plans were to travel in April and May 2022 to Frankfurt to visit our son and grandkids who is serving in the military and then after a week w/them to travel open-end to London 5-7 days,train to France rent car then to Normandy area, then to Lorire and Dordogne areas and on to Carcassonne 12-14 days total, drop rental, train to Barcelona 3 days, then fly to Naples and southern part of Italy 5-7 days , then train to Milan/Lake Como area 3-5 days, then back to Frankfurt to finish out our 40-50 day trip...but now with this new surge of Covid our plans have to change... ....need info on costs of Covid testing when arrival/departure from countries and would like some feedback any recent travel experiences in the countries listed for ease or difficulty of travel so we can adjust our plans to make for a stress free trip....and also we have never flown any of the local small airlines like Ryanair have always had rental car or trained everywhere....how is it to fly thru them? Looking for advice on how to cutback can anyone offer any suggestions...Thanks RJAXJAG
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2703 posts
Flying to/from BNC, I always use Vueling Airlines, all Boeing 737 aircraft and very comfortable. I have no experience with Ryanair and should like to keep it that way.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14738 posts
"need info on costs of Covid testing when arrival/departure from countries"
In France it is easy and straightforward. In Paris, in particular, you'll see signs in the windows of your neighborhood pharmacies regarding testing. It's 25E for an antigen test, results back in 15 minutes or so. The pharmacie may or may not want you to have an appointment. The one near my hotel in Paris just used a walk in system in October. You will be able to get testing you need in the smaller towns as well although someone recently reported they had difficulty on a Sunday, I think, in a smaller French town (might have been in the Normandy area).
I agree your plan is ambitious. I'd probably cut the London portion unless you perhaps fly from London to Spain and come back thru France. There may not be the difficulty of travel between France and UK in April/May as there is now but I'd try to make things easier for yourselves. In fact, I'd probably just concentrate on Germany, France and Italy. Having to keep track of changing Covid rules for a country where you are only spending 3 days (Spain) or a week (England) seems exhausting.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you for your reply...London and Spain is prob out for sure
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Ideally, the fewer countries you cover, the easier life will be. Try to limit yourselves to two countries. Five countries is ambitious and you will spend half your time trying to keep abreast of changes. It doesn’t make for a relaxed trip.
Covid testing and costs are likely to change several times before April.
Ryanair (the largest airline in Europe) and EasyJet (my preference) are fine, but make sure you comply with their baggage policy.
Posted by
3123 posts
It looks like the country that interests you most, apart from your family visit, is France. As others have said, the more countries on your itinerary the more likely you will have stress around different Covid testing requirements etc. So, I'd recommend spending your entire time in Germany and France. Similarly, the more you change between train, airplanes, and rental cars the more stress you're likely to have. A rental car begins to feel like your own little portable hotel room after a few days, and it's usually convenient to be able to drive where you want to go, when you want, instead of being tied to train and plane schedules.
Of course in the end it's up to you. I wish you a wonderful trip, whatever you decide.