What's new for tourists in Europe

ITALY

ROME

The relatively new online reservation system for the Vatican Museum is running smoothly, and some lucky visitors can even enjoy its vast collection at night. The museum is now open most Friday evenings, April through October, from 7 to 11 p.m. (by reservation only, online at mv.vati can.va). Any time you go, you can see the museum's Etruscan Rooms, which are finally open after a long renovation.

Across town at the Colosseum, the ancient arena is being cleaned from top to bottom and given permanent lighting. In future years, this ambitious project may open up new areas that were previously closed to visitors.

A renovation project is transforming Tiburtina, Rome's second-largest train station, once known mainly as a bus hub, into a high-speed rail hub. At least one Eurostar Italia bullet train stops here already, and a new company -- Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) -- is expected to start running high-speed trains sometime this year.

It's getting even easier to buy Ferragamo shoes (and anything else) on Rome's fashionable Via Condotti. Traditionally, shops in Rome were closed for a long lunch break. But in the city center, many are now staying open throughout the day -- generally 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FLORENCE

The streets around the Duomo have recently been pedestrianized. The Uffizi Gallery, famous for its fabulous Renaissance art, is undergoing a renovation, scheduled for completion this summer. Until then, its Tribune Room (with Venus de' Medici ) will be closed. When it reopens, you will view the precious marble statue of Venus through glass panels.

Florence's Galileo Science Museum will open after significant renovation later this spring (likely late May or early June). The Medici-

Riccardi Palace no longer requires (or even accepts) reservations for its exquisite Gozzoli's Chapel of the Magi.

VENICE

The city has a new museum: The Punta della Dogana, housed in the former Customs House at the end of the Grand Canal. It features cutting-edge 21st century art in spacious rooms. This isn't Picasso and Matisse, or even Pollock and Warhol -- those guys are ancient history. But if you're into the likes of Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly and Rachel Whiteread, the museum is as impressively contemporary as Venice is Old World.

The Dogana traghetto, or ferry gondola, is back, shuttling passengers across the mouth of the Grand Canal, between Harry's Bar (near St. Mark's Square) and the new Punta della Dogana art museum. The city also has a new People Mover monorail that carries passengers from the parking lot at Tronchetto to Piazzale Roma, a block from the Calatrava Bridge.

PISA

In Pisa, the Leaning Tower is now open late on summer evenings, making it possible to tour the landmark and survey the Field of Miracles from above after dark. The system for making reservations and sorting out the huge crowds that come to see and climb the tipsy tower is working well (opapisa.it).

MILAN

The city is busy with construction projects in anticipation of hosting the 2015 World's Fair. The Duomo Museum will remain closed until 2015 as it undergoes an extensive renovation. Meanwhile, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana will host an important special exhibit from now through 2015, displaying 22 pages from Leonardo's notebook, the Codex Atlanticus. Each page is in its own glass case and is well described by the useful audio guide.

FRANCE

Some high-tech changes are leaving Americans behind. As more of France adopts chip-and-PIN technology for credit cards, your U.S. credit and debit cards are less likely to work at self-service ticket machines, gas pumps, automated tollbooths and parking garages with automatic pay points. (U.S.-issued debit cards will continue to work at bank ATMs.)

The best advice is to carry sufficient cash in euro bills and coins, since there's generally an option to pay cash. Drivers on the auto route should look for tollbooths sporting green arrows, indicating they accept cash.

If you travel with a smartphone or laptop, another high-tech change is helpful: Every McDonald's in France now offers free Wi-Fi.

PARIS

The top floor of the Orsay, containing its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist rooms, is slated to reopen this spring after a yearlong renovation. Until then, many of the displaced masterpieces are temporarily displayed on the museum's ground floor. At the Louvre, the pre-Classical Greek section will be closed in 2011. Construction continues on the new Islamic art wing, due to open in 2012.

The Eiffel Tower's online reservation system, which lets you skip the ticket line, is up and running (toureiffel .fr). At the tower, attendants scan your ticket (which you've printed at home) and put you on the first available elevator. Even with a reservation, however, you still have to wait in line with the masses to get from the second level to the summit.

The renovation of the east wing of the Army Museum in Paris is finally complete. The wing's exhibit, "From Louis XIV to Napoleon I," covers French military history from 1643 to 1814, with a focus on Napoleon. Highlights include a projection screen illustrating the Battle of Waterloo, the famous portrait of Napoleon by Ingres, and Le Vizir -- the beloved (now stuffed) Arabian horse of the "Little Corporal."

SPAIN

The country's halfhearted restrictions on smoking in public places got a kick in the pantalones -- as of Jan. 1, smoking was banned in all closed public spaces, most notably restaurants and bars (but not hotel rooms).

BARCELONA

Several sights are undergoing changes, including Antoni Gaudí's famous and unfinished cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, where workers completed the floor just before Pope Benedict XVI's visit last November. The pope consecrated the church, so the nave is now open for daily Mass.

MADRID

While the city lost its bids to host the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Madrid continues building new Metro stations, pedestrianizing streets and making other infrastructure improvements as if it had won. Its central square, Puerta del Sol, is now largely car- and bus-free.

GRANADA

At Alhambra, the Hall of Kings in the Palacios Nazaries is completely closed while it's being refurbished. But the 12 lion statues in the courtyard probably will return this year after a long restoration, giving visitors back their favorite Alhambra photo-op.

ENGLAND

LONDON

On April 29, the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton takes place at London's Westminster Abbey, followed by a public appearance and reception at Buckingham Palace. Expect exuberant crowds if visiting during this time. Several companies, including London Walks, are offering royal wedding walking tours featuring the wedding venues and the couple's favorite haunts.

