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This sleeper train will connect 100 European cities (yes, including Amsterdam)

Emanuela Occhipinti
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This sleeper train will connect 100 European cities (yes, including Amsterdam)

By 2035, Nox hopes to link over 100 cities across Europe, including Amsterdam, Paris, Rome and Barcelona. The company aims to turn overnight train journeys into a first-class way to travel.

The Berlin-based start-up is making sleeper trains cool again — and completely private.

Private and affordable

Scheduled to roll out in 2027, Nox aims to operate a sleeper train network across Europe with fully private cabins.

Forget bunking with strangers: every cabin will be either private single or double rooms, featuring armchairs, tables, storage space, beds long enough for actual humans (two metres!), and even panoramic windows.

The team already shared a preview of what the cabins will look like. 👇

Picture-of-nox-train-cabin
Cosy, aesthetic, and private. Image: Nox Mobility

And it won’t cost you a fortune. With prices starting at €79 for a solo cabin and €149 for a duo, it’s a real contender against short-haul flights — and a lot more fun than sitting in a middle seat next to someone eating tuna.

The perfect spot to work and travel. Image: Nox Mobility

Who are the masterminds behind Nox?

A dream team: YouTuber Thibault Constant, who’s ridden over 400 night trains and built a following of 500K train fans, and Janek Smalla, who has co-launched FlixTrain, and until 2024 led the German ridesharing market for Bolt.

READ MORE | Need a quick escape? This new Nightjet train makes travel effortless

Together, they’re steering this premium-meets-practical travel revolution. And where do they plan on stopping? Below is Nox’s vision for the network.

graphic-of-Nox-sleeper-train-destination-goals
Need an idea of what their routes will look like? Image: Nox Mobility

Next stop: autumn 2025, when the team plans to secure financing and finalise those plush cabin designs.

Window seat or full cabin? Let us know if you’re team train over plane in the comments!

Tilburg girl (9) finds pregnant venomous scorpion in schoolbag from Shein

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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Tilburg girl (9) finds pregnant venomous scorpion in schoolbag from Shein

Nothing quite prepares you for your child screaming about a “little beestje” in their brand-new school bag — especially when that creature turns out to be a venomous scorpion.

According to Omroep Brabant, that’s exactly what happened to one Tilburg family on Wednesday when nine-year-old Arianna opened her new school bag from Shein.

When online shopping gets a little too exciting

Arianna couldn’t wait to unpack her new backpack on Wednesday when the package arrived from China.

But her excitement quickly turned to terror when she discovered an unexpected passenger inside. “She suddenly screamed very loud: ‘Mama, a little beestje!'” her mother, Jacqueline, tells Omproep Brabant.

What initially looked like a strange-shaped moth turned out to be a Chinese golden scorpion. If you’ve been shopping from international online stores, this story might make you think twice about that next bargain purchase.

A new home for “Snippie”

Jacqueline’s first instinct was understandable: “I grabbed that bag and threw that little creature out the front door, out of pure shock,” she said.

But then she realised the danger a venomous scorpion could pose to local children and pets roaming the area.

She went back outside, captured ‘Snippie’ (as Arianna had already named the scorpion) with a plank and plastic container, and called Dierenpark de Oliemeulen for advice.

Thankfully, the Tilburg zoo agreed to take in their unexpected guest.

The plot twist nobody saw coming

But the story gets even more interesting. The next morning, the zoo called with news — Snippie had given birth to babies.

The family had been housing a pregnant venomous scorpion without knowing it. The good news? The family plans to visit Snippie and her babies at the zoo soon.

Want more juicy Dutch tidbits, quirky culture bites, and behind-the-scenes snippets? 🎉 Follow us on Instagram and TikTok — we’ve got plenty more where that came from. 👀🇳🇱💃

Feature Image: Image: Holger Krisp/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0

Think your eviction is legal? Your Dutch landlord might be bluffing

Emanuela Occhipinti
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Think your eviction is legal? Your Dutch landlord might be bluffing

Renting a home in the Netherlands has never exactly been smooth sailing; the housing crisis has been dragging on for years. But lately, it’s gone from difficult to downright nightmarish. 

The Dutch Legal Aid Foundation or Stichting Rechtsbijstand Achmea (SAR) has seen a sharp rise in tenant-landlord disputes, with around 2,700 cases in the first half of 2025 alone. 

The culprit? A growing trend of landlords trying to evict tenants so they can cash in on the booming property market.

Landlords want to sell

The root cause of the spike is economic. Many private landlords, particularly those who purchased properties as long-term investments or pension plans, are finding the rental market less profitable. 

With mortgage costs, stricter regulations, and stagnating rental yields, a growing number of landlords are choosing to sell instead.

