azur where guests can share the owner's bedroom and the Web site has a quote that reads, "Dogs are our link to paradise"?

Vauban.de
In Freiburg, Germany, an old military site has been redeveloped as a "sustainable model district" with 5,000 residents, energy-efficient housing, and an emphasis on people instead of cars.

Tourist Remover
Are people blocking your photos of the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter's Basilica, or Westminster Abbey? Scrub 'em out with this online picture-editing tool from Snapmania.

Career in Norway
The booming Norwegian economy needs qualified foreign workers, and this Web site can help you find job postings in six major categories. The site also has information on living and working in Norway.

Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists
Tony Perrottet's book (originally published as Route 66 A.D.) is a lively, historically fascinating account of Grand Tours in the Classical Era, interpersed by reports on the author's modern-day experiences in the same locations.

Dialects of English
Before heading for the hinterlands in the UK (or to its former colonies), read Dr. C. George Boeree's discussion of regional pronunciations and slang.

HareFares.com
Looking for budget-airline routes in Europe? Pick your departure and destination countries, choose from the airports shown, and bingo! You'll get a list of low-cost carriers that connect the two cities.

GoBarging's Renaissance
The new, luxurious flagship of European Waterways Ltd. offers 6-night river and canal cruises in rural France, with pickup and dropoff in Paris.

SharonArts
Sharon Kivity, a British arts manager, offers cultural tours for opera and classical-music fans. This year's tours include the Festival de Ópera & Música Clássica in Ponte de Lima, Portugal and the Festival de Valloires in Picardy, France.

Eurostar's New Station: St. Pancras International
The London terminal for Eurostar's high-speed train service has moved, and travel times are now as short as 2 hrs 15 minutes to Paris and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels.

ChinaMusing
Kunming is a long way from Europe, but Jade Frank's blog about living in China is great background reading for anyone who's ever considered teaching English abroad. (Jade wrote our Amsterdam Dungeon article while living in the Netherlands.)

PintPrice.com
Looking for a cheap spot for your bachelor party, kegger, or hiccuping holiday? Use this database to see where beer prices are at their best.

European Boating Holidays
Pilot a self-drive boat in Ireland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, or Poland. Two brands, Locaboat and Cardinal, offer a choice between traditional comfort and five-star luxury.

Bayerische Staatsoper
The world-renowned Bavarian State Opera offers several hundred opera, ballet, and chamber-music performances each year. The Nationaltheater, the Staatsoper's main venue, offers public tours at 2 p.m. on most days, and the Munich Opera Festival takes place in summer.

Capital One
At a time when most U.S. credit-card companies are giving travelers the shaft with foreign-transaction surcharges, Capital One remains a refreshing exception. (And no, I'm not being paid to say this.)

Travel Website Owners
Looking for indepedent travel-planning sites by professional travel writers? TWO (see logo below) has a directory that you can search by region, country, or other topic.

The World Clock: Europe
See what time it is in European cities, or use the site's time zone converter.

Petite Anglaise
This blog by an Englishwoman in Paris is so popular that it spawned a six-figure book deal.

Easy Access Europe Tips
This page at Ricksteves.com has useful advice and links for disabled travelers.

Jungfrau Marathon
Forget running on city streets--in the Bernese Oberland's gruelling mountain marathon, runners huff and puff uphill from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg.

Bonn, Germany
The capital of the former Bundesrepublik is a lively cultural center, with fine museums and a month-long Beethovenfest in late August and September.

Sion Tourism
Switzerland's oldest city has hilltop castles, a new "sound and light" show, and easy access to French-speaking ski and summer resorts.

Flatseats.com
If you're lucky enough to travel business or first class, use this site to find the most comfortable seats on dozens of international airlines.

Project Alptransit Gotthard
Learn what's happening in the world's longest railroad tunnel, which will carry trains at up to 250 km/h when it opens for business in 2016.

Rome Reborn
Before visiting the Eternal City, see what it looked like at the height of its development in 320 A.D. The site's gallery includes still images and video clips of a computer-generated 3D model.

Pech Cujoul
Sharon Kivity of Sharonarts (which offers cultural and winetasting tours) recommends this "absolutely beautiful" gite, or rural holiday home, in the Lot region of France. 

The London Project
Read about "one city, seven million stories" at a Web site created by 60 journalists from 30 countries at City University London.

Fête de la Musique
One day a year, in late June, amateur and professional musicians turn into buskers all over France. (This slow-to-load site will open in a new browser window.)

The Train Chartering Company
Book a private train for your next family reunion or other group event "from anywhere to anywhere."

Couchsurfing.com
Crash with a stranger in any of 213 countries.

Ecofriendlytourist.com
This British site bills itself as "the user-friendly guide to green holidays" in the UK, with practical advice, links to tour operators, volunteer vacations, etc.

Phaeno
Germany's newest science museum is a sculpted building with 250 hands-on experimental stations for children and adults. It's next to the ICE train station in Wolfsburg, within walking distance of Volkswagen's Autostadt.

Schmetterlinghaus, Vienna
Commune with butterflies in Emperor Franz Josef's greenhouses, just 200 meters from the Vienna Opera. 

