Hello! l will be studying abroad in London from September-December this fall. While there I would like to visit France and Italy while I'm there. Paris a few times for sure because I love the city and have a pen pal who lives there. I was wondering what the most economical method of doing this would be. Should I purchase a France-Italy rail pass for two months or should I fly from London into major cities on cheap airlines like Ryanair?
Posted by
2081 posts
dylan,
look at the web site: seat61.com.
the guy did a lot of work on it and also using his keister for all of the train travel.
it will give you an idea if its "economical" for your travels.
you should know though that if you use the Eurostar, you would be better off buying in advance unless there is some reduced student fare.
happy trails and have a blast studying and traveling.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
You can use budget airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet. But be aware that, like trains, their fares go up closer to travel. Also, while they have cheap base fares, you get charged (sometimes heavily) if you need to check a bag, if you don't print out your boarding pass before getting to the airport, etc. And you have to allow for the time and money it takes to get to the airports; Ryanair, in particular, often uses out of the way ones (like London Stansted or Paris Beauvais or Frankfurt Hahn).
To find flights, use Skyscanner: http://www.skyscanner.com/
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
For Paris or Brussels, you can reserve direct Eurostar train tickets several months ahead to get a better rate for the dates you can commit to. For any weekend destination beyond those, we would fly. Direct trains from Paris to Italy take 8 hours or more and are not covered by a France-Italy pass.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
BTW don't forget Scotland. You are going to be in the UK during an historic vote for Independence and no matter how it comes down a long week end in Scotland will be worth your time. It is not the same as England.
Pam
Posted by
Menlo Park, CA
67 posts
Hi Dylan! I'm so envious. I studied abroad for a semester in London back in the late 90s. I agree with the Scotland recommendation. Edinburgh is lovely and just a short train ride away from London (Kings Cross Station). I'd also like to recommend Paris via Eurostar. It is a very convenient way to travel into Paris via London. It is also worth mentioning that although you will be in London for 3-4 months, there is SO much to see and do there that you could stay there the entire time and never feel like you intimately know the city. I think you will find the famous quote by Dr. Johnson "when a man is tired of London he is tired of life" rings true. I hope you enjoy your study abroad program as much as I did!