Q Why don’t any trains run on Christmas Day in the UK? Everywhere else on the European continent trains run on 25 December.
Hubertine A
A When I announced “no trains will run anywhere on Christmas Day in the UK”, I was roundly heckled by some in the rail fraternity. One reader pointed out that a number of trains in and around London and Essex operate after midnight as brief continuations of Christmas Eve services, mostly on the Elizabeth line but also one Stansted Express train to London. And to be fair, there are two regular free rail services all day long on 25 December. But don’t get overexcited: they will start and end at London Heathrow Terminal 2 and 3, and the only places you can go are Terminal 4 and Terminal 5, each four minutes away.
Your point still stands. Trains started to go home to their depots mid-evening on Christmas Eve, and no significant service will run on Christmas Day. In contrast, passengers in France, Germany, the Netherlands and many other nations will be able to travel far and wide on 25 December. Between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, for example, there are three direct trains each hour and many additional connections.
The UK has not always been an outlier: until the 1980s, British Rail trains ran regularly in and around Glasgow on 25 December, and the London Underground also ran on Christmas Day. Briefly, the Heathrow Express ran to and from London Paddington.
Three arguments are raised to defend the UK’s current position. The first – which was, I believe, used to justify the shutdown – is that there is no demand. The steadily increasing number of long-distance coaches on Christmas Day gives the lie to that claim. They run what is in effect a shadow intercity train network, plus airport services.
Next, that staff deserve a day off. Yes, they do, but some may be prepared to work on 25 December just as many employees in other industries do.
Finally, the cost would be prohibitive compared with the revenue raised. I am not sure we know, and the only way to tell would be to run some trains next Christmas – and also assess the wider economic benefits.
Q We want to travel to Washington DC next year. If we decide not to hire a car, what area is best to stay in to be near the tourist attractions such as the White House and Capitol Hill?
Carol H
A As with most big US cities, a car is a most unwelcome encumbrance in Washington DC. Most of the tourist locations in the American capital are entirely walkable, and for anything further afield – including links to the city’s main airports – the Metro underground railway is excellent. Parking a car is an expensive hazard, and who knows what Secret Service roadblocks might pop up by the time President Trump begins his second term?
The main tourist attractions to which I would want to be close are along the National Mall. Almost 20 museums flank this open space, comprising in my view the planet’s most intensive site for engagement with knowledge. All are free, and my personal favourites are the National Museum of Natural History (including the oldest substance you will ever see, in the shape of microscopic particles of a fallen star) and the National Air and Space Museum, where the out-of-this-world experience is touching a piece of moon rock.
Most of Washington DC’s hotels are well located for tourists. They tend to be big and corporate (many with a distinct 1980s vibe), reflecting the business of government. But it is largely a Monday-Thursday night city, so there are some excellent deals to be had at weekends. Plan your visit for three nights from Friday to Sunday and you can expect good rates. You might find a bargain at the Embassy Suites at 900 10th Street, which offers plenty of space. I also like The Ven, reasonably central at Dupont Circle, which British Airways Holidays sometimes packages into a good deal – for example, £800 per person for three nights in mid-March including flights between London Heathrow and Baltimore-Washington. Also near Dupont Circle, the Hotel Tabard Inn is compact and characterful, with a highly rated restaurant, and often has some good deals.
Q Last year my two young adult daughters and I spent 10 days in Lisbon and absolutely loved it: the beauty and character of the city, the food and drink, the culture and the shopping. The girls say it was our best holiday ever. Your challenge is to identify somewhere else in Europe where we will have an equally good time. (Don’t say Porto because we have been there as well.)
Fiona P
A I have a range of coastal city suggestions, but to manage your expectations I must say, Lisbon is a special city, and nowhere else can replicate its combination of culture and cuisine in such a spectacular location.
Beginning on the Iberian peninsula: Bilbao has attractions from the beach (accessible on the city’s Metro) to the amazing Guggenheim Museum, though this is more appealing outside than in. You might choose to make it a two-centre trip with nearby San Sebastian, which combines a lovely crescent beach with an old town implausibly rich in great places to eat and drink.
In France, my top choice would be Marseille. Many people love the city and its diversity, but others find it unappealingly edgy. Committing to a week or more could be a risk.
Copenhagen has class and charm in abundance, with day-trip possibilities to Elsinore and across the bridge to Malmo in Sweden. The shopping is superb. I predict it would, though, be at least twice as expensive as Lisbon.
For lower-cost options, go east. Split in Croatia is a fair choice, with a fourth-century Roman palace at its heart, some excellent places to stay and day trips to the islands on offer.
Further down the Adriatic coast, Durres in Albania is a real budget option with plenty of interest: more Roman remains, a decent beach and appetising restaurants at remarkably low prices. That is probably the option I would go for – but with three or four days exploring some of the rest of this Wales-sized country.
Q I have just read that, for the first time, Greenland is accessible by a direct flight from Copenhagen at what looks like a reasonable price. I have always wanted to visit the autonomous territory of Denmark and clearly remember my childhood map when the capital was still Godthab. But the journey always looked far too circuitous. Can you advise?
Pamela B
A Greenland is an enthralling location. In latitude terms, it begins where Shetland ends, at around 60 degrees north, and extends to just seven degrees short of the north pole. Most of the territory is an ice sheet, a geographical feature almost inconceivable in its scale: the bottom layer fell as snow more than 100,000 years ago, and it contains one-11th of the world’s freshwater.
I am not sure of your source for the “first time” assertion, but it is not quite correct. Air Greenland has been flying nonstop between Copenhagen and Greenland since 1998. The new development is the expansion of the airport at the capital, Nuuk (formerly Godthab) to accommodate longhaul aircraft. Previously flights from Copenhagen served Kangerlussuaq, a big airbase with a long runway. Nuuk is 250 miles south, involving an expensive additional flight.
Kangerlussuaq is not without interest: it allows access to the ice sheet, which you can visit on a fascinating day trip. But Nuuk, founded in 1728, has far more to offer the tourist in terms of culture. Along the waterfront, you can visit the wooden houses of early Danish colonists. The Greenland National Museum chronicles Inuit history, while the Nuuk Art Museum offers the work of local artists. The airport also has the merit of being within reasonable walking distance of the city.
Yet Nuuk has only 20,000 inhabitants, and facilities for eating out and entertainment are commensurately modest. In addition, Greenland is a territory that is more about the great outdoors, though. I recommend that Nuuk is seen as an important dimension of a much wider trip around Greenland. An expedition cruise (aboard a vessel typically with 100-200 passengers) is an excellent way to explore, since it also helps solve the problem of very limited accommodation in Greenlandic settlements.
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