RFI Radio: Français Facile
Improve your French by hearing today's news on Internet radio. (Click "lire le script" to read text as you listen to the recorded 9:30 a.m. newscast.)

An American Dog in Paris
Read about the adventures of a Shetland Sheepdog and her owners, Tom and Maxine, during a two-month sojourn in the City of chiens.

i-Métro
Calculate point-to-point journeys on subways, trams, and buses in 200+ cities around the world, using the Web or your mobile phone.

Meet the Parisians at Work!
The Paris tourist office and Meeting the French offer low-cost guided visits to artists' workshops, designers' studios, chocolatiers, etc. You can even schedule behind-the-scene tours of theatres, racetracks, and the Paris Heliport.

Digital Photography Review
Before buying your next camera, read the in-depth reviews and news from Phil Askey and his staff. (DPreview.com has been online since 1998.)

LifeStraw.com
For a token sum per year, your charitable organization can protect a resident of a third-world country against waterborne diseases. The secret: a "personal water purification tool" that works like a drinking straw. (In the UK, see Rotary FiltaStraw.)

Gallery of Guidebooks
Read these mini-reviews from the San Francisco Chronicle before shopping for a guidebook series.

HiddenTrails.com
Two horsewomen told me about this company, whose outdoor vacations include equestrian tours. (When I met the women, they were on their way home from an "intensive" riding tour of mountains and beaches in Catalonia.)

La Charterie
This B&B in St-Aubin de Scellon, Normandy is highly recommended by a Canadian couple. (See their comments.)

Vermeer Art Tours in Amsterdam
Dr. Kees Kaldenbach, an art historian who specializes in Vermeer, offers 2½-hour tours that combine a lecture at his home with a guided tour through the Vermeer collection at the Rijksmuseum.

Travelinsider.com
Michael McColl's Web site was mostly in beta the last time I checked, but his e-mail newsletter about air travel is a "must read" for frequent flyers.

Johnny Jet
The peripatetic Mr. Jet offers travel tips, links, and a blog about his adventures around the world. (If you're lucky, you may run into him during your own travels.)

Map Scarves
Wear a silk map of London, Paris, Venice, or any of  half a dozen other European and U.S. cities around your neck--or, if you're male, turn your wife or sweetheart into a cartographic cutie.

Dogs Away
If you're planning to take a pet from Britain to Continental Europe, the humans at Dogs Away can help you cope with requirements of the PETS travel scheme.

The Euro: Our Currency
The EU's official Web site for the euro has pictures of banknotes and coins.

The Tent (Munich)
Stay in the big tent or bring your own shelter from late May until the end of Oktoberfest. The 33-year-old nonprofit Kapuzinerhölzl campground has brand-new toilets, hot showers, and a self-service laundry.

Kling Tut Vest
On your next long-distance flight, sleep like a mummy with your arms above your tummy.

European Beer Guide
Ron Pattison's directory is loaded with information about breweries and pubs, but turn on your pop-up blocker before you visit.

Swiss Railroad Station Check-In
Get your airline boarding pass and send your luggage ahead to the airport at more than 50 Swiss railroad stations. Or check your baggage through from your foreign departure airport to a Swiss railroad station with the Fly-Rail Baggage service.

Il Bragozzo
Tour the Venetian Lagoon in a replica of the traditional sailboats used by Adriatic fishermen and traders.

Spitsbergen Travel
Head north to Svalbard, Norway for Arctic expedition cruises, kayak trips, glacier treks, snowmobile adventures, and guides who'll protect you from polar bears.

Airlinemeals.net
High-altitude diners record their encounters with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks on routes around the world.

Seat Guru
Find seat maps (with comments on good and bad seats) for airlines and airplanes around the world.

ViaMichelin
Plan your European motoring itineraries with the Michelin Man's map site.

The Corries
See and hear the Corries perform their unofficial Scottish national anthem, "The Flower of Scotland" (a crowd favorite at Hampden, Scotland's national football stadium).

Sunrise and Sunset Calculator
Enter a location and date to determine sunrise, sunset, and twilight times for the city you'll be visiting.

Nando's Chicken Restaurants
"The home of Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri chicken" has scores of restaurants in England, Scotland, and Wales. (My wife and I recently dined at London's Victoria branch, where the food and staff teamwork were first-rate.)

Ionad Foghlama Chléire
Bring 4 to 14 friends, and Cape Clear Island Language Services will teach you Irish (a.k.a. Gaelic) on an island off Ireland's southwest coast.

Bringing Pets to the UK
Before bringing a dog, cat, or ferret to Britain, learn whether your animal can avoid quarantine with the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).

Slovenian Tourist Board
The Mediterranean meets Central Europe in a country with a long history and a lovely landscape. Ljubljana is Slovenia's capital.

The Art of Loving Switzerland
Anne Stockwell of The Advocate describes an Alpine art and architectural tour. Also see her article on Stress-Free Switzerland.

Nôtre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Learn about the building, check the mass and concert schedule, and climb the cathedral towers.

