Guidebook Updates for ‘Rick Steves Scandinavian & Northern European Cruise Ports’

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• The Carlsberg Brewery has reopened as the Home of Carlsberg, with triple the exhibit space — which now includes a visit with the brewer horses, bottle collection, restaurant, and of course, beer. Guided tours of the old cellars (about 40 minutes) and beer tastings (about 30 minutes, includes taste of three beers) are both always in English and cost extra.
• As the Copenhagen Metro has completed its expansion project, it's once again the best way to get around town (it's generally better than the bus). Public transportation tickets and passes are now best purchased through the Copenhagen DOT app or at ticket machines in train and Metro stations.
• Københavens Cyklebørs has closed, and Copenhagen Bicycles no longer rents bikes to individuals (just hotels). Meanwhile, the Bycyklen public bike-rental program has folded. (Fortunately, the recommended Cykelbasen is still in business.)
• Stromma no longer does a hop-on, hop-off boat, but they now have a combo-ticket with the hop-on, hop-off bus (or Tivoli).
• Netto-Bådene boats no longer stop at the Langebro bridge near Danhostel or from near Christiansborg Palace. Stromma boats also no longer stop near the Lanegbro bridge, nor in Christianshavn.
• The Copenhagen Card now includes all Netto-Bådene cruises as well as Stromma tours that depart from Ved Stranden (near Gammel Strand).
• Red Badge Guides' walking tour is now offered only on Fridays and Saturdays in the season (May–Sept), and only cash is accepted as payment.
• Hans Christian Andersen tours led by Richard Karpen are also cash-only.
• Copenhagen History tours now run only in July and August.
• Tours of Christiania led by residents now leave from near the main entrance (look for the Rundviser sign) and are cash only.
• We now recommend booking reservations for visiting Rosenborg Castle, where lines are often long. Even those with a Copenhagen Card need to book a timed-entry ticket. The castle is now open daily 10:00–17:00 in season, and Tue–Sun 10:00–16:00 in Nov–April (closed Mon in the off-season).
• Except for mid-week (Tue–Thu) visits outside the summer season, advance tickets are now required for the tower climb at Our Savior's Church.
• The National Museum no longer stays open until 20:00 on Thursdays. They now offer free one-hour tours in English on weekends from mid-August through October (reservations required).
• English tours of the National Museum's Victorian Apartment are now offered on weekends between late June and early August at 12:30.
• The Museum of Copenhagen and Thorvaldsen's Museum now offer a combo-ticket (good once per museum for 48 hours).
• Thorvaldsen's Museum is no longer open until 21:00 on Thursdays.
• Hotel Jørgensen has closed.
• Several recommended restaurants have closed: RizRaz Vegetatian (Kompagnistræde location), Café Norden, Royal Smushi Café, Spicy Kitchen, BioMio, and Bøf & Ost.

For books printed before July 2021, the following may also apply:

• Shuttle buses from the Oslo ferry terminal to the city are now marked Banegård or Nørreport. The Banegård bus drops you at Banegårdspladsen — in front of the main train station, near Tivoli, recommended hotels, and the start of Rick's "Copenhagen City Walk."
• Because of changes to the bus system, buses #14, #1A and #6A are no longer useful to most visitors.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• The Stockholm Pass has been replaced by the "Go City Pass," which has similar but not identical offerings (most notably it doesn't cover the Royal Palace or have a transit-covering option). Purchase the pass on the Go City app, then present the pass on your phone at each sight it covers.
• Visit Stockholm, the downtown city-run information office, has closed.
• The most efficient way to buy tickets for public transit (subway, tram, and bus) is now via the SL-Stockholm app, where it's easiest to pay with a credit card linked to your mobile wallet. Single-ride tickets can also be purchased by tapping a contactless credit card at subway turnstiles and bus/tram scanners, but drivers no longer sell tickets on board, and most T-bana stations no longer have ticket machines.
• The Nobel Museum now stays open late (until 21:00) on Fridays, but otherwise now closes at 19:00.
• The Royal Armory, National Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and Swedish History Museum — all of which used to be free to enter — now each charge 150 SEK (about $14).
• Restaurang Volt in Östermalm has closed.

For books printed before July 2021, the following may also apply:

• Kaknäs Tower has closed to the public.
• To reach Thielska Galleriet from Odenplan, take bus #67 (not #69).
• Stockholm no longer has a City Bikes program.
• Sushi Yama Express at Nybrogatan 18 has closed.

