Clips

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Planning a Train Trip in Europe? New Sleeper Trains and High-Speed Routes Await.

Also in the works: streamlined digital booking and Eurostar competition.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Sustainable Travel: Maximizing Visitors’ Positive Impact on Locals

Travelers are interested in how their presence affects the residents of the places they are visiting. The travel industry is responding.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Golf Carts, Loudspeakers, Lockboxes: Florence Says ‘No, Grazie’ to Tourism Headaches

The popular Tuscan destination is the most recent European city to consider measures aimed at making life in a tourism hot spot more bearable.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Zita Cobb Runs a $1,780-a-Night Inn on a Small Island. Is She the Most Radical Person in Travel?

The innkeeper at this luxury hotel on Newfoundland’s Fogo Island hopes other places might draw inspiration from an economic model in which tourism is in service to the community, and not the other way around.

Venice tourism

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Why You’ll Pay More and Behave Better When You Travel This Summer

From Barcelona to Bali, higher fees and new rules are targeting overtourism and unruly behavior. Some locals are worried the changes will keep tourists away.

The Mer de Glace glacier in the French Alps, by Darren S. Higgins

THE NEW YORK TIMES

It Just Got Easier to Visit a Vanishing Glacier. Is That a Good Thing?

“Last-chance tourists” are visiting the melting Mer de Glace in Chamonix, France, in droves. A just-opened lift should make that easier. But some worry tourism is only making the problem worse.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Will My Next Trip Be by Train Instead of Plane?

In Europe, Asia and the U.S., new and expanded train service is making rail a viable alternative to flying.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

In Europe, Trains Are Full, and More Are on the Way

Amid concerns about climate change, demand for rail service is strong, and both governments and private investors are trying to keep up. Even Eurostar may see competition on its London-Paris route.

Wildfires

THE NEW YORK TIMES

‘Unpredictability in the System,’ and Other Travel Lessons From the Summer of ’23

Climate change upheavals brought on a season of extremes for travelers in the U.S., Europe and beyond. One thing is clear: Travel is changing.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Planning to Visit Barcelona or Dubrovnik? It’s Going to Cost You.

Driven by the climate crisis, the post-pandemic surge in visitors and a growing interest in making tourism work for local communities, European cities are finding new ways to tax visitors.

Fatimah Al Zimam, a Saudi tour guide

THE NEW YORK TIMES

What It’s Like to be a Female Tour Guide in Saudi Arabia

Fatimah Al Zimam has introduced visitors from around the world to her country, which opened to nonreligious tourism in 2019. She discusses her favorite sites, driving a pickup truck and how her country is changing.

Iceland First Lady Eliza Reid, by Gudmundur Thor Karason

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Iceland Is a Magnet for Tourists. Its First Lady Has Some Advice for Them.

Eliza Reid, a former U.N. tourism ambassador and the wife of President Gudni Johannesson, welcomes her country’s many visitors, and has a few suggestions on safety, respect and how to meet locals.

Airplane in flight

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Could Air Someday Power Your Flight? Airlines Are Betting on It.

New technologies, including one fuel extracted from the atmosphere itself, could make flying more sustainable. But the challenges are many and the timeline is uncertain.

John De Fries, Hawaii Tourism Authority

THE NEW YORK TIMES

In Hawaii, the Search for Sustainable Tourism

John De Fries, the first native Hawaiian to lead the state’s tourism authority, discusses the delicate balance of tourism, culture and the environment — and why he got hooked on the TV show “The White Lotus.”

Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Stockholm Instead of Rome? October Instead of July? How Heat Waves Are Changing Tourism in Europe

Shifts in travel patterns are likely to become more common in Europe, a region that climate researchers describe as a “hot spot” for severe summer heat.

Nightjet train

THE NEW YORK TIMES

In Europe, It’s Planes vs. Trains. For Many Travelers, Rail Is the Way to Go.

Amid concerns about climate change, Europe is investing heavily in trains. The idea is to make rail more appealing, especially as an alternative to short-haul flights.

Paraglider

AFAR MAGAZINE

Soaring Through the Swiss Alps With a Champion Paraglider

Yael Margelisch holds two official world records in women’s paragliding—including the longest distance covered in a single flight.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Can Travel Be a Force for Peace? This Tour Leader Thinks So.

‘We tend to think of travel in terms of distance, but I think travel is really a lifestyle, a state of mind,’ says Aziz Abu Sarah of Mejdi Tours, which explores both sides of longstanding conflicts in places like Belfast and Jerusalem.

La Paz, Tomas Munita for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES

I’m a U.S. Citizen. Where in the World Can I Go?

For Americans eager to resume international travel, here are the countries that currently allow U.S. citizens to enter, though there may be restrictions, including vaccine requirements.

