Rail route of the month: the drama of an Alpine epic from Zurich to Graz

Toulouse lies between France's Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, not far from the Pyrenees mountains as well as a number of charming cities such as Bordeaux, Agen, Carcassonne and others. 

Amsterdam has dominated cannabis tourism for 40 years, but now it’s stepping back from this multibillion-dollar industry, creating opportunities for emerging marijuana destinations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. New rules in the Dutch city’s central tourist area limit alcohol sales, require bars to close earlier, and impose a €100 ($107) fine for public marijuana smoking.

For the first time, a nation is allowing travelers to cross its border with a digital passport on their smartphone instead of a physical passport. While the trial is happening in Finland, the European Union wants at least 80% of citizens in the 27-country bloc to be using a digital ID by 2030.

An airline's offer of child-free zones on flights promises "extra peace of mind." But while it may solve complaints of crying or noisy kids, the idea of an adult-only zone doesn't address some additional culprits of tense travel sagas.

Imagine blocks of ice floating past as you come face-to-face with an imposing blue-tinted glacial wall. A puffin’s zany flight path draws your eye, before you spot the distinctive white bulge of a beluga whale breaking the water.

After a summer of travel plagued by extreme heat, disruption and unpredictable weather, many of us are looking to holiday outside of the peak season.

The Dutch government will move ahead with plans to cap the number of flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport next year to reduce noise, it said on Friday, a decision that is fiercely opposed by flag carrier KLM and airline industry groups.

There are around 25,000 castles, palaces, and mansions in Germany, but there’s one that clearly stands out from the crowd: Neuschwanstein Castle. With its white facade and its graceful turrets, the 19th-century fairytale castle sits on top of a rock ledge over a gorge in the Bavarian Alps, dominating the landscape. Since 1886, a few weeks after the castle’s commissioner, Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, died, visitors have been able to visit the extravagant edifice that inspired Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Today, 1.4 million people come from just about every corner of the globe to see the castle — inside and out.

Mont-Saint-Michel, France’s most famous and mysterious island, is one of the country’s most visited sites with 3 million tourists coming every year to marvel at the islet and its 1000-year-old abbey. While the island isn’t large and can be visited in just one day, it’s busy, making the narrow cobblestone streets, the numerous steep stairs, and every corner of the abbey, difficult to navigate. To make the most out of a visit to the area, visitors should stay in a Mont-Saint-Michel hotel for a couple of days, walk the trails around the bay, take a guided tour of the bay itself, and come to the island very early or very late to see it at its best: tranquil and free of crowds. But there’s one rule of thumb about hotels near Mont-Saint-Michel: Closer does not mean better. Staying a few miles away may prevent you from waking up to a view of the islet, but you’ll get much more bang for your buck.

Is there a better month to feel a surge of travel spirit than September? As the summer holiday crush eases, Europe gets back to business and harvest time brings a bevy of the continent’s stellar produce to restaurant tables, from young wines to olives, Greek figs, British apples, Spanish almonds and so much more.

Summers in my hometown of Geneva, Switzerland used to bring sunny spells, but also long, rainy periods during which one wondered whether July had suddenly morphed into November. No longer. Climate change and its resulting heat waves have transformed the aquatic landscape, and more importantly the relationship between people and Lake Geneva (also known as Lake Léman). Along the quays, outdoor bars and cafes have sprung up, and on the water, sail boats, yachts, but also kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and even floating mattresses lend a new Mediterranean feel to this Alpine scenery.

The Budapest Marathon 2023 is the 8th edition of the global competition that allows City Sightseeing to share the passion of running and travel with three lucky winners, giving them the opportunity to experience some of the world’s most iconic destinations through marathons.