• As of spring 2025, the Mannerheim Museum remains closed for renovation.
• Finlandia Hall has reopened.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may also apply:

• Helsinki's tourist information office has moved to a new location on Senate Square (Mon–Fri 9:30–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00, shorter weekend hours off-season, Aleksanterinkatu 24 — at the corner with Sofiankatu street, +358 9 3101 3300). All other tourism office locations, including at the airport, have closed.
• Tickets for trams and buses are now only be available via contactless payment, not cash. (Helsinki is now essentially cash-less across the board.)
• The National Museum of Finland is closed for renovations, likely until spring 2027.
• Uber now operates in Helsinki and is generally a better option than taxis, as their cars are cheaper and more plentiful than taxis.
• The Lutheran Cathedral, previously free, now charges admission in summer (June–Aug).
• In summer Kamppi Chapel also now charges visitors (€5).
• Kulttuurisauna now requires advance reservations.
• Stromma's Helsinki Panorama bus tour now only runs in winter. City Sightseeing's 1.5-hour hop-on, hop-off bus tour is the only bus tour running in summer.

For books printed before July 2021, the following may also apply:

• Because of route changes, the Helsinki Tram Tour, which features a loop through Helsinki on public trams #2 and #3, now requires a transfer at the Auroran Sairaala stop (which is several stops past the original transfer point of Töölön halli).
• Hotel Torni, home to the Ateljée Bar, with excellent city views, has reopened.
• Academica Summer Hostel has closed.
• Linda Line has ceased ferry service between Helsinki and Tallinn.

• At the risk of stating the obvious, we strongly recommend against visiting Russia any time in the foreseeable future, as does the US State Department.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• Both the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom and the Museum of Estonian History are now closed on Mondays (year-round).

For books printed before July 2021, the following may also apply:

• Tickets for Tallinn's public transportation are now available as QR tickets for use on a mobile phone (€1.50 for any ride up to 1 hour, can purchase up to 10 rides per ticket, shareable with other riders, purchase at tallinn.pilet.ee or with the mobile app Pilet.ee).
• Linda Line has ceased ferry service between Helsinki and Tallinn.
• The Museum of Occupations is now the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom. The museum has been upgraded and expanded to include a new permanent exhibit exploring Estonia's occupations, resistance, and rise to freedom. The former audioguide has been replaced with an "etour guide" mobile device that brings the displays to life.
• The KGB Prison Cells in Tallinn's former KGB headquarters are now open to the public, with a small exhibit presented, in part, in English.
• Baltic Hotel Imperial has closed.
• Rixwell Old Town Hotel is now, as part of the Rija chain, Rija Old Town Hotel.
• Recommended restaurants Grillhaus Daub and Wadabus have closed.

For books printed before December 2023, the following may apply:

• A handy new train zips passengers from the airport to the main train station in about 30 minutes (1–2/hour).
• Local guide Jacek Podhorski has a new email address: [email protected].
• The Amber Museum has moved to the Great Mill, a short walk from the Main Town at Wielkie Młyny 16.
• Hotels Królewski and Willa Litarion have closed.

For books printed before June 2025, the following may apply:

• The Pergamon Museum is closed to accommodate a thorough renovation that's expected to last 14 years (!). Parts of the Pergamon Altar, however, should be back on display in 2027. During the closure, Pergamon Museum das Panorama, a five-minute walk from the Pergamon just off Museum Island, showcases sculptures and friezes related to the altar, along with other immersive experiences.
• The German History Museum's main building (Zeughaus) and all permanent exhibits are closed and under renovation until at least 2026. Temporary exhibits, however, are on view in the Pei annex building.
• Museum Pass Berlin has increased in price to €32, and the Museum Island Pass has increased to €24.
• A €20 combo-ticket covers all Kulturforum sights. Tickets can be bought online or at any included sight.
• The New National Gallery has reopened after an extensive renovation, displaying a rotating collection of 20th-century art.
• At Charlottenburg Palace, the New Pavilion is now accessible only by guided tours in German, never English.
• The Museum Berggruen is closed for renovation until 2026.
• The only way to see the inside of Potsdam's New Palace is to join a German-language guided tour (English audioguide available).
• Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) now uses only terminals 1 and 2. Terminal 5 has closed.
• The EurAide train information office at the Hauptbahnhof has closed.
• Private operator European Sleeper now runs overnight trains between Berlin and Brussels (3/week, 11 hours).
• The Berlin Wall Memorial has a new phone number: +49 30 213 085 123.
• The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe has a new phone number: +49 30 263 9430.
• Hard Wax music store has moved to Köpenicker Strasse 70.
• Galeries Lafayette department store has closed.
• Several recommended restaurants have closed: Deponie No. 3, Dom Curry, Factory Kitchen, Mogg Deli, Alay by Hasir, Lode & Stijn, and Ali Baba.
• The Ampelmann shop in City West (at Kurfürstendamm 20) has closed.
• In Prenzlauer Berg, the following Kastanienallee-area shops have closed: Heimat Berlin, Kleine Fabriek, and Grünbein. Also in Prenzlauer Berg, in the Kulturbrauerei, the Green Living store has closed.
• In the Hackesche Höfe, Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur and Home on Earth have closed.
• In Bikini Berlin, the Edeka supermarket has closed.
• Hotel Birgit has a new email address: [email protected].
• Amano Hotel has a new email address: [email protected].
• Hotel Zoe by Amano has a new email address: [email protected].
• Calma Berlin Mitte hotel has a new email address: [email protected].
• Hotel Albrechtshof has a new email address: [email protected].
• Hotel Oderberger has a new email address: [email protected].

