Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain how Toxoplasma gondii crosses the blood-brain barrier and infects the brain, including parasite transmigration through endothelial tight junctions and the 'Trojan horse' mechanism, by which infected monocytes carry parasites into the brain. Now, using intravital microscopy to image fluorescence-labelled parasites in transgenic mice that express endothelial cells labelled with GFP, Konradt et al. show that free parasites in the vascular compartment can infect brain endothelial cells. Furthermore, by comparing non-replicating T. gondii strains with replicating strains, the authors found that replication within endothelial cells and lysis of these cells was necessary for parasite entry into the central nervous system.