READ MORE | Want to rent a home in the Netherlands? You need to make over €5,000 

Crucially, vacant properties can sell for as much as 30% more than those that are occupied, giving landlords a powerful incentive to evict tenants before putting homes on the market.

The oldest tricks in the landlord playbook

Some landlords are getting, let’s say, creative with their eviction tactics.

From vague claims of “urgent personal use” (are they really moving in, or just moving on?) to peppering tenants with paperwork and hoping they’ll get scared and leave, it’s become a bit of a psychological chess game.

Spoiler alert: not all moves are legal. And then there are the more aggressive tactics. 👇

Think landlords removing central heating systems mid-winter or barging in for surprise “inspections” that feel more like intrusions. 

In some truly outrageous cases outlined by Het Parool, tenants are being low-key threatened with noisy renovations or other disruptions designed to make their lives miserable. 

Know your rights

The good news? Many of these landlords are not real legal experts. 

READ MORE | Housing & rental scams in the Netherlands: The ultimate red flag guide

Tenants who’ve lived in a place for four years or more usually have way more legal protection than their landlords realise. Still, some owners are heading straight to court — not necessarily to win, but to scare tenants into submission. 

For tenants, this means staying informed, standing firm, and maybe keeping a lawyer on speed dial, just in case.

Have you experienced anything similar? Been pressured to leave, hit with unexpected inspections, or faced dodgy eviction claims? Tell us your story in the comments below.

Woman shot dead near Dutch women’s shelter after escaping allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
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Woman shot dead near Dutch women’s shelter after escaping allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend

In a horrific turn of events, a 39-year-old woman from Eindhoven was found dead in Gouda after being shot by her ex-partner, Driekus K (53).

While the killer initially escaped by car, a lengthy search found him grievously injured in the dunes near Zwarte Pad, Scheveningen, the very same day (July 15).

Despite emergency services rushing to administer first aid, police report that the killer died at the scene. The death is suspected to be a suicide.

The killer left a trail of violence

As multiple sources tell RTL Nieuws, the victim and her two children had sought refuge in a women’s shelter.

As of 2025, the couple had been separated for about nine years, with a troubled history between them. The victim had even filed a police report last month, alleging not only abuse, but the fact that her ex-partner owned a firearm.

However, on June 18, the court decided there were insufficient grounds to hold Driekus K. Then, two and a half weeks after the alarming charges were filed, the man was released.

According to various social media posts made by the killer, he was furious to learn that his ex had taken their children to a women’s shelter.

Driekus K then tracked the victim down and then brutally shot her on the sidewalk.

The Netherlands sees an alarming rise in femicide

With the killer now dead, there will be no public criminal hearing, and no further investigation will take place.

For many, however, Dutch police washing their hands of responsibility after the fact is simply not good enough.

As reported by Leiden University’s Femicide Factsheet, approximately every two weeks, a woman is killed at the hands of her (former) partner.

How do you feel about the growing trend of violence against women in the Netherlands? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Booking.com to lay off hundreds of employees in the Netherlands

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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0
Booking.com to lay off hundreds of employees in the Netherlands

A Booking.com spokesperson has confirmed to NU.nl that the company will be laying off “more than two hundred and fewer than a thousand” people in the Netherlands.

This development comes after Booking.com’s parent company announced in November that it planned to reduce its workforce.

Roughly a thousand jobs are at risk overall, hundreds of which are expected to be lost in the Netherlands.

Booking.com employs no less than 7,000 people in Amsterdam, many of them internationals.

Profits are fine, but there will be job losses

However, this move doesn’t come due to dwindling profits. In fact, parent company Booking Holdings saw its profits increase by 37% last year, enjoying €5 billion in net profit.

READ MORE | If you’ve ever booked through Booking.com, you might be owed money

Nope, money isn’t the issue. According to the spokesperson, the platform wants to operate more efficiently. 🙄

“We don’t want so many layers in the organisation anymore,” the spokesperson tells NU.nl. “Our people manage the work of other managers. It’s become too bureaucratic.”

How many jobs will be lost exactly?

While the spokesperson confirms that the reorganisation will “certainly have an impact”, aside from a margin between 200 and 1000, they don’t give any specific number for how many jobs will be lost in the Netherlands.

They say the company is “in the middle of the process”, and more will be known in a few weeks.

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮

NS train tickets are expected to get 9% more expensive next year

Federica Marconi
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NS train tickets are expected to get 9% more expensive next year

Brace yourselves, train travellers: Dutch train tickets are set to become noticeably pricier again in 2026. 💸

After years of delayed hikes and government bailouts, an expected fare increase for NS tickets is now back on track.