This older updates pertains to our Berlin City Walk audio tour:

• The Humboldt Forum, in the rebuilt shell of the former royal palace on Museum Island, is now open for visits to its various museums and other cultural attractions.

• Restoration work will cause public-transportation disruptions, including closures of subway (T-bane) lines through the busy Majorstuen station, throughout 2025.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• OsloGuideservice has gone out of business. But licensed guide Pål Johansen offers Oslo walking tours when not leading Rick Steves tour groups, and has helped considerably with the Rick Steves Scandinavia guidebook ($300/half-day tour, $550/full-day tour, [email protected]). If Pål's not available, the easy-to-work-with Oslo Guidebureau can tailor a tour to meet your interests (+47 22 42 28 18).
• The Viking Ship Museum is closed while it undergoes a multiyear expansion. It's scheduled to reopen, as the Museum of the Viking Age, by 2027. In the interim, some exhibits may be on display in the University of Oslo's Historical Museum, and you can see a real Viking boat at the National Maritime Museum.
• The Munch Museum has reopened at a new location on the harbor, facing the Opera House at Bjørvika.
• The National Gallery has reopened as part of the National Museum.
• The Nobel Peace Center now closes at 17:00 (mid-June–July open daily from 10:00, but otherwise open Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00, closed Mon).
• A "Munch–Bygdøy" ferry now operates April–October between Bygdøy island (with the Kon-Tiki and Fram museums, and currently closed Viking Ship Museum) and the Bjørvika neighborhood (with the Munch Museum).
• Comfort Hotel Karl Johan has a new email address: [email protected].
• Perminalen Hotel is now in use by the military only.
• Villa Marie has closed.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• Parts of the Stavanger cathedral may close to visitors for restoration as the church gears up to celebrate its 900th (!) birthday in 2025.
• The Maritime Museum is closed for renovation, likely until summer 2026.
• Sjøhuset Skagen restaurant has closed.
• Several recommended restaurants have changed names: Vågen Spiseri (in the fish market) is now Fisketorget, Renaa Xpress (inside the cultural center) is now Sirkus Renaa, and the Skagen Bageri lunch spot is now called "No. 18."
• There is now a high-speed option for touring the Lysefjord: Stavanger RIB, which operates an inflatable Zodiac-style boat that runs from the harbor three times a day in the summer.

For books printed before July 2021, the following may also apply:

• Rødne Clipper Fjord Sightseeing is now Rødne Fjord Cruise and runs daily bus trips and cruise-plus-bus combo trips to Pulpit Rock. Bus tours from Stavanger to the Rock are now operated by Go Fjords and Pulpit Rock Tours; Tide Reiser and Boreal no longer run these buses.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• The Bryggen Walking Tour now runs daily mid-May–mid-Sept at 11:00 and 13:00.
• Bus and tram tickets can now be purchased with the Skyss app, but are no longer available at convenience stores. You can also now pay on board with a card (and buses still also accept cash).
• Bergen City Bike rents bikes all over town through their Bergen Bysykkel app.
• The Beffen — the ferry that chugs across the midpoint of the harbor — no longer runs on Saturdays (just Mon–Fri).
• There are currently no guided tours of Rosenkrantz Tower, but they may return later in 2025.
• Troldhaugen (Edvard Grieg's home) is now closed on Mondays (new hours: Tue–Fri 11:00–16:00, Sat–Sun until 17:00). The home no longer hosts evening concerts.
• KODE Art Museums have renamed their buildings: KODE 4 is now "Lysverket" (contemporary art), KODE 3 is now "Rasmus Meyer" (international and Norwegian artists, including Munch), KODE 2 is now "Stenersen" (contemporary art), and KODE 1 is now "Permanenten" (decorative arts). Major renovations are planned for Permanenten and Lysverket that could involve closures in coming years.
• The Ulriken643 Cable Car is now open later in high season (until 23:00). It is now closed Mondays in the off-season.
• The Hanseatic Museum on the Bryggen harborfront is closed for renovation until 2028. However, the newly redone Hanseatic Assembly Rooms (Schøtstuene) are open to visitors (guided tours are offered daily at 11:00 and 16:00).
• Buses running to the Gamle Bergen Museum are now #3, #4, #12, #16E, or #19. Guided tours of Gamle Bergen are now only offered on weekdays (ask at the museum).
• Enhjørningen Restaurant is now closed on Sundays.
• Guest House Skiven has closed.

