Guides

Palace of Versailles Guide 2026: Tickets, Timing and How to Cover the Estate

Which ticket covers what, the two days of the week to avoid, how to get there on the RER, and how to cross an 800-hectare estate without destroying your feet.

Paris Metro Guide 2026: Fares After the Reform, and Buying by Phone

The 2025 reform scrapped the old zone 1–5 pricing and made Paris fares much simpler. Every ticket type in one table, which one is worth buying, and what to do now that paper tickets are gone.

Musee d'Orsay Guide 2026: The Impressionists, Room by Artist

The world's densest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting, in a converted 1900 railway station. Which Van Goghs and Monets are here, ticket prices, and whether the Thursday late opening is worth staying out for.

Fontainebleau Guide 2026: The Quieter French Royal Palace

A hunting palace used from the 12th century through to Napoleon. What to see in the François I Gallery, Napoleon's apartments and the Chinese Museum, how to get there by train and bus, and how it compares with Versailles.

Arc de Triomphe Guide 2026: 284 Steps, Ticket Prices and the Champs-Élysées Walk

Is the climb worth it, who actually gets to use the lift, and how much cheaper is winter? Plus how to chain the Arc with the Champs-Élysées depending on whether you're shopping.

Orly Airport to City Center 2026: Metro 14 Direct, and the Cheap Way

Metro Line 14 reached Orly in June 2024 and it is now the obvious way in: 25 minutes, no changes. How it compares with the €2.55 tram route, when Orlyval still makes sense, and the flat taxi fares.

CDG Airport to City Center 2026: RER B, the €14 Ticket and Three Traps

Paris changed its airport fare in 2025: €14, digital only, and it cannot share a card with ordinary metro tickets. Which terminal has which station, how much the express train saves, flat taxi fares, and the three things that catch people out.

Paris Travel Guide 2026: How Many Days, Where to Stay, and Seven Half-Day Routes

How long you actually need in Paris, which arrondissements are worth staying in (and which to skip), and the city's sights broken into seven half-day routes you can mix and match.

Where to Stay in Paris 2026: Six Areas Worth Booking, and Four to Avoid

Paris has 20 arrondissements and only some of them make sense for visitors. Six areas compared on price, transport and atmosphere, plus the districts where you shouldn't book a hotel.

4 Days in Paris 2026: A Day-by-Day Route, Booking Deadlines and a Wet-Weather Plan for Each Day

Four days grouped by neighbourhood so you walk less and backtrack never. The three things you have to reserve before you fly, which days each museum closes, and an indoor alternative for every afternoon.

Notre-Dame de Paris 2026: Free Entry, Tower Climb Booking and What Changed After the Fire

The nave is free but the queue isn't — how to reserve a slot. The tower climb uses a completely separate booking system and sells out. Plus the treasury, the crypt, and what the restoration actually changed.

Montmartre Guide: A Half-Day Walking Route from the Wall of Love to Sacré-Cœur

Montmartre in the order that actually makes sense on foot: nine stops from the funicular to the Moulin Rouge, what's free, what's worth paying for, and the safety caveat nobody mentions.

Eiffel Tower Guide 2026: Ticket Types, Best Photo Spots and When to Go

Lift or stairs, second floor or summit, and what each costs. Plus the quietest hours, the four best places to photograph the tower, and the hotels with a tower view.

Louvre Museum Guide 2026: Skip-the-Line Tickets, Which Entrance to Use, and a 1.5-Hour Highlights Route

The best way to book Louvre tickets, which of the four entrances to pick, how to plan a 1.5-hour highlights route, and exactly where to find the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory.

Is Paris Safe? A Practical Guide to Pickpockets, Common Scams, and What to Do If You're Robbed

Which metro lines and sights see the most pickpocketing in Paris? How do you spot the common scams before they happen? And what's the actual process if you do get robbed? Here's the practical version.

Paris Museum Pass 2026: Is It Actually Worth It, and What Nobody Tells You About Booking

Does the pass get you straight through the door, or do you still need to book a slot? How to pick between the 2/4/6-day versions, whether it actually pays for itself, and a quick-reference table of opening hours for the major sights.

Italy Travel Guide: How to Plan a First Trip, City by City

How to string Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan together, where the Cinque Terre and Pisa fit in, which tickets sell out, and the practical things worth knowing before you go.

