European Budget Airfares/Airlines

There is a recent thread on RyanAir and other budget European airlines that has raised some questions. Coincidentally, the Travel section of the New York Times has a piece entitled, %26quot;..Bargain Fares In Europe?..Well Not Exactly...%26quot; on just this topic which may be of interest---

…nytimes.com/2005/09/25/travel/25prac.html

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KDK - First THANKS for the article. I also paged through to see some of the other travel topics. Helpful info..so I%26#39;m now on the list to access the NYTimes..

I flew SkyEurope this past summer. I booked my fares a couple weeks before my trip so I paid more than their original fares. $104 for Amsterdam to Budapest and $125 for Budapest to Paris (Orly). My bag weighed 25 lbs and I was able to check it with no extra charges. Based on my experience, I would highly recommend SkyEurope - Friendly, efficient service all around. (I forgot in my jetlagged 3 stop flight to get to Amsterdam from the west coast to check in at the SkyEurope desk and the staff checked me and my bag in at the gate with smiles, not sneers which you can sometimes get when you goof up at the airport)

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Thanks Kevin!

I also flew Virgin express within Europe and they are good and cheap. Same as Ryanair. You do not get food, so what ? you can eat when you arrive in 2 hours. And maybe you do not sit next to your traveling companion as there are no seat assigned? Fine! Read your book and relax.

The best thing with those airlines is that they allow 1 way ticket at the price of 1/2 a regular ticket.

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It%26#39;s like everything in life - read the small print and do a little research.

Low Cost Airlines have revolutionised travel in Europe - I remember 10 years ago buying a return ticket to Paris for £250 and thinking I%26#39;d got a good deal! I%26#39;ve just bought 4 tickets for the same price (including tax etc)!

Make sure you know the luggage allowances, make sure you know where the airports actually are, make sure you turn up on time - don%26#39;t expect the plane to wait for you! Do all of this and you%26#39;ll benefit enormously.

Then again I%26#39;m slightly biaised as my husband is a low cost airline pilot ;)

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Thanks KDKSAIL for the article link. Very informative. I am just now trying to book some short %26amp; hopefully cheap flights within Europe, and since it%26#39;s our first time going, I%26#39;m not too familiar with the different airlines.

If anyone can recommend -- or advise against -- any other specific airlines to check, that would be great. I need one-way flights from Paris (CDG) to London (Heathrow or LdnCity), London to Rome, and Nice to Paris (CDG or Orly). (I am bound to fly into and out of Paris from Canada at the start %26amp; end of our trip so have to work around this)

Thanks!

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Paris-Heathrow: BMI hands down, or a false Eurostar return

Paris-Nice: EasyJet

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Thanks Bob.... sorry if this is stupid, but maybe it%26#39;s a phrase we don%26#39;t use here... when you say a %26quot;false return%26quot; do you mean buy a round-trip flight but only use half?

Thanks

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Good article, thanks! Had no problems flying the Czech low-cost airline, SmartWings from Prague to Paris (CDG) last month. I did check the fine print on baggage limits of size and weight -- even e-mailed ahead to see if my slightly different carry-on measurements would be a problem--got a courteous reply that the bag was fine. At check-in -- no hassles about bags at all. At the Prague airport, it looked as if all airlines are now dropping weight restrictions on carry-on and they were not even weighed. It IS sort of sad that flying was much cheaper than taking a train, but then it was rather fun to have lunch in Prague and a nightcap in Paris on our anniversary...

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Yes, Sherry, that%26#39;s exactly it. But, don%26#39;t worry: the term %26quot;false return%26quot; is just a clumsy attempt by a non Anglophone to describe this actual type of ticket, nothing %26quot;official%26quot;! But so crazy is the fare structure on Eurostar, that, if you pick a real non busy time (ie Tu to Th, 11 to 15h00), and one week apart from the other leg of the journey) for the leg you will not use, you are likely to come up with a better fare than a one way plane ticket (and definitely than a one way Eurostar one).

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I read somewhere that Astraeus flies from Gatwick to Santorini, but when I went to their website I couldn%26#39;t even find any flight schedules. Does anyone know anything about this airline? Or is there another airline that flies from London to one of the Greek Isles?