For books printed before July 2021, the following may apply:

• In Balestrand, the Pilgrim restaurant in the Golden House Gallery building has closed.
• Sjøtun Camping (in Balestrand) has closed for good.

For books printed before July 2024, the following may apply:

• It's no longer possible to do the Nutshell trip as a same-day loop from Oslo — the transit connections don't work. (It does still work to do the Nutshell as a day trip from Bergen.)
• The boat company formerly called "The Fjords" is now Norway's Best (though the boats are still labeled "The Fjords"). They now run just one boat (rather than different "classic" and "premium" boats), and it now takes two hours to get between Flåm and Gudvangen.
• The twisty road called Stalheimskleiva, which had led to the Stalheim Hotel between Gudvangen and Voss, is permanently closed following a landslide.
• The Torget Café in Flåm has closed.
• The Aurland Fjordhotel is now Hotel Aurlandsfjord, and is part of the Norway's Best group, with new contact information: +47 94 86 21 00, [email protected].
• The Vangsgården Guest House in Aurland no longer rents rooms in the Aabelheim Pension.
• Duehuset Pub in Aurland is now the Vangsgården Gastropub.
• Undredal Overnatting is no longer bookable at the Undredal Bryggje Café.

• Voyage Amsterdam canal boat tours has changed their departure point to the pier at Singel 359.
• The Westerkerk tower may still be closed during your visit.
• Tour guide Dennis Gerrits has increased his hourly rate to €75.
• Herengracht 21 B&B no longer offers canal boat tours.

For books printed before March 2025, the following may also apply:

• Tickets for the Anne Frank House now go on sale six weeks in advance (released every Tuesday).
• After cutting ties with the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in 2022, the Hermitage Amsterdam has rebranded itself as the H'ART Museum and now features rotating exhibits from the Pompidou in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum of Washington, DC.
• Amsterdam Museum is closed at least until 2027 while it undergoes renovation. In the meantime, highlights from its collection are on display at the H'ART Museum.
• The modern, new National Holocaust Museum is open in the Jewish Cultural Quarter, across the street from the Dutch Theater.
• The Netherlands Maritime Museum is now free for kids 12 and under and is no longer closed Mondays off-season.
• Rembrandt's House is now open daily 10:00–18:00.
• The Museum of Canals is now open Mon 12:00–17:00, Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00.
• The Houseboat Museum has a new owner and some changes: The new price is €7.50 and includes an audioguide, there's no closure off-season, and the new phone number is +31 6 4289 3868.
• The Tropical Museum has changed its name to World Museum Amsterdam (Wereldmuseum Amsterdam). The museum café has closed.
• The Noordermarkt (the end of Westerstraat) takes place on Saturdays as well as Mondays.
• Amsterdam has moved the departure points for most long-distance buses away from Centraal station to outlying Metro stops. The EBS buses for Edam/Volendam and Marken leave from the Noord Metro station; Connexxion bus #357 to the Aalsmeer Flower Auction leaves from the Amstelveenseweg Metro station or Elandsgracht in the Jordaan, and bus #391 for Zaanse Schans leaves from the Nooderpark Metro station.
• The tourist information office at Schiphol Airport has closed.
• Cannabis College has closed its study center on Oudezijds Achterburgwal street in the Red Light District (though it still exists as an online resource).
• The Mouse Mansion has moved to Muntplein 8.
• The discount code for the Toren Hotel is "RSTEVES" (not RSSTEVES).
• Bed & Breakfast Amsterdam has a new phone number: +31 6 5109 7663.
• Max Brown Hotel has a new phone number: +31 20 710 7288.
• Hotel Hegra has a new phone number: +31 6 2447 1242.

