When you travel to Europe

[MaripositaII]

Do you stay in hotels, B&Bs or condos/apartments? Do you rent a car, or use public transport all the time?

Been looking at the rates in Amsterdam for a B&B or apartment and cannot believe the prices!! Is this one of the most expensive cities in Europe?

I signed up with VRBO last night and found a few small apartments outside of Rome that sounded reasonable. Haven't looked anywhere else yet. Have you used VRBO before?

Here is a list of countries we are "thinking" of visiting this year. Planning stages at this point.

Haven't decided where to fly into first, and then fly out from. Also not sure if to buy rail passes in the States. Would you? I tend to wait until I get to place to decide. What's the most economical but quick way to travel through these countries? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We have a month and going in mid May-June.
Italy
France
Belgium
Holland
Switzerland
Germany (Mannheim-relative)

[Joana]

Am not up to date with the prices in Amsterdam right now- Tony can probably comment on that- but I guess they seem even more expensive to you right now with the weak Dollar.

For getting around Europe I would use cheap airlines such as Ryanair, Air Berlin and such- their prices are often under the railprices. Just check their websites.

[MaripositaII]

Originally Posted by Joana

Am not up to date with the prices in Amsterdam right now- Tony can probably comment on that- but I guess they seem even more expensive to you right now with the weak Dollar.

For getting around Europe I would use cheap airlines such as Ryanair, Air Berlin and such- their prices are often under the railprices. Just check their websites.

I was comparing the prices in Amsterdam to those of other places like Italy and France. For the same size apartment, Amsterdam is much higher.

Will check out the airlines you mentioned. Thanks.

[NorthMinnesota]

Have used VRBO several times and been very happy. Easy and convenient.

[catnhat]

We are planning a trip to Europe this Sept. or next ..Hopefully Germany and Holland..second choice Scotland and Ireland.. shall see where the deals are
I was chatting with a pilot from Air Canada..What he suggested was that we fly to London first.
Fly to Gatwick (reasonable priced hotels close to Airport ) from there you can get cheap flights to places in Europe..
The Pilot I talked to suggested we fly Ryanair .. Ryanair.com - Book your cheap flight, hotels, car rental with ryanair.com (check out the prices)

We booked on line with Canadian Affair when we went to Britain (not sure what deals you can get flying out the states)..Our flight from Calgary going to Gatwick was 149.00 plus taxes and return was 199.00 plus taxes per person..
My brother lives in Bristol so he did take us around his area but we ventured off to Wales and across England using the train which I must say I enjoyed..
We stayed with my brother some of the time but when not with him we booked into a Travelodge...the prices averaged around $100 per night..Not fancy but we knew we would get good service and a clean place to stay.

I would not pre book a train pass until you are there thay way you are not locked into dates and times..
We found out the best is if you can go to the train station the day before you travel to purchase your tickets..You get better deals and can avoid line ups the day of travel..

Good luck with your travel planning..

[himynameisjan]

We stay in Hotels or with friends. The "With Friends" is way cheaper!

We rent a car because we want the flexibility to go off the beaten path, sometimes trains don't go where we want to go. It is expensive, but worth it for us.

If you are going to be visiting larger cities like Rome, stay outside of the city and take public transportation in and out. It is much easier than driving, and your rooms will be cheaper.

I don't have any answers for the cheapest way to get from country to country. We usually go for three weeks, but only do one country or part of one country on a trip. We are due for our third trip to Italy any time now. I figure 2 or 3 trips more and we will have seen everything we want to see. Then it's time to start at the beginning again, or chose another country.

VRBO rocks!

[MaripositaII]

Originally Posted by catnhat

We are planning a trip to Europe this Sept. or next ..Hopefully Germany and Holland..second choice Scotland and Ireland.. shall see where the deals are
I was chatting with a pilot from Air Canada..What he suggested was that we fly to London first.
Fly to Gatwick (reasonable priced hotels close to Airport ) from there you can get cheap flights to places in Europe..
The Pilot I talked to suggested we fly Ryanair .. Ryanair.com - Book your cheap flight, hotels, car rental with ryanair.com (check out the prices)

We booked on line with Canadian Affair when we went to Britain (not sure what deals you can get flying out the states)..Our flight from Calgary going to Gatwick was 149.00 plus taxes and return was 199.00 plus taxes per person..
My brother lives in Bristol so he did take us around his area but we ventured off to Wales and across England using the train which I must say I enjoyed..
We stayed with my brother some of the time but when not with him we booked into a Travelodge...the prices averaged around $100 per night..Not fancy but we knew we would get good service and a clean place to stay.

I would not pre book a train pass until you are there thay way you are not locked into dates and times..
We found out the best is if you can go to the train station the day before you travel to purchase your tickets..You get better deals and can avoid line ups the day of travel..

Good luck with your travel planning..