Central France for Children

I live in the centre of France near Chateauroux and my problem is what to do for a change with my little boy. We love the countryside and all the nature but sometimes we want something to do on wet and miserable weekends. An indoor adventure room or something similar.

Please help

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It has been a number of years (almost 40 to be exact) since I lived in Chateauroux and Ardentes. We visited there on vacation last summer. I only remember the outdoor adventures. I know that my parents took us to a lot of the historic sites near the areas but other than that I don%26#39;t have any other suggestions.

flight from paris to venice

Hi,

We are visiting paris and few places in Italy next month only for 5 days. We are in a time crunch and cannot take a train from paris to milan or venice. I was wondering if there are any flights, that anyone can suggest to fly from paris to venice or paris to milan.

Also, can anyone suggest a good hotel close to the airport and train station in paris

thanks a lot

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We%26#39;ve flown from AMSTERDAM and LONDON to Venice and back several times (but not Paris) but I can offer this one observation, the return flight from either Milan or Venice (Marco Polo) when you are making a connecting flight to trans-Atlantic routes always leaves EARLY. If I remember correctly, we needed to be at the airport before 6AM and there were no other options. This was the same for any airline we used. A water-Taxi from the islands takes nearly an hour and costs around $50. You%26#39;ll also need to arrange it in advance (which sometimes actually succeeds and sometimes not). If we were flying out of either Venice or Milan, we were setting the alarm for 3AM. Plug your travel goals into expedia, etc and see if you can live with the return flight schedules before you settle on an itiniary.

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Several European budget air carriers provide service between Paris and Milan and/or Venice. Check out--

EasyJet--

http://www.easyjet.com/

MyAir--

http://www.myair.com/docs/cust/en/index.shtml

RyanAir--

http://www.myair.com/docs/cust/en/index.shtml

Of the three, RyanAir only offers service from PARIS-Beauvais-Tille(BVA) and is the most inconvenient. Give a choice of Paris airports, I prefer ORLY for convenience...but I%26#39;m not sure about the relative convenience / location of the Italian airports at the other end. You should also be aware that all of these budget air carriers have severe over-weight luggage restrictions and aditional costs.

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Hi Orlandofl:

Are you returning to the U.S. from Venice? If so, Air France from Paris to Venice is an option. Their one way fares are outrageously high, but you can purchase a round trip at a reasonable price and discard the return.

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For Paris-Venice there is no competition, since MyAir fly Orly to Venezia Marco Polo, whereas Ryanair fly Beauvais-Treviso, day time robbery if you ask me!

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This website was mentioned in a news article posted recently by KDKSAIL; I%26#39;ve found it very helpful:

www.whichbudget.com

Kind of a silly name, but basically you enter which airport in Europe you want to fly from, then choose where to, and it shows you %26quot;which budget%26quot; airlines fly there for you.

Also if you google %26quot;venice airport map%26quot; you should find something that shows you which airport is closest to the city centre.

Good luck!

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Hello Orland,

We took a Ryanair from Beauvais to Venice last June and while the shuttle out (and back) to Beauvais from Paris (13e each way) took about an hour and a half, it was all pretty efficient. In Italy, they land a ways away from Venice but there is a bus to take you in for a small fee and it takes about 30 minutes. Do be aware that if you get an early morning flight you will have to get a shuttle about 3 hours earlier from the western side of Paris.

The roundtrip air fare was about 50Euros, total fare...which seems very cheap to me, although I dont know how much others are. The Ryanair flight was really great.........right over the Alps, in a fine, recent model aircraft. I am not sure from your post, if you want a round trip, but you can go to their website and you will get one way fares (no need to buy a round trip)..........They do have flights for as low a one penny (plus taxes)........really. Check a few times...they change often.

There are many hotels around CDG airport.........many chains and different prices....You probably can call when you arrive and take one of their shuttles over to whichever one you choose.

There are several different large train stations in Paris. The one most arrive at from CDG is gare du Nord. If that is the station you are asking about perhaps someone will suggest one for you or you can search on this forum.

Bonne chance...

Which hotel booking site is safest?

I am looking at booking my hotel in Paris( I am thinking of the Hotel Brighton, any comments?) but am a bit stressed about using a hotel booking site. I have heard about people arriving with confirmations in hand, and still no room booking at the hotel! That would be very stressful if the hotel was full! Or if price was different..