These older updates still pertains to some of our audio tours:

• Amsterdam's city government has banned guided tours of the Red Light District. But the Prostitution Information Center still offers self-guided tours bookended by an informative talk and Q&A session.
• The Museum of Bags and Purses has closed, as has the Biblical Museum.

For books printed before February 2025, the following may apply:

• The Groeninge Museum has changed its closed day to Wednesday.
• The Arentshuis Museum has permanently closed (but its ground floor will continue to host events and a summer pop-up bar).
• The Sint-Janshospitaal Memling Collection has reopened.
• The ruins at the Crowne Plaza Hotel are now only viewable to hotel guests and those who have hired a local guide.
• The bike rental company at the train station is now designed for locals and requires a subscription; travelers should look for a bike rental company elsewhere in the city.
• Brazi's Sandwich Shop is now called Tasty Bruges.
• BbyB chocolate shop has closed.
• Hotel de Pauw and La Maison de Nathalie B&B have closed.
• Several recommended restaurants have closed: Bistro Den Huzaar, De Koetse, and De Plaats Vegetarian.
• Comptoir des Artes beer cellar has closed.

For books printed before February 2025, the following may apply:

• Tap your contactless credit card to pay when boarding a bus, tram, or Métro. Ticket machines are no longer available at most bus and tram stops.
• The Fin-de-Siècle Museum at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium is closed while the museum undergoes renovation (likely until 2027).
• To avoid lines at the main entrance to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, we recommend booking tickets online in advance and using the entrance to the Magritte Museum. A passageway on the lowest level connects the Magritte to the Old Masters Museum.
• The Old Masters Museum and the Magritte Museum are now open Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–18:00.
• BELvue Museum is open Mon–Fri 9:30–17:00; Sat–Sun and July–Aug 11:00–19:00.
• At the European Parliament, visitors no longer need to show up on the hour for tours; instead, they can use a one-hour multimedia guide at their own pace.
• English tours at Town Hall are now offered every afternoon except Tuesdays and Thursdays, and some evenings as well. Tickets are €15.
• St. Michael and Ste. Gudula Cathedral is now open daily 8:00–18:00.
• The Museum of Original Figurines is now closed Tue–Thu except during July–Aug.
• Local guide Roger van Buynder has a new email address: [email protected] and a new website.
• Private operator European Sleeper now runs overnight trains between Brussels Midi and Berlin (3/week, 11 hours).
• The privately run train between Brussels Airport and the city center is not covered by rail passes.
• Bus route #27 has changed and doesn't go to the Royal Museums.
• The Marc Sleen Museum has closed.
• The following restaurants have closed: Inzia, Le Greenwich, and Publico.

For books printed before February 2025, the following may apply:

• The #1 tram line is undergoing extensive repairs and is route, stops, and timetable are expected to be in flux for several years.
• The Torture Museum at the Castle of the Counts has closed.
• Het Moment restaurant has closed.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Canterbury Tales attraction has closed.
• Canterbury Cathedral offers several new tour options, both guided and self-guided, via a multimedia guide or phone app. Before visiting, check its site for current times for human-guided tours, which may have changed since your book was printed.

For books printed before September 2024, the following may apply:

• While the HMS Victory remains under restoration, an exhibit called "Victory Live: The Big Repair" lets visitors walk through the scaffolding to see conservationists at work.
• Local Haunts city bus tours is no longer operating, but the city has a new hop-on, hop-off bus: the Southsea Coaster.

• Tickets for Big Ben tours are now released several months in advance, on the second Wednesday of every month at 10:00, and usually sell out almost immediately.
• Per new requirements set by the UK government, all passengers on Eurostar trains from (and to) the UK must now enter their passport details online before boarding. Once you've bought a ticket, enter your ticket's reference number at Eurostar's Manage Your Booking page to reach the page for entering your passport info. If you don't have a reference number issued by Eurostar, head to the manual check-in desk at the Eurostar terminal. Given the UK's new procedures for border checks, it's especially important to allow plenty of time for check-in (Eurostar recommends that standard-class passengers departing from London St. Pancras arrive 90 minutes ahead of their departure time; gates close 30 minutes before departure).
• Tours of Shakespeare's Globe depart from the box office every half hour; plan for about a two-hour visit, including a 50-minute guided tour plus self-guided time in the exhibition space (£27, £20 for kids under 16). Half of the tour spots are bookable in advance; the other spots are reserved for same-day sales. Tours generally depart daily at 9:30 or 10:00 during outdoor theater season (April–mid-Oct); last tour generally departs at 12:00 if there's a matinee performance, otherwise around 16:00.
• The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields is now generally open daily 9:00–17:00, but it's smart to check before visiting. Free tours are now offered only on Wednesdays (14:00), and lunchtime concerts are now performed only on Fridays at 13:00.
• Britt Lonsdale has retired from guiding.
• Cross-Pollinate vacation rentals is no longer in business.

