What's new in France and the Low Countries for 2015
In the Netherlands, paper tickets for domestic train travel are a thing of the past. Instead, the Dutch now use a transit smartcard on trains, buses, and trams all over the country. Most tourists will still be buying single train tickets, called "disposable" chip cards.
Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum will open a new glass-walled pavilion entrance onto Museum Square (Museumplein) in the summer of 2015. The museum is extending evening hours until 10 p.m. on Saturdays in July, August, and October, as well as staying open as usual on Friday nights from March through October.
The Amstelkring Museum (a once-hidden church, dating from the days when public Catholicism was prohibited) in Amsterdam's Red Light District is undergoing an extensive renovation (due to wrap up in late 2015). Nearby, the new Red Light Secrets Museum of Prostitution is mildly educational.
In The Hague, the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery has reopened after a lengthy renovation with greatly increased exhibition space. The collection of Dutch Golden Age art includes top-notch pieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Vermeer (his famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring" lives here).
In Belgium, Antwerp's new Red Star Line Museum fills the hall that processed many of the two million emigrants who passed through the city on their way to the New World. Ghent recently introduced its new City Market Hall, a social hub partially sheltered by a modern twin-gabled timber roof in the heart of town. And the new Bruges Beer Museum is an ode to beer's frothy history, including tastes from a rotating list of local drafts.
All these changes and improvements are a reminder that Europe is a place to feel welcomed and to learn. When visiting France and the Low Countries, travel smartly and find ways to connect with the culture -- you'll have a truly rich trip.
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Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.
(c)2015 RICK STEVES DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