London also is prepping for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and visitors can take guided tours of the construction zone that will become the Olympic Park. This site is handy to visit in conjunction with a trip to the built-to-the-hilt Docklands district, for those who want to see a modern side of London beyond Big Ben. Filled with skyscrapers, art and people, the Docklands is an easy stop on the way home from Greenwich.

Restoration projects are ongoing at some of London's top sights. Lady Di's former home, Kensington Palace, is under renovation through mid-2012. During this time, its regular exhibit of historical artifacts has been replaced by a cheesy Enchanted Palace theatrical show not worth the roughly $19.30 entrance fee. The overpriced Dali Universe exhibit, once located prominently next to the London Eye, is currently being moved and downsized, making it easier than ever to avoid. A multiyear expansion continues at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Tate Britain is expected to begin renovation this spring.

Eurostar's monopoly on the Chunnel tunnel expired at the beginning of 2010. Air France has announced plans for competing high-speed trains between London and Paris, with service starting possibly this year. Germany's national railroad hopes to run its high-speed trains to London by the 2012 Olympics.

ELSEWHERE

The Royal Shakespeare Company has returned to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford after a three-year renovation. If planning a visit, book your room and play tickets well in advance.

In The Beatles' hometown, the new Museum of Liverpool will open this summer, filling a big, splashy, white building on the harbor front next to the Albert Dock. The museum will feature exhibits on the technological and cultural history of the city.

York's top archaeological sight, the Yorkshire Museum, reopened last year after a major face-lift. The museum's new exhibits focus on prehistoric, medieval and Roman times.

IRELAND

The Irish capital of Dublin continues to expand its public transportation system, with the light rail's red line now extending to the hip O2 Theatre (nicknamed The Point), the country's top live-music venue. The beefed-up Dublinia exhibit has emerged from renovation with three floors of Viking and medieval history, including a huge, well-done model of medieval Dublin.

Down south, the Waterford Crystal Visitor Center has reopened in a brand-new facility in downtown Waterford.

In County Clare, a new rail line has been completed, connecting Limerick (via Ennis) and Galway for the first time in decades. This is a big plus for those staying in Ennis and relying on public transport.

In Northern Ireland, Belfast has adopted an "iLink" transit Smartcard system, similar to London's Oystercard. And the city's excellent Ulster Museum -- intriguing for the British bias it injects into its Irish history exhibits -- has reopened after a $27 million remodel.

AUSTRIA

Known for having some of Europe's loosest restrictions on smoking, Austria finally toughened up its law on smoking in public places, though travelers should still expect the possibility of some smoke in restaurants.

Train station renovations are disrupting travel in Austria's two big destinations. Vienna's multiple stations are in disarray for several years as a central train station is being built. Salzburg's station is also a messy work in progress. While bus stops out front might shuffle around a bit, they are clearly marked and serve the center and airport very well.

VIENNA

The city upgraded its Citybike Wien program, which lets people cheaply rent bikes from public racks all over town. The new three-speed bikes are clunky and difficult to maneuver, but they're perfect for a short, practical joy ride in the center or for a fun pedal on the bike paths that run along the Ringstrasse, the wide road encircling the historic core of the city.

At Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Kunstkammer, a collection of medieval and Renaissance jeweled wonders that includes Cellini's famous gold-plated Salt Cellar table sculpture, is closed for restoration through 2012. It isn't the first time that Cellini's exquisite masterpiece has been out of view -- it was stolen in 2003 but recovered three years later.

For a fun opportunity to float in the clouds with cupids and angels, Vienna's Karlskirche provides elevator rides up to its dome. The industrial lift, installed during restoration work, takes you to a platform at the base of the church's 235-foot dome; from here you can climb stairs to the very top of the church. The scaffolding and elevator will likely be dismantled in late 2012, when restoration is complete.

The Vienna Opera continues to demonstrate its commitment to bringing opera to the masses. Every summer for the past couple of years, it has broadcast several of its performances live on a huge screen on the side of its building. It's free, and chairs are provided, making this one of the most pleasant and affordable ways to enjoy Vienna's world-class music scene.

GERMANY

BERLIN

The capital is whittling air traffic down to a single airport as construction continues on the Willy Brandt Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport, slated to open in 2012. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is also under reconstruction through 2012; it will have its foundations strengthened, making it possible for visitors to get to the top of the church for the first time in 60 years.

The headquarters of the Reich Main Security Office was once the most feared address in Berlin. Today, the site houses the Topography of Terror, which recently opened an exhibition hall focusing not on victims but perpetrators. The exhibit provides a chilling look at how seamlessly and bureaucratically the Nazi institutions and state government merged.

Visitors to Berlin's popular Neues Museum -- featuring the famous bust of the forever-young Queen Nefertiti (circa 1340 BC) -- now must book a 30-minute window to enter. Once you're inside, you can stay as long as you like.

ELSEWHERE

In Germany's peaceful Mosel Valley, plans are under way to construct a mile-long, 500-foot-high expressway bridge (called Hochmoselbrucke) near Urzig, just upstream from Cochem and Beilstein. The 270 million-euro project will mar the pristine scenery; winemakers worry that the construction and heavy use of the bridge also will mar the delicate ecosystem that produces some of Germany's most beloved grapes.

After damage by floods in 2002, Dresden's Albertinum museum complex has reopened. It houses two museums: the Sculpture Collection and the New Masters Gallery, giving this cultural capital even more of a sightseeing kick. Meanwhile, the medieval town of Rothenburg, on the touristy Romantic Road, has lost some of its kick after banning horse-carriage rides, due to concerns about safety and animal welfare.