For books printed before September 2024, the following may also apply:

• The Luton DART light rail has opened, connecting the Luton Airport Parkway Station with the airport in about 3 minutes (£4.90, runs every 4–7 minutes). This replaces the shuttle bus that previously connected the Parkway Station to the airport. DART tickets can be purchased on their site; printed tickets for Thameslink or Luton Airport Express trains to/from the airport will also get you through DART ticket barriers (select "Luton Airport" when purchasing your ticket).
• The US Embassy has moved to 33 Nine Elms Lane (Tube: Vauxhall).
• Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben, has reopened to visitors.
• Tours of Shakespeare's Globe depart from the box office every half hour; plan for about a two-hour visit, including a 50-minute guided tour plus self-guided time in the exhibition space (£27, £20 for kids 5–15). Half of the tour spots are bookable in advance; the other spots are reserved for same-day sales. First tours generally depart daily at 9:30 or 10:00 during outdoor theater season (April–mid-Oct); last tour generally departs at 12:00 if there's a matinee performance, otherwise around 16:00.
• The Loch Fyne restaurant chain has closed.
• Moti Mahal has closed.

For books printed before February 2024, the following may also apply:

• The Elizabeth transit/railway line is now fully operational, connecting central London (Paddington, Bond, Tottenham Court Road, Farrington and Liverpool Street Tube stations) with outlying neighborhoods to the east and with Heathrow Airport and Reading to the west. Within the city center it's part of the Tube network, and uses the same tickets. It's a faster (and more expensive) option from Heathrow into the city than the Tube (£12.80–14.30 depending on payment method and destination; contactless credit card and Oyster card accepted).
• The National Portrait Gallery has reopened.
• The Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery is closed for renovation until May 2025, and artwork may be moved around while it's underway. Long entry lines, however, remain a problem. To avoid the longest ones, book your visit ahead and enter through the less-crowded Getty entrance. Also, the museum's free one-hour overview tours now leave from the central hall, and are no longer offered every day (usually Tue–Thu at 15:00).
• A portion of The Strand (between the Courtauld Gallery at Waterloo Bridge and King's College at Surrey Street) has been pedestrianized. This change has affected some bus routes, including:
  • Bus #11, which no longer runs between Westminster Abbey and Liverpool Street via Trafalgar Square and St. Paul's; it now goes across the Westminster Bridge and ends at Waterloo.
  • Bus #23, which no longer runs from Marble Arch to Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, High Street Kensington, and on to Hammersmith; it now goes to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and Aldwych.
• The British Museum's 1.5-hour tours need to be booked at least two weeks in advance.
• The Victoria and Albert Museum is once again open late (until 22:00) on Fridays.
• The Tower of London's last entry time is now two hours before closing time (which has been pushed back to 17:30).
• The London Eye has resumed selling tickets on-site, but tickets are cheaper online (and even cheaper the farther in advance you book), and its new family ticket that is only available online.
• The Museum of London location near the Barbican has closed. (The Museum of London Docklands remains open.) Its exhibits will be back on display as "The London Museum" in West Smithfield in 2026.
• The opening hours of sights at Buckingham Palace are likely to have changed since your book was printed.
• St. Paul's Cathedral is now usually open Mon–Sat 8:30–16:30 (dome opens at 9:30), except that on Wednesdays the church and dome don't open until 10:00 — but it's still worth checking its calendar for exact hours before your visit. Its Whispering Gallery has reopened.
• In the off-season (Sept–April), evensong at Westminster Abbey is now on Sat at 15:00.
• Hampton Court Palace has new hours.
• Pollock's Toy Museum is closed while it seeks a new permanent home.
• Greenwich's Clocktower Market, now renamed as the "Greenwich Vintage Market," has moved to a spot just opposite the St. Alfege Church and is now held on weekends (Fri–Sun) and bank holidays, 8:00–17:00.
• The vintage market housed in the former Truman Brewery on Brick Lane is now open daily 11:00–18:30 (until 18:00 Sat–Sun).
• Congestion charges for driving in the city center are now levied weekdays 7:00–18:00 and weekends 12:00–18:00; the minimum charge remains £15.
• Recommended driver guide Mike Dickson has retired.
• There is no longer an EasyBus running between Gatwick and the Earl's Court Tube stop.
• 7-day Travelcards are no longer sold as paper passes; they must now be loaded on to Oyster cards.
• The Oyster transit card deposit is now £7 and nonrefundable. Cards purchased before February 23, 2020 (a year later than what's printed in some Rick Steves guidebooks) can still have any amount less than £10 refunded from Tube station ticket machines. Oyster card credits never expire.
• The Emirates Air Line gondola has been rebranded as the IFS Cloud Cable Car.
• Bus #242 no longer runs to Shoreditch or Liverpool Street Station (but bus #26 does).
• St Katharine Pier, a stop near Tower Bridge used by many Thames cruises, is now known as Tower Bridge Quay.
• Fernandez & Wells restaurant has closed.
• Jen Café has closed.
• The NH London Kensington hotel has closed.

