Help! I want to visit somewhere in Europe for a week with my daughter leaving from London Heathrow in August 2014. We had decided to go to Istanbul but when I researched the flights they are approx. $600 NZD each! I
Does anyone have any ideas for a cheap (flights/and accom) country to visit that we could spend a week in one place and do day trips from? (or am I just dreaming)
cheers all
Check out Kayak's "Explore" function.... http://www.kayak.com/explore/
You enter the airport you want to leave from and your dates and it brings up a map that shows fares to various citiies.
This may seem an obvious suggestion, but have you considered Paris? 2.5 hours by Eurostar train from London St Pancras Station, very easy to get to from LHR.
London (Stansted) → Budapest for about NZD 400.00 round trip on Ryan Air.
Or
London (Heathrow) → Budapest for about NZD 465.00 round trip on British Air.
Figure another 85 to 100 NZD per night for an air-conditioned apartment in a good part of town.
Food cost, transportation cost? The consumer price index for New Zeeland is 106 and it is 62 in Budapest which will be reflected in the cost of food, restaurants, etc. Just stay out of the tourist trail – which makes for a better trip anyway.
Are you traveling roundtrip from/to London? Via www.skyscanner.com, I saw Air France flights roundtrip for $250 US dollars per person, connecting at Paris CDG. Istanbul is a great destination, worth several days in itself, but I wouldn't say it's known as a hub for daytripping to other towns. You can fly cheaply from Istanbul to another Turkish destination, like Izmir for Ephesus or Nevsehir for Cappadocia.
August is vacation time for a good chunk of Europe. So most of the Mediterranian is at peak prices, as is the Alps. You could look at the strategy of hitting cities, someone mentioned Paris, Maybe Berlin, or the Rhine/Mosel Valley, even Rome/Florence may have some bargains. Might also look at the Baltic states, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
Thankyou Laura and Dave
Yes it is a round trip from LHR and then back to LHR. Perhaps it would be cheaper as per Dave's suggestion if I just hop on the Eurostar and head to different cities with 1 or 2 night stop overs here and there for a week. What are your recommended highlights/must see's? One small thing I should mention is that my daughter has been living in London since Feb this year and she has already visited Paris, Amstedam, Bruges etc... so somewhere different and new for both of us would be good.
Can we explore other parts of France (not Paris) on the Eurostar? ...I will just go and look now at their destinations page again.
Look into Berlin. It's not an expensive destination (certainly cheaper than London), and has more than enough things to see and do to fill a week (plus daytrips to Potsdam and even Leipzig or Dresden if you want).
If you take your eye off Heathrow and look at some of the other London airports - Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City, Southend - you may well find less expensive flights.
Berlin is a great idea. Or Munich. Lots to see and do, including daytrips to the castles and nice Alpine areas. or divide your weeknbetweenncity time in Munich and mountain time in Garmisch or Mittenwald, both a short train ride away.
EasuJet has flights from London Luton to Berlin for around £90 roundtrip in August. Flights to Munich leave from London Stansted and are a bit more, but if you choose carefully you can keep it around £100 roundtrip.
How about your daughter booking a package holiday from one of the UK travel companies for the two of you. She might get a last minute deal although as said it is school holidays and peak season but you never know. Package = flights + transfers + hotel ( often full or half board meals included). I have arranged and booked holidays from the UK to mainland Europe with my visiting NZ family and have had no problems so far.
NB - these are not "tour" holidays ie you can do your own thing once you reach your destination including eating out rather than at the hotel should you so wish, hiring a car etc. There is usually a local rep for help and advice if needed.
PS - meant to say you may save some money by buying a self catering package and stay in a small apartment.
I would peruse RyanAir(or EasyJet) destinations - maybe Eastern Europe? Somewhere more far flung? Backpacking? Krakow? Northern Portugal or Galicia Spain? South of France?
You indicated that you have just one week and would like to stay in one location and do daytrips, right? Brussels might work…lots of great daytrip options from there. What about Luxembourg City? How about Bonn, Köln, or Koblenz? If you’re considering flying, then you could think about going the other direction – Dublin or Reykjavik are options. You have received lots of good suggestions already…good luck!
