Some of the group has expressed interest in staying in Europe longer and seeing more places. I wanted to give everyone some helpful tips and links if you are planning to do this.
There are two inexpensive airlines in Europe. They are Easy Jet and Ryan Air. Check out their websites. Just keep in mind they do charge for everything such as carry-ons and checked luggage and they do have strict weight restrictions. When we were flying Easy Jet they would not allow a bag overweight. You did not even have the option to pay more. They are similar to Allegiant where you have to pay for a designated seat - priority boarding - etc.
http://www.easyjet.com/en/
http://www.ryanair.com/
Checkout http://wikitravel.org/en/Discount_airlines_in_Europe
Keep in mind when using these airlines they usually do not fly to the large airport. Again you can compare them to allegiant where if you were flying to Orlando you would fly into Orlando Sanford instead of Orlando International. Dublin is one of the few cities where Ryan flies out of the Dublin International airport. We made the mistake one year of showing up at the wrong airport in Glasgow Scotland. Still it is an inexpensive way to travel within Europe. They do fly to London but again - not London Heathrow. They fly to Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, and Southend. They offer busses between the airports. The ride is about 45 minutes and the cost about 40 pounds if I remember correctly.
Another option is the Euro rail. We have never used this option so I cannot offer much information or any useful tips. However if someone has please let me know so I can share the information with others.
This is their official site:
http://www.raileurope.com
Also checkout - http://www.interrail.eu/trains-Europe
There is a train station at San Marco in Venice so it would be an easy way to go on to another stop after Venice.
I did a sample fair from Venice to Paris and it was $173 per person. That is usually why we fly because flying is cheaper.
There is also the option of car rental. We rented a car one year in Italy and drove through Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bratislava. Ireland and England drive on the opposite side of the road but the other countries drive on the same side. The highway system in Europe is wonderful. However I warn you - you do not want to drive in Paris or Rome unless you are very experienced in big cities. You have transportation systems in large cities where you really do not need a car. Also warning - you do have to have special permits to drive on some highways. We ended up getting pulled over and a ticket in Hungary.
We like to rent apartments when we go places like Rome or Paris. A couple great sites are www.airbnb.com and www.homeaway.com - I also use www.booking.com a lot. They are great at last minute bookings. They offer both hotel and B&B options. We booked our B&B last minute in Rio with them. Always remember - when booking hotels or B&Bs check trip advisor for reviews. You will be glad you did. www.tripadvisor.com
My suggestion is as we get close to start visiting easyjet or ryanair - not to soon - usually a month or two before travel. Pick a couple cities and price your options.
I will post more tomorrow on this subject - maybe give you a few options.
Until then - Ciao
No comments:
Post a Comment