Kropla.com
Steve Kropla has everything you need to know about international phone-dialing codes, electrical voltages and plugs, and more.

Avalon House Hostel, Dublin
Our 19-year-old son recommends this hip hostel in a converted Victorian medical school. You can rent guitars and Irish drums at the reception desk.

Ramones Museum Berlin
Join a "rollercoaster ride through 22 years of fun, punk, bubblegum and trauma" at the world's first museum of Ramones memorabilia.

Meeting the French
Laurence Monclard and her colleagues offer dinners in Parisian homes, along with tours of gourmet shops, patisseries, and artisans' workshops.

Murphy's
Guinness may be good for you, but the people of Cork, Ireland claim that Murphy's Irish Stout is even better.

Rivella
In Switzerland, one of the top-selling soft drinks is made with milk serum

Kebab Mahal
Looking for a good but cheap meal in Edinburgh? Try this friendly little restaurant on Nicolson Square, between the Festival Theatre and the Central Mosque.

PPS: Great Public Spaces
The Project for Public Places describes "great public spaces, great community places" throughout the world--along with user nominees for its "Hall of Shame."

Best of the Alps
A dozen of Europe's top mountain resorts offer time-tested summer and winter pleasures for English-speaking travelers.

American Red Cross
Donate your money or time to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

O'Brien Animal Transportation & Services
When your dog, cat, or elephant goes flyin', leave the paperwork and other details to O'Brien.

Sirens Resort for People with Disabilities
This resort in Skaloma, 1½ hours from Athens, offers five accessible apartments, a beach with a sea ramp, physiotherapy, and more.

SwissWorld
This information portal to all things Swiss is from Presence Switzerland, an official body that promotes Switzerland abroad.

Czech Tourism
To paraphrase Horace Greeley, "Go east, young man" (or young woman) to the Czech Republic in the heart of Central Europe.

SouthWestWalks Ireland
Linda Woods and John Ahern offer guided and do-it-yourself walking itineraries throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. (Personally recommmended.)

Railfaneurope.net
View the photo galleries, browse European rail links, and learn about some of Europe's fastest trains.

Spirit of Paris
Michel Colson offers more than 100 stunning photos that range from scenic panoramas to lifestyle shots. (One of my favorites is a blur of bicycles from the Tour de France.)

OurUptown.com
This site isn't about Europe, but it's produced by our son, which is good enough for us. (OurUptown.com is a resource guide for the neighborhood of Uptown Minneapolis.)

Weatherbase.com
Look up high and low temperatures, rainfall, and other monthly averages for more than 16,000 cities around the world.

Zürich Street Parade
Up to half a million fans dance to techno and house music in Zürich, Switzerland each August. Learn how you can join the party.

Schnellbahn Wien
Thomas Kohlwein's comprehensive guide to Vienna's metropolitan railway network includes basic information for English-speaking visitors.

Cadbury World
A family-oriented chocolate theme park and factory tour in Bourneville, England, just south of Birmingham. Admission isn't cheap, but free chocolate bars are handed out during the tour.

ParisSkyPictures.com
Click the arrondissement numbers or use the menu windows to view aerial photos of Paris and other locations by professional pilot Jean-Louis Schmidt.

Paris Promenades
This "visual journal" focuses on the city's history. Click on the aerial  arrondissement photos for virtual tours.

Map24.com
Plan routes and view static or interactive maps with Europe's most technologically advanced map portal.

Americans in France
Jeff Steiner has articles and links for expats and visitors, including firsthand reports on his own experience as an American in France.

VisitOrkney
Neolithic sites, scenic hikes, birds, and the world's northernmost whisky distillery are just a few reasons to visit this archipelago of 70 islands off Scotland's northern coast.

Historic Highlights of Germany
Get tourist information on 13 German cities of "special charm, architectural brilliance, and historic character."

Discover Spas: Spas in Europe
Julie Register's worldwide Spa Register lists "day and stay spas" in nearly two dozen European countries.

BikeToursDirect
This American company offers escorted and self-guided bike tours from local operators, at local prices, in 27 European countries.

ViaMichelin
Use the "Driving Directions" form to plan your trip, or request an online map from the ViaMichelin database.

Eolo
Cruise the Venetian Lagoon aboard one of the few remaining bragozzo sailboats in Venice.

Busking Tips
Guitarist-vocalist Jesse Gersenson offers tips on singing or strumming for your supper in Europe and other parts of the world. (He also welcomes contributions to his Busking World Report.)

DoggiePubs
"Find out where you and your best friend are welcome" in Britain. From our collection of featured links.

Hotel Amenities: What You Can Take Home
Jana Jones of Sleeping-Around.com explains what hoteliers want you to take--and what they expect you to leave behind.

Tsunami Relief
Google has links to organizations that are accepting donations and channeling relief to countries that were devasted by tidal waves on December 26.

Passport Newsletter
The original "insider's newsletter" for luxury travelers has been dispensing reviews and tips to subscribers since 1965.

Aude Chambre d'Hôtes
This B&B was built in 1923 as the mansion of an industrialist. It's in Espéraza, a former hatmaking center (and home of a dinosaur museum) in the South of France.