Thanks!! Actually, I forgot to add that we are also going to England (Oxford) because my brother is marrying a girl from there, so we have to fly into London anyway. Hmmm... have been to Scotland and Wales but never Ireland. Would love to though. So many countries, and not enough time.

[MaripositaII]

Originally Posted by himynameisjan

We stay in Hotels or with friends. The "With Friends" is way cheaper!

We rent a car because we want the flexibility to go off the beaten path, sometimes trains don't go where we want to go. It is expensive, but worth it for us.

If you are going to be visiting larger cities like Rome, stay outside of the city and take public transportation in and out. It is much easier than driving, and your rooms will be cheaper.

I don't have any answers for the cheapest way to get from country to country. We usually go for three weeks, but only do one country or part of one country on a trip. We are due for our third trip to Italy any time now. I figure 2 or 3 trips more and we will have seen everything we want to see. Then it's time to start at the beginning again, or chose another country.

VRBO rocks!

Will have somewhere to stay in Oxford for a few days (wedding), but after that, we're on our own.

What can you tell me about Italy? I want to see Rome, Venice, Genoa, Cinque Terre, and maybe Pompeii. We're getting a bit carried away planning right now, but have to figure out distances and time to get to and from all those points.

I was a bit hesitant about VRBO seeing that you deal directly with the owner. Is there anyone to sort of help you if there is a problem or misrepresentation of the accommodations? Thanks a bunch.

[Rissask]

I am planning on taking my mom to Europe possibly (or maybe Peru) this fall or late summer for a week for her 65th birthday/retirement surprise present.

Last spring/summer they were selling airfare to certain cities in Europe for $99 plus taxes and I am hoping like mad they have those seat sales again.

Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt were the cities from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal I think (sounds like what you did Sylvia? )
Also I am looking out for a cheap flight to Lisbon or Madrid too, in case the others don't appear.

Hotels are gonna be pricier than the airfare, I think.

But we could also do an air/hotel package from Calgary, for around $1000 to London and a 3 or 4 star hotel.

We booked on VRBO once before to Mexico, but I never thought of looking there for European cities.

[himynameisjan]

Originally Posted by MaripositaII

Will have somewhere to stay in Oxford for a few days (wedding), but after that, we're on our own.

What can you tell me about Italy? I want to see Rome, Venice, Genoa, Cinque Terre, and maybe Pompeii. We're getting a bit carried away planning right now, but have to figure out distances and time to get to and from all those points.

I was a bit hesitant about VRBO seeing that you deal directly with the owner. Is there anyone to sort of help you if there is a problem or misrepresentation of the accommodations? Thanks a bunch.

We've never had a problem with VRBO, so I'm no help there. There should be something on their website that deals with problem solving.

Venice and Pompeii are pretty far apart, but distances are do-able if you use the Autostrada. We loved Venice, but it's really only a day trip for us. We really like the walled villages in Tuscany and Umbria. And the Lakes region North of Milan. Cinque Terra is on our list of things to do yet, along with the Amalfi coast. If I had to list my favorite places in Italy, it would be Rome, Sienna, Asissi, Cortona, Montepulciano, Malcino, Spello, Spoleto, Florence, Volterra, Lago de Maggiaore, and Lago di Orta.

[MaripositaII]

Originally Posted by himynameisjan

We've never had a problem with VRBO, so I'm no help there. There should be something on their website that deals with problem solving.

Venice and Pompeii are pretty far apart, but distances are do-able if you use the Autostrada. We loved Venice, but it's really only a day trip for us. We really like the walled villages in Tuscany and Umbria. And the Lakes region North of Milan. Cinque Terra is on our list of things to do yet, along with the Amalfi coast. If I had to list my favorite places in Italy, it would be Rome, Sienna, Asissi, Cortona, Montepulciano, Malcino, Spello, Spoleto, Florence, Volterra, Lago de Maggiaore, and Lago di Orta.

We are not planning more than a day to Venice.

Will report back my findings on VRBO for anyone else who might be interested. Thanks again.

[Opatije]

Originally Posted by MaripositaII

We are not planning more than a day to Venice.

Will report back my findings on VRBO for anyone else who might be interested. Thanks again.

A day in Venice may not be sufficient...so much to see, the food, the ambience...the crazy Italians...

A night in old town - something to remember for a long time...

[TeeZet]

Originally Posted by Joana

Am not up to date with the prices in Amsterdam right now- Tony can probably comment on that- but I guess they seem even more expensive to you right now with the weak Dollar...

Not really, I'm afraid.
I usually go home after having having spent a day in Amsterdam...
Maybe Linda (Doggiemom) can help out a bit.
She was here last year.

[MaripositaII]

Originally Posted by TeeZet

Not really, I'm afraid.
I usually go home after having having spent a day in Amsterdam...
Maybe Linda (Doggiemom) can help out a bit.
She was here last year.

Thanks for the link. I read through it. We visited Belgium two years ago, so the pics brought back some nice memories.