St Peter's Dome: Lift vs Stairs, and the Last 320 Steps

The lift stops at the terrace — the last 320 steps are on foot either way. What the two tickets really differ by, and where to book officially.

Vatican Museums Guide: How to See the Sistine Chapel Without Wasting Half Your Day in Line

Vatican Museums tickets, hours, the free admission day, audio guides, and the exact pieces in the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms you shouldn't skip.

Trevi Fountain Guide 2026: The €2 Ticket, and When to Go

Since February 2026 you pay €2 to step down to the water. The square itself is still free. Where to buy, the two Mondays-and-Fridays catch, who gets in free, coin-tossing rules and the fines list.

St Peter's Basilica: Free Entry, the Dome Climb, and Lift versus Stairs

The basilica is free but the security queue is long. What the €7 audio ticket buys you, whether to pay €5 more for the dome lift, and the dress code that gets people turned away.

The Pantheon, Rome: Tickets, Timing and Why the Dome Still Matters

Nearly two thousand years old, almost perfectly preserved, and still holding the record for the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built. €5, half an hour, and the anchor of any historic-centre walk.

Colosseum Guide: Tickets, Opening Hours and the Best Time to Visit

How the combined Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill ticket works, what it costs, when to go to avoid both the crowds and the heat, and the arch next door that most people walk straight past.

Castel Sant'Angelo Guide: Photograph It, or Pay to Go In?

For most visitors the value here is the outside — the bridge, the angels and the view back to St Peter's dome. Prices, free Sundays, and an honest answer on whether the interior is worth your time.

Borghese Gallery Guide: Book Early, and What Bernini Left Here

The one Rome ticket to buy the moment your dates are fixed: how the hourly timed entry actually works, why the last slot costs €5 less, what the cloakroom will make you leave behind, and the Bernini sculptures worth the trip.

Rome Hidden Gems: Free Viewpoints, Quiet Squares and Overlooked Ruins

For a second visit, or a first one that doesn't stop at the checklist: free terraces over the city, squares worth a detour, galleries with Caravaggios in them, ruins outside the centre, and the churches holding masterpieces for free.

Fiumicino Airport to City Center: Leonardo Express, Bus or Taxi

Four ways in from FCO compared on price, time and who each suits — and why the 32-minute Leonardo Express is the default answer for most arrivals.

Ciampino Airport to City Center: Getting In After a Budget Flight

Rome's smaller airport, used mostly by Ryanair and other low-cost carriers. The bus and taxi options compared, plus how Ciampino stacks up against Fiumicino when you're choosing flights.

Rome City Pass Guide: Is the Roma Pass Actually Worth It?

The 48- and 72-hour Roma Pass, what each includes, and the arithmetic that shows the margin has largely disappeared. Plus how the new digital card works and when to activate each half of it.

Piazza Navona Guide: Three Baroque Fountains, and Why to Come at Night

Rome's finest square, built on the footprint of a Roman stadium. What to look for in the Four Rivers, Moor and Neptune fountains, and why an evening visit beats walking through in daylight.

Rome Travel Guide: A Classic Three-Day Itinerary for the Eternal City

A three-day Rome itinerary that groups the sights by neighbourhood, which tickets genuinely need booking in advance, where to stay, and how to get in from both airports.

Getting Around Rome: Metro, Buses and Which Ticket to Buy

Two metro lines cover most of what you'll want to see. Ticket prices, where to actually buy them, which station serves which sight, and why the historic centre has no metro at all.

3 Days in Rome 2026: A Day-by-Day Plan, With the Bookings You Must Make First

Rome splits neatly into three days: ancient Rome, the Vatican, and the baroque centre. Which two tickets you have to reserve in advance, the dress code that gets people turned away, and the hours to avoid at each stop.

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill: What They Are and How to Walk Them

The other two sites on your Colosseum ticket, and the order to visit them in. What survives, what you're actually looking at, and why the hill is the right place to finish.

Where to Stay in Rome: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide

Termini Station, Spanish Steps, near the Vatican, or north of the Colosseum — here's what each area is actually like, and which hotels are worth booking in each.

Venice Travel Guide: Two Days on the Water, Plus the Islands

A two-day Venice plan covering the main island and Murano and Burano, whether to sleep on the island or on the mainland, and how the day-tripper access fee actually works.

St Mark's Basilica, Venice: Tickets, Dress Code and the Golden Mosaics

Over 8,000 square metres of gold mosaic, a half-hour visit, and a €10 ticket you should book ahead. What the dress code actually means and why no photography is allowed inside.

Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs: Is the €35 Ticket Worth It?

The seat of the Venetian Republic, its prison, and the bridge between them. What you get for €35, how to save €5 booking early, and when photographing it from outside is the better call.

Uffizi Gallery Guide: Tickets, the Early-Bird Slot and What Not to Miss

Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, plus Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian. Ticket prices with the booking fee included, ten masterpieces in the order you'll walk past them, and whether the 8:15 slot is worth the early start.

Florence Duomo Guide: Which Pass to Buy and How to Climb the Dome

The cathedral is free; everything else needs a pass. Three passes compared, timings for all five parts of the complex, and why the bell tower — not the dome — has the better view.

Florence Travel Guide: Two Days in the Birthplace of the Renaissance

How to fit the Duomo and the Uffizi into two days without burning out, which airport to fly into, where to stay, and the day trips worth adding on.

Milan Travel Guide: What to Do With One or Two Days, and How to Book The Last Supper

Milan works best as a short stop: one day in the city, one on Lake Como. Cathedral rooftop tickets, the three airports, where to stay, and why The Last Supper needs booking months ahead.

Milan Duomo Guide 2026: Nine Tickets, and Lift or Stairs

The Duomo sells nine different tickets from €10 to €36 and the rooftop is not included in the cathedral one. All of them in a table, the arithmetic on which combination actually saves money, lift versus stairs, the dress code and the free-entry hours.

The Last Supper Tickets 2026: How the Quarterly Release Works, and What to Do When It Sells Out

The hardest ticket in Europe to get. The exact months tickets are released, the Wednesday restock almost nobody writes about, the five-per-person annual cap, and the three routes left when the standard tickets have gone.

Sagrada Família Guide 2026: Official Prices, Whether the Towers Are Worth It, and When the Light Is Best

Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece, under construction since 1882. All four official ticket types in one table, whether the €10 tower supplement earns its money, and why the stained glass looks completely different in the morning and the afternoon.

Barcelona Travel Guide 2026: A Three-Day Plan and the Gaudí Tickets to Book First

Gaudí's city, day by day: the three tickets you have to reserve in advance, which one gets more expensive the longer you wait, where to stay, how to get in from the airport, and the one thing Barcelona genuinely requires you to watch out for.

Zermatt and the Matterhorn: Gornergrat or Glacier Paradise, and How to Choose

You can't climb the Matterhorn, so the real question is which viewpoint to pay for. Gornergrat and Glacier Paradise compared on price, altitude and what you actually see, plus how the car-free village works.

Vienna Travel Guide: Imperial Palaces, Classical Music and Coffee House Culture

The old Habsburg capital, planned properly: Schönbrunn versus the Hofburg, how to get cheap standing tickets at the State Opera, which coffee houses are worth it, plus transport and day trips.

UK Travel Guide 2026: The ETA, Train Ticket Pricing, and How to Route London Plus Beyond

Britain is not in Schengen, so the entry rules and the 90-day clock are entirely separate. The £20 ETA, why the same train can cost £25 or £90, whether a Railcard pays for itself, and how to build a 7, 10 or 14-day route.

Athens Travel Guide 2026: The Best Hour for the Acropolis, Ticket Prices, and Getting In from the Airport

Acropolis €30, Acropolis Museum €20, Ancient Agora €20 — Athens charges site by site. Opening hours, the hour that beats the crowds, transport fares, three ways in from the airport, plus Cape Sounion and Meteora.

Luggage Theft on European Trains 2026: AirTags, Locks, and Where to Put Your Bag

Large suitcases don't fit in the overhead rack, so they end up by the doors where you can't see them. When thieves actually strike, how to set up an AirTag, what a TSA lock does and doesn't prevent, and the three things to do if a bag goes missing.

Entering the Schengen Area in 2026: EES Biometrics, ETIAS Status and What Border Officers Ask

US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most other visa-exempt travellers don't need a Schengen visa — but since April 2026 you do get fingerprinted at the border. How the 90/180 rule works, how long EES queues really are, where ETIAS actually stands, and what to have ready.

What to Pack for Europe 2026: Plug Adapters, SIM Cards, and What to Leave at Home

Europe is not one plug standard — the UK and the continent are entirely incompatible. Adapters, charging kit, European SIMs and eSIMs, documents and insurance, clothes and shoes, plus the things that are pure dead weight.