Valentine Fabre, photo by Ben Tibbetts

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Meet the Woman Who Helped Set a Speed Record on a Classic Alpine Ski Route

Valentine Fabre and her ski-mountaineering partner, Hillary Gerardi, took on the Haute Route, traversing 66 miles of glaciers and passes in less than 27 hours. The challenge? Finding confidence.

Rick Steves, by Matt Hulbert, City of Edmonds, Wash.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Rick Steves on the Return of Travel and Why It Matters

The travel writer and TV personality is back in Europe, planning itineraries for next year. Travel, he says, can help us understand the world. Here’s how he recommends doing it.

Tourists in Barcelona, Samuel Aranda for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Barcelona Takes on Airbnb

A new rule, the only one of its kind in a major European city, forbids short-term private-room rentals, adding fuel to the debate over how to control booming prepandemic tourism.

The Old Well on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, Lauren Vied Allen for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES

What to Do This Summer: Chapel Hill, N.C.

This progressive college enclave, along with neighboring Carrboro, offers everything from astronomy shows and fine art to sweet-potato biscuits and miso-glazed catfish.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

‘It’s Like Coming Home to Family’: Disneyland Paris Reopens

Hopes are high that the most popular theme park in Europe will kickstart a tourism recovery in France.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

A Country-by-Country Guide to Reopened Europe

Members of the European Union are welcoming Americans. But there are still rules and restrictions to abide by. Here’s how to navigate them and what to expect.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

‘We Cannot Wait Until June’: Greece’s Reopening Gamble

In easing its restrictions, the country, largely dependent on tourist dollars, has jumped ahead of a broader European Union plan to welcome visitors from outside the bloc.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

How to Travel More Sustainably

Don’t skimp on doing your own research, and be aware that ‘green’ certificates aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.

Empty canal boats in the center of Amsterdam. Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES

In Empty Amsterdam, Reconsidering Tourism

Before Covid-19, the city was packed with visitors. Now efforts to rein in the expected post-pandemic crowds are ramping up, but not without controversy.

France's Parc National des Ecrins, Getty Images

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Newest Challenge for Europe’s Parks: A Surge of New Nature Lovers

Lockdown-weary city dwellers across the continent are visiting parks and other protected areas for the first time, overwhelming staff and generating pleas for more support.

A scene near Akureyri, Iceland, Getty Images

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Iceland Tourism Prepares for a Comeback

The country hopes that when people book their first post-pandemic flights overseas, Iceland will be the top choice. It also aims to learn from the recent past, when tourist numbers soared.

Frankfurt airport, Dennis Gecaj on Unsplash

THE NEW YORK TIMES

What Americans Need to Know About Europe’s Travel Ban

The E.U. and other European countries will begin welcoming some nonessential travelers on July 1, but Americans will not be on the list, at least at first. Here, answers to travelers’ questions.

Hamburg, Germany, by Andreas Meichsner for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Europe’s Patchwork Reopening

As countries consider reviving tourism, the calculus is complicated, involving “travel bubbles,” ever-shifting timelines, virus testing and, in some cases, self-quarantines.

Field of Light at Sensorio, by Beth Coller for The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES

52 Places, Virtually

While you’re stuck at home waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted, we invite you on a virtual visit to each and every one of our Places to Go in 2020.

A paraglider above the Alps

HEMISPHERES

Take the Leap with the Inventor of Paragliding

Jean-Claude Bétemps stands a few feet away from me, hands on his hips, eyes searching the sky, like a sailor scanning the waves. A breeze lifts his hair as he considers the view.

The Seabourn Quest in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket, via Getty Images

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Tourism in Antarctica: Edging Toward the (Risky) Mainstream

Travel to one of the most remote parts of the planet is booming. What does that mean for the environment and visitor safety?

Visitors on Via dell' Abbondanza in Pompeii. The site is set to receive a record-breaking number of visitors this year.

NEW YORK TIMES

Can a Restored Pompeii be Saved from 'Clambering' Tourists?

Not long ago, the ancient Roman site was neglected and crumbling. A multiyear restoration is winding down, but challenges - high costs and troublesome visitor behavior - remain.

An aerial view of Bondo after the landslide.

OUTSIDE

The Bondo Landslide and the Future of Climate Disasters

Two years ago, a massive river of mud and granite swept over thousands of feet of alpine terrain, killing eight hikers before swamping the alpine village of Bondo, Switzerland.

The Refuge du Gouter on the slopes of Mont Blanc

NEW YORK TIMES

Overcrowded and more dangerous, Mont Blanc faces a crisis

Western Europe’s highest mountain, the number of inexperienced climbers is growing and climate change is taking a toll. Are new safety measures enough?