• Notre-Dame Cathedral is once again open to visitors. Though admission is free, a timed-entry reservation is highly recommended, either via the cathedral's website or its Compagnon de Visite app. Time slots are usually available up to a week ahead, with 10,000–15,000 reservations available per day. If you find all slots taken, check back regularly, as more times may be made available. Without a reservation, arrive at the cathedral early, expect long lines, and understand that you may not get in (visiting hours can vary depending on special events but usually open Mon–Fri 7:50–19:00, Thu until 22:00, Sat–Sun 8:15–19:30). The nearby "In the Heart of the Restoration" exhibit has closed, but the Eternelle Notre-Dame VR experience is still on (described below).
• Fat Tire Bike Tours now offers a €4 discount on their tours to Rick Steves guidebook readers (code: RS4OFF).
• After a long renovation, the Grand Palais is opening to the public on June 6, 2025.

For books printed before April 2024, the following may also apply:

• If you plan to use a Paris Museum Pass for to visit the Louvre, you'll need to book much farther in advance — at least six weeks ahead in high season — than needed for standalone Louvre tickets, as passholder spaces are limited. That said, we now recommend booking even Louvre-only tickets as far ahead as possible. The museum is (once again) open late on Fridays (until 21:45), and may also stay open later on Wednesdays as well — check its site for current hours.
• The Paris Museum Pass is going digital only; paper passes will be sold at participating museums, monuments, and tourist information offices until the stock is depleted.
• Notre-Dame Cathedral's breathtaking "Eternelle Notre-Dame" virtual-reality experience, in the underground parking garage behind the Archeological Crypt, lets visitors travel through time from the cathedral's 12th-century construction up to the fire. Highlights include gazing into the nave from above; watching the assembly of rose windows; "meeting" the cathedral's architect, craftsmen, and first bishop; and gazing at views over Paris from the Middle Ages through today (roughly €40 but prices vary, usually cheaper online — choose the Notre-Dame square location, not the other location at La Défense; daily 10:00–20:00).
• The Delacroix Museum has reopened.
• When approaching the Orsay Museum, use the entry that accords with your ticket: When facing the entrance, head to the left if you have a pre-booked Orsay ticket; those using a Paris Museum Pass and those purchasing tickets on-site enter on the right (where there's a separate line for each). The Orsay now requires pre-booked tickets for free-ticket days on the first Sunday of the month.
• Discounted tickets at the Opéra Garnier for those with a ticket to the Orsay Museum are only granted within five days of your Orsay visit.
• The Orangerie Museum now requires pre-booked tickets only for free-entry days on the first Sunday of the month — but we still strongly recommend booking in advance for any Orangerie visit.
• If you're planning to get a combo-ticket that covers either the Orangerie or Rodin Museum in addition to the Orsay, it's smart to visit the Orsay after buying your combo-ticket at either of those less-crowded museums. (You can book a timed-entry spot before you've purchased a ticket.) There is no longer a combo-ticket that covers both the Orangerie and Monet's gardens in Giverny.
• Rooms 16–21 at the Cluny Museum are often closed; if this is the case during your visit, you'll need to backtrack to the entrance and climb the stairs to see the museum's final rooms.
• The escalator to the Centre Pompidou's sixth-floor view terrace is now free. Nearby, the studio of sculptor Constantin Brancusi has closed.
• At Les Invalides, a dazzling sounds-and-light show runs after dark from mid-July to early September.
• At the Eiffel Tower, the Madame Brasserie restaurant has opened on the tower's first level, with two lunch and two dinner seatings. Reserve far in advance, particularly for a view table.
• Train and bus service from Paris to Château Vaux-le-Vicomte is unpredictable; check transportation websites before going. Likely the best approach is to take a train from Gare de Lyon to Melun and then a taxi to the château.
• After 75 years in operation, Paris' largest cabaret, the Lido, has shut down. Its building, directly on the Champs-Élysées, now houses a UGC multiplex cinema.
• The correct email address for Hôtel Eiffel Kensington is [email protected].

