Travel tips 2

Dec 13, 2011, 3:07 GMT

'Live on Ice' makes its debut in Lucerne

Lucerne, Switzerland (dpa) - Light artist Gerry Hofstetter presents Live on Ice in Lucerne for the first time this winter. The event runs until January 2, after opening December 1 with European figure skating champion Sarah Meier and Swiss ice-dancing couple Ramona Elsener and Florian Roost. Visitors can ice-skate for free and enjoy the panoramic views of the mountains and city.

Sprint opens up Dolomitenlauf cross-country racing event

Linz, Austria (dpa) - A 350-metre sprint in the Austrian city of Linz that takes in ramps, hills and steep turns marks the opening of the 38th Dolomitenlauf cross-country racing festival. The event, which runs between January 20 and 22, 2012, is the largest such cross-country event of its kind in Austria, attracting over 2,000 competitors from around 20 different countries.

Exhibition of Jewish culture in Amsterdam

Amsterdam (dpa) - The De Nieuwe Kerk and the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam are the locations for an exhibition about Judaism which opens on December 17 and runs until April 15. The exhibition, titled Judaism: A World of Stories has more than 500 objects from private and public collections on display and tells the story of 3,000 years of Jewish religion, culture, art and history. Exhibition pieces include a Dead Sea Scroll and two paintings from Marc Chagall, which are on loan from the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv. (www.nieuwekerk.nl)

New train service between Paris and Moscow

Paris (dpa) - A new train service between Paris and Moscow began operating December 12, offering a travel time of 38 hours and 30 minutes for the 3,177-kilometre distance between the two metropoles. The thrice-weekly service also takes in the German capital Berlin, according to Rail Europe Continentale. The service, which also operated for a period during the 1990s, will run five times a week between May 28 and October 7 of next year.

Travellers must ensure they are in possession of a transit visa for Belarus before travelling, although Rail Europe says it will look after this issue if tourists book via a travel agent. Second-class tickets for the entire route cost 336 euros (449 dollars) with first-class tickets costing 470 euros. A trip from Paris to Moscow in the luxury car, which includes its own bath, will set a tourist back 1,075 euros.

Trains leave Moscow at 8:51 in the morning and arrive in Paris the following evening at 8:31. Trains travelling in the opposite direction depart at 8:28 am, arriving in Moscow at 01:31 am two days later due to the time zone difference.