Which sites seem safest?

Thanks.

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Why don%26#39;t you book with the hotel directly, via email, fax or phone? that%26#39;s my preferred method.

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I can%26#39;t seem to find a direct e mail address for the Hotel Brighton, I thought I had one, and when I e mailed an availability and price query I recieved a email back from %26quot; Benotel%26quot; which I guess is the hotel booking agent? I am so confused! LOL

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This link is to the website/group that the hotel belongs to, and is displayed on the %26#39;yellow pages%26#39; where the hotel is listed (www.pagesjaunes.fr) - you can book online and get confirmation at your email.

https:/…7.htm

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Thanks Travelnutty!

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I book directly from the hotel and i got better rates too.

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I would suggest to book through either the hotel%26#39;s official website directly and ask them reconfirm. Or you may book through your local travel agent to get the hotel voucher for presentation to the hotel upon arrival. Of course, you may pay first to your agent and cannot pay until check out. But I think it is an safe method.

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I guess I had very good luck with hotel websites. I booked several through Orbitz and Expedia,there are some hotels that I could only book through them, also Travel Punk for a hostel in Munich, some had no website of their own but I emailed them for reservations. The only bad one I got was one in Amsterdam that overcharged me and was a complete dive. I booked that one through their own website. I didn%26#39;t know about TA when I was planning my trip before Oct 04 or I would have been warned, their website looked so good. I think it%26#39;s really best to check reviews before booking and also check to see if their website, if they have one, offers lower rates. I printed out my reservation receipts and maps to show the area and brought them with me. Never had a problem but I guess that can happen.

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The group Exclusive Hotels has a bunch of very nice hotels in Paris with a good search funtion too. Hotels in all price ranges.

http://www.hotels-exclusive.com/

However, making reservations directly with the hotels is always better. In case you see a lower price somewhere in the internet, just tell them you want that rate. Don%26#39;t forget to let them know the approx. arrival time and reconfirm a couple of days before.

As said before, make print-outs of all correspondence.

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Has anyone used the site %26quot;My hotel in Paris%26quot;? I am trying to book an apartment without spending an arm and a leg. The site seems to offer good prices, but I am having trouble getting a reply for my booking. Any other good sites out there?

Thanks,

Heather

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I suggest you contact the hotel directly. Some booking sites charge fees. Besides you will be the one to deal with the hotel as to the type of room you need, ask questions about the hotel, etc. If you go with a booking site you really have no control.

As to Hotel Brighton they are managed by Esprit de France which manages other nice hotels in Paris such as the Mansart, Parc St. Severin, and Hotel de Saints Peres.

Here is the Brighton%26#39;s direct email address:

hotel.brighton@esprit-de-france.com

What's the deal with Parisians not wanting you to pet their...

Just got back from Paris, loved it! I found the Parisians delightful except for one thing, their dogs. They love their dogs but it seems they don%26#39;t want anyone else to. Everytime I stretched out my hand or asked permission to pet their beautiful dog, they gave me a dirty look. One night a couple of young teenagers were standing on the street begging for money and they had an adorable puppy on display next to them. I smiled at them and reached my hand to pat the puppy%26#39;s head ( I was then going to give them some money) when the girl scolded me saying %26quot;no, he%26#39;s just a puppy%26quot;. I was perplexed. In all truth, European dogs seems to be a different breed that don%26#39;t want to be pet anyway. I found this all very unusual.

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I love dogs and i always stretch my hand to stroke dogs on the street, i love big dogs so i ask first the owner and they always say Yes you can. So i never saw anyone refusing!

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My experience has been the complete opposite. I was once in a taxi and the driver had a big (really BIG)German Shepherd in the front seat and he did not have any problems when we asked if we could pet his dog.

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Yes, definitely ask the owner if it ok before touching their dog. Last summer I saw an adorable english boxer at the Vanves flea market. I asked his owner for permission first, to which she replied...oui bien sur,il adore les caresses!!!. Yes, of course, he loves to be touched. Needless to say, within a minute he was on his back and drooling all over me. I always make sure that I show respect to their owners, and I have never encountered any problems.