According to the NOS, NS passengers can expect a fare increase of between 6% and 9% in 2026. The exact figure? We’ll find out in the autumn.

Inflation strikes back

Train fares in the Netherlands are tied to inflation, and with recent inflation through the roof, increases were inevitable.

A 6.5% increase planned for 2024 was pushed back after Parliament found €120 million to cover it.

Then, in early 2025, another sharp rise of over 11% was reduced to just 6% thanks to last-minute funding from both the government and NS.

But those fixes were only temporary. Each delay kicked the problem further down the track, and now the bill has arrived. 😬

A smaller increase than initially planned

The initial proposal was for fares to increase by 12% in 2026.

The slight drop in the planned increase comes after NS agreed to cut costs by maintaining trains more efficiently and scrapping the youth day pass.

However, 9% is still a hefty bump for commuters already paying plenty. 💸

The NS had hoped for some extra funding from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, but, as the carrier said in a press release, “Unfortunately, the cabinet has not opted for that.”

In a letter to parliament, Outgoing State Secretary Thierry Aartsen says “We’ve done everything we can to limit price increases for travellers. But we also have to be honest: everything is getting more expensive, and financial resources are limited.”

No more fare games

One reason the ministry is moving forward with the increase is to restore stability. “The cabinet does not consider it desirable to have this discussion every year,” Aartsen says in the letter. “Both passengers and NS are entitled to structural clarity.”

But not everyone’s on board. Freek Bos, director of the Rover Passenger Association, calls the hike “unjustifiable” in a press release.

He warns, ”More expensive tickets mean another step towards fewer passengers for public transport as a whole.”

Is this a step toward long-term stability or just another way to squeeze commuters? Drop your take in the comments — we’re all ears.🧐

Teacher stabbed during elementary school musical in South Holland

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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0
Teacher stabbed during elementary school musical in South Holland

A 53-year-old teacher has been left seriously injured after being stabbed in a fight that broke out during an eighth-grade school musical performance in the South Holland town of Alblasserdam.

The NOS reports that the teacher was likely trying to calm down a fight that broke out between three people when he was stabbed.

According to police, the man from Dordrecht was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

During an end-of-year musical

The fight broke out at around 8:40 PM last night during an end-of-year school musical performance given by eighth-grade school students.

Witnesses tell Rijnmond that the parents had been arguing for some time before things escalated. However, the exact topic of the argument is not known.

Other witnesses describe the victim as a kind man, saying, “We find it very sad. He was only trying to do what was right.”

Three men have now been arrested. Children and parents who witnessed the stabbing are receiving help from Victim Support.

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮

KLM just landed in the top 10 worst European airlines list (and are we surprised?)

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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KLM just landed in the top 10 worst European airlines list (and are we surprised?)

Turns out, offering dry cheese sandwiches won’t save you from touching down on the list of worst European airlines. Actually, it might just be what lands you there.

According to a comprehensive evaluation by Flightright, KLM is the fifth-worst airline in 2025.

And no, this isn’t simply based on how many people were seen frowning as they stepped off a flight.

How did they measure this?

Flightright carried out its evaluation based on three factors: reliability, payment behaviour, and customer satisfaction.

In order to measure reliability, Flightright looked at airlines’ delay and cancellation figures. Seeing as KLM has recently been battling with its ground staff to prevent strikes, this doesn’t bode well.

When determining payment behaviour, the evaluation looked at how quickly airlines compensated their customers after facing cancellation or delay.

READ MORE | €6 for a cheese sandwich: Your KLM flight might be about to get more expensive onboard

Flightright then surveyed its customers using seven questions to measure customer satisfaction with each airline.

Each of the three factors was scored out of five stars, and the results were used to compile an index of Europe’s 20 worst airlines.

Just how bad was it?

And how did KLM perform? Much like their slightly soggy in-flight snacks: lukewarm.

The airline achieved two stars out of five for reliability, four stars out of five for its payment behaviour, but an average of 2.15 stars for customer satisfaction — landing it with an overall score of 2.72.

Turns out charging high prices doesn’t necessarily mean offering high-quality service. Even an occasional royal pilot can’t save their ratings.

Are you surprised by this rating — or not at all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Want to rent a home in the Netherlands? You’ll now need to make over €5,000 a month

Emanuela Occhipinti
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0
Want to rent a home in the Netherlands? You’ll now need to make over €5,000 a month

Looking for a rental in the Netherlands these days? You might want to stretch first. Not just your legs, but your patience, your budget, and probably your CV. 😬

The latest Pararius Rental Report reads less like a housing update and more like a plot twist in a dystopian drama.