For books printed before September 2022, the following may also apply:

• We no longer recommend waiting to buy the Paris Museum Pass once you get to Paris — since some covered sights need to be booked ahead (such as the Louvre), it's best to purchase your pass online in advance of your trip. The pass is now activated at the time of first use and is time-based (not days-based). For example, a two-day pass gives you 48 hours of use from the time you first use it (e.g. if your first entry is at 13:00, you get 48 hours from 13:00). While prices have increased, it's still the best value of all the passes offered in Paris, and pays for itself with four key admissions in two days (for example, the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, and Versailles).
• Timed-entry tickets are now required at the Louvre. Visitors can enter at the pyramid up to 30 minutes before their assigned time. If you plan to visit the Louvre with a Museum Pass, you need to get your Museum Pass first, as the site will ask you to enter your pass's number. While the Museum Pass now carries a one-visit-per-museum restriction, the Louvre's three wings count as different museums for the sake of the pass — so you can visit the Louvre three times on one pass, provided you enter through a different wing each time. The Louvre is no longer free on first Sundays.
• Online reservations for the Eiffel Tower are now available 60 days in advance. From September until mid-June, the last ascent by stairs is at 18:30. For any trip up the tower that includes stairs — any time of year — tickets must be purchased on-site.
• The Cluny Museum has reopened after a major renovation (€12, Tue–Sun 9:30–18:15, closed Mon).
• Post-Impressionist works at the Orsay Museum are now in new galleries on level 5, near the Impressionist rooms.
• The Rodin Museum now stays open until 18:30. There is no longer a separate entry time and cost for the gardens.
• The hop-on, hop-off bus company L'Open Tour has rebranded as "TootBus."
• Paper Métro tickets are being phased out in favor of plastic Navigo travel cards, which cover transit on the Métro, public buses, and the RER/suburban train. Single-use tickets for buses and the RER/suburban train will likely remain available. There are two Navigo options: You can buy your Navigo Easy or Découverte card at any staffed Métro station and at most tabacs.
  • Navigo Easy Card: Load euros onto your Navigo Easy card and pay as you ride, or load the card with a 10-ride pass or day pass.
  • Navigo Decouverte Pass: This chip-embedded card costs a one-time small fee. When you buy, select from a weekly or monthly pass and ride unlimited during that time.
• Local guide Arnaud Servignat's correct email address is [email protected].
• Café de Mars is now closed Sunday–Monday.

• The Bayeux Tapestry will not be on display between fall 2025 (when the museum currently housing it closes) and early 2027 (when a new museum, adjacent to the current one, is planned to open).

For books printed before June 2024, the following may also apply:

• Rouen's tourist information office has moved to Esplanade Marcel Duchamp, in the same building that houses the Museum of Fine Arts, a few blocks south of the train station.
• Rouen's train station no longer offers baggage storage; try Nannybag.com for storage at businesses near the station or the Museum of Fine Arts, which has storage lockers (available only when museum is open).
• In Rouen, La Maison Sublime, an ancient crypt inside the Palais de Justice holding the remains of the oldest Jewish settlement in France, offers hourlong tours on Saturdays at 10:30 and 14:30. Tours are in French only; request an English booklet when booking. Bring your passport for entry.
• La Lieutenance, the old port gatehouse in Honfleur, is now open to the public.
• The website for the D-Day Landing Museum in Arromanches is now at www.musee-arromanches.fr.

For books printed before April 2024, the following may also apply:

• There is no longer a combo-ticket that covers both Monet's gardens in Giverny and the Orangerie Museum in Paris.

For books printed before October 2022, the following may also apply:

• Monsieur Augy has closed his faience earthenware studio and shop in Rouen; it's now a bookstore (but in his honor the new owners have retained the original storefront).
• Café Les Impressionistes in Honfleur is now the Bistrot de l'Hôtel de Ville.