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I%26#39;ve never had a problem with petting dogs in Paris. Two incidents in particular stick out. There is a wonderful pug dog in one of the stands of the Marche Cambio in the puces de St-Ouen. When I sat down to right a check, he immediately jumped into my lap to snuggle and wouldn%26#39;t move. He%26#39;s terribly ugly, but what a great personality! And second, there was %26quot;Robin%26quot; the beagle puppy at our favorite bar. Robin belonged to an exceptionally cute owner and was obviously being trained to work the crowd! He was begging peanuts from everybody and everyone was happy to oblige!

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Oh, the dogs......I loved them!! Wanted to hug them all! Loved seeing them in cafes. Wish they%26#39;d allow it in the U.S.

I never petted any, but we did take photos, after asking the owners first. One lady in Montmartre %26quot;posed%26quot; her beautiful Great Dane. She wasn%26#39;t satisfied with the first time and asked if we%26#39;d shoot him again!

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Always see lots of dogs (and their presents) in Paris but very few poodles.Maybe the owners are worried about dog bites and liability.

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French people can be quite reserved with strangers - perhaps it%26#39;s considered a breach of some kind to touch their pets (if so, asking first doesn%26#39;t really help). Maybe the dog is cute but snappish...

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I agree with Travelnutty, It could be that it feels like your invading their privacy. Personal space has to be defined for some people in different ways.

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All I know is one of my best New York ccty moments was when a guy saw me sitting outside the sullivan street bakery and asked me to watch his beautiful st. bernard while he went in. The dog was a sweet giant who made me obsessed with st. bernard%26#39;s thereafter. six months later we got stella our St Bernard puppy and I have since been thanking (and cursing because she%26#39;s HUGE now) that guy who trusted me with his dog for a few minutes. I always love to meet new animals in different cities. I imagine that the have different accents depending on the city..

I%26#39;ll be sad if I can%26#39;t meet any parisienne dogs. (cats will be easy)

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Oiseau....loved your St. Bernard story. That%26#39;s funny - my hubby and I always laughed, wondering if French dogs bark with an accent! (: Actually, they sound just like the ones in our neighborhood - ha ha)

Was disappointed not to see many cats (we have two and missed them so much while in Paris). Spotted a couple in cafes (appeared to be the %26quot;house%26quot; cat), but only ONE at Pere Lachaise where they%26#39;re supposed to be all over the place.

Our very first day, as soon as we walked into our hotel room, I looked across the street and laughed out loud. A beautiful black-and-white cat was perched on the windowsill of an OPEN window (no screen) and sunning himself....EIGHT storeys off the ground! Took pics, of course. Looked for him/her every day after that but never saw him again.

Mas Pomona

We stayed at a gorgeous place called Mas Pomona 5 kms from Cavaillon. It is perfectly situated for visiting the all areas of Provence. The accomodation is wonderful: They%26#39;ve done an amazing renovation on an old farmhouse. Fantastic food! The pool is an absolute gem. The hosts are a delight and fun to hang out with. They know everything about the surrounding area. Have a look at their site.

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I would love to know their website so I can get more info. Is there any contact info? Is it air conditioned? Are the bathrooms renovated with tubs? We are going to provence in 2 weeks. Thanks

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We stayed here too and it is fabulous - beautiful rooms, and the pool is amazing! (have a look at the picturues on www.maspomona.com) Perfect for lazing around and taking in views of the luberon moutains. An absoulute gem in Provence and great hospitality from the hosts - we%26#39;re definately going back next year!

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Absolutely outstanding- Mas Pomona outside the delightful village of Cheval Blanc close to Cavaillon. Recently renovated to the highest standard by David and Marianne Wilkinson-a couple with exquisite taste and vibrant personalities. The sparkling pool is a must. The food from the locality is top rate and a string of restaurants make this spot a must for the discerning tourist.

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Fantastic place, lives up to website and more,food wonderful, hosts genuine care of their guests a pleasure to experience.

Must go back

Carte d'orange

If I purchase a carte d%26#39;orange for one week and valid for zones 1-5, can I use it to get from Gard du Nord to Beauvais station? I am going back and forth on whether or not to take the ryanair shuttle or just use the train, since I will already have the card.

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Beauvais is located outside of all zones so it would not be covered by any carte orange. Also keep in mind that you will have to take a taxi from the airport to the train station in Beauvais.