Let’s dig in! 👇

Starting with the big one: Competition

The number of available rental homes dropped by more than a third compared to last year. Only about 12,744 properties made it to the market, which means every new listing was basically swarmed.

READ MORE | It’s becoming even harder to rent a student room in the Netherlands

On average, each one got 57 responses. That’s right, 57 people eyeing the same flat, probably while writing heartfelt letters to landlords and attaching their LinkedIn profiles for good measure.

And if you do spot a listing, better act fast: homes now stay online for just 18 days on average. Blink, and that studio with a shower over the toilet and “creative storage solutions” is gone.

Yes, you’ll need to earn a lot

Now, brace yourself for the financial part. The average monthly rent in the Netherlands has hit €1,830.

To comfortably afford that, you’ll need to earn a gross salary of around €5,490 per month. 

That’s €800 more than you’d need just a year ago. So yes, your rent has probably gone up more than your salary, and possibly your serotonin levels.

The average monthly rental price per square metre has also jumped past the €20 mark for the first time, because apparently, walls are the new luxury. 🙄

No more “low” rents

If you’re hunting in the so-called “lower” rental bracket of €1,185–€1,500, you’re not alone. That slice of the market is being hunted down with gusto, attracting 35% of all tenant interest. 

Even the luxury pads over €2,000 are getting more attention, because desperate times call for very expensive measures.

Meanwhile, every province is joining the rent-hike party. Amsterdam is still the MVP of “most expensive” with new tenants paying €27.91 per square metre per month, but it’s got some tough competition.

These are some of the most expensive Dutch cities for renters in 2025. 👇

CityMonthly price per square metre
Amstelveen€23.38
Bussum€22.65
Haarlem€21.66
Rotterdam€21.52
The Hague €21.34
Utrecht€21.60
Eindhoven €18.38

Provinces are also seeing jumps in price, with the largest bump of 16.7% recorded in Drenthe.

So yes, welcome to 2025: where finding a rental is a full-time job, affordability is a myth, and the only thing moving faster than housing prices is your growing sense of disbelief. Happy hunting!

Should earning €5,000 a month be the new baseline just to rent in the Netherlands, or has the housing market completely lost the plot? Let us know what you think in the comments! 👇

Summer heat returns: Expect highs of 30 degrees in the Netherlands this weekend

Federica Marconi
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0
Summer heat returns: Expect highs of 30 degrees in the Netherlands this weekend

Dutch skies are throwing everything our way this week, with sunshine, showers, and sizzling temperatures all packed into one forecast. 🌧️🌞

It’s time to pack your umbrella and stock up on some ijsjes, with Weeronline predicting moody showers and tropical temperatures.

Here’s what the Netherlands can expect over the coming days. 👇 

Wednesday brings typical, rainy Dutch weather

Today (July 16), you’ll want to prepare for plenty of clouds and scattered showers, especially inland, where some might come with a dramatic thunderclap or two. 👀

The sun might peek through the clouds briefly, but don’t hold your breath.

By the afternoon, things will start to improve from the west, while central and eastern regions may still catch a few heavy showers.

READ MORE | Best beaches in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide to Dutch beaches

Sunny spells in the west will be accompanied by temperatures between 19 and 21 degrees Celsius and a moderate wind. Living near the coast? Try not to get blown away, as you’ll get the full force of the wind. 🌬️

Come evening, most of the country will be dry, though a few showers could linger in the east.

Overnight, skies will clear across much of the country and winds will ease. Temperatures, meanwhile, will fall to 11 degrees inland and 15 degrees along the coast. 🌙

Thursday will be grey in the northeast, golden in the south

Thursday is expected to be a mixed bag. 👀

The north and east of the country will see some clouds and a few leftover showers through the early afternoon. Lucky ducks in the south, however, will get to enjoy some sweet summer sunshine.

Thursday will also be somewhat warmer, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 20 degrees in the north, and up to 25 degrees in the sunny southwest.

Winds from the northwest will calm as the day goes on. Things are improving, at least for now. 😏

Friday and beyond? Get ready for summer heat

Expect sun from morning to evening this Friday, with barely a breeze to mess with your hair. 💁

Temperatures will climb to 25 to 27 degrees across much of the country, with the coast and north a bit cooler but still pleasant.

Saturday will turn up the heat even higher. The south could hit 30 degrees, and it will feel more humid. (Hello, sticky skin and frizzy hair!)

But don’t get too cosy, because Saturday evening might see heavy showers or thunderstorms roll in, especially in the southwest.

Sunday stays warm, but rain and thunder could arrive to gently cool things down. After the weekend, expect cooler and more unpredictable weather ahead. 😬

Which weather mood are you hoping for: calm sunshine or stormy drama? Let us know in the comments. 💬

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