France and the Low Countries always have a wealth of art, history and taste treats to share with visitors. While you'll never experience it all (thank goodness), if you're up to date, you'll get the most out of your time.
In Chantilly, the recently renovated horse museum has a beautiful display of equine-related history and art. Museum entry includes a walk through the stables and a dressage demonstration daily in peak season. Horse lovers can pay extra for an equestrian show with riders in frilly outfits and horses prancing to music.
In Rouen, a new Joan of Arc Museum -- featuring various multimedia displays about the country's 15th-century heroine -- opens in February next to the cathedral, at the site of her trial and conviction. At the Airborne Museum in Normandy's Ste. Mere Eglise, a new third wing gives visitors a chance to virtually experience a paratrooper's D-Day night jump.
In the Dordogne region, the Grotte de Font-de-Gaume -- the famous cave with multicolored prehistoric paintings -- is getting harder to visit. Entry is by guided tour, and only 78 visitors are admitted per day. Of these, only 26 spots per day can be reserved in advance (fontdegaume@monuments-nationaux.fr). The remaining 52 tickets are sold on a same-day basis -- if you want to visit in summer, arrive at the crack of dawn to be first in line.
In Provence, the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh in Arles has moved into its newly restored permanent home, with exhibits on van Gogh and contemporary artwork that pays homage to the Dutch artist. A fun feature of the building is the kaleidoscopic glass rooftop sculpture by artist Raphael Hefti.
High above Chamonix in the French Alps, the "Step into the Void" glass-box viewpoint at the 12,600-foot-high summit of Aiguille du Midi will be closed for refurbishment until spring, but you'll still be able to see views of Mont Blanc. The lift down to the Italian side is closed, with three replacement stations scheduled to open this year.
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) this summer. 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 late this year). 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 2 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 partly 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.
Send email to Rick Steves at
rick@ricksteves.com
Travel on 01/18/2015