Europe for Visitors Blog

According to a report by Emily Sanders for The Co-operative Travel, 2.8 million residents of the UK will head abroad this bank-holiday weekend--mostly by jet from airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, and primarily to seaside resorts in the Mediterranean. 

If you're hoping to avoid jammed airports, stay away from the highways: An article in The Indepdendent claims that 52 percent of the UK's inhabitants are planning trips this weekend, with large numbers bound for British beach reports (notably the Isle of Wight, Blackpool, and Brighton) and others--especially young people--headed for music festivals in Reading, Leeds, and other venues.

Esure estimates that motorists will encounter average delays of 1 hour 24 minutes, and 12 percent of drivers could get stuck in traffic jams for three hours or longer.

Moral: Unless you like crowds, it's a good weekend to stay home.

Photo: Thomas Pullicino.

ABOVE: Düsseldorf International's Terminal C on a non-dancing day.

Düsseldorf International Airport, in cooperation with the North Rhine-Westphalia Dancing Association, will stage a free "Dance terminal, dance!" extravanza from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 5.

On a dance floor inside the airport, 15 couples will compete for the "Airport Arcades Grand Prize in Latin American Dancing." The jury of judges will be headed by Joachim Llambi of the TV Show Let's Dance.

Spectators can also attend workshops in Dirty Dancing, Salsa, Merengue, Disco Fox, Neotango, Bachata, and West Coast Swing. 

Other events will include a children's and teens' disco, demonstration performances by leading dance teams, and a presentation by Step Dance World Champion Bernd Paffrath.

Finally, Düsseldorf International will offer free behind-the-scenes airport tours on September 5. (No dancing shoes required.)

For more information in English, see the "Dance terminal, dance!" page at the airport's Web site.

About the airport: Düsseldorf International is the third-largest airport in Germany, with nonstop flights from a number of U.S. and Canadian cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, Toronto, San Francisco, Vancouver) along with flights to many airports in Europe.  

For more information about the airport in English, German, and Dutch, go to www.duesseldorf-international.de.

For advice on visiting the city of Düsseldorf and its surroundings, go to www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de.

Photo: Düsseldorf International/Andreas Wiese.

ABOVE: Don't make the mistake of standing in a long line at the Eiffel Tower: You'll save time and money when you skip the lift and take the steps instead.

We've just published an illustrated article at Paris for Visitors titled "Top 11 Tourist Mistakes in Paris (and how to avoid them)." The article, which is in the same vein as our earlier "Top 11 Tourist Mistakes in Venice" article, has pages titled: 

• Here today, gone tomorrow
• Arriving in high season
• Staying in the wrong arrondissement
• Commuting from the suburbs
• Lugging overloaded bags
• Sightseeing by the numbers
• Booking unnecessary tours
• Driving in Paris
• Overspending on local transport
• Being easy prey for pickpockets and purse-snatchers
• Saying "Adieu" instead of "Au revoir"

The article isn't just a list or slide show. Each page has practical advice and, in many cases, links to other resources at Paris for Visitors or elsewhere. 

If a trip to Paris is on your travel calendar, read our Top 11 Tourist Mistakes in Paris (and how to avoid them) before making your plans.