Hi guys. So my partner and I are heading over to Europe for the first time. We are doing a contiki in Greece and then have about 3 weeks of free travel. The places we really want to hit are Croatia, Italy and France. What are the best and cheapest ways to do this? We have looked into a few options such as flying to Croatia then catching a train to Italy and through to France however getting to Croatia from Greece seems to be quite expensive. Has anyone done anything similar and have any tips? Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Chicago
8045 posts
Look at Ryaniar and Easyjet ( two low budget airlines) to see your route options. Take the bus instead of trains Flixbus and Eurolines are cheap
Stay in hostels
And go off peak October to March
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
It appears there are few flights from Greece to Croatia, hence the expense. Look at flying to Italy from Greece, then back to Croatia (Split/Dubrovnik). You would want at least 10 days in each so I would drop plans for France, and finish up in Zadar or Zagreb.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Not kidding .. STAY in greece for awhile.. do the islands.. so cheap it hurts ( obviously avoid stays in Mykonos or Santorini) but there are many other places /islands.. rooms for 45 -50 euros.. nice. clean..The islands are amazing.. and there are dozen and dozens.. many very different from each other.
Then Croatia.. dont know anything about it myself but I know its inexpensive compared to western europe.
In Paris.. what budget are you looking at.. hope you are going in late july thru august , best deals then ( june and september rates higher.
You only have three extra weeks.. remember each time you move it costs money.. so try and stay longer in each place.
Vueling, Ryanair and Easyjet are all good.. travel light , luggage costs . Read terms of travel.. arrive on time with boarding passes printed. I have used all of those and a few other ( I forgot.. also Aegean air ) .. they are fine if you dont expect comfort ..lol
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
As everyone else is saying, the title of your post is a contradiction. Seeing more places costs more money, not less. So, if you really want to go to Croatia, Italy, and France after your tour, prepare now that it will cost more than just going to one or two of these (or, as others have said, staying in Greece for a while).
Connections between Croatia and other countries are not great, and are VERY seasonal. So, if you are looking to make the trip simpler and cheaper, look to drop Croatia from this trip.
Exactly where in Croatia, Italy, and France you want to go will determine the best connections and methods of transportation. For instance, Dubrovnik has no train service, so it's boats or buses or flights only.
To find out how to get between any two places, a great start is Rome2Rio: https://www.rome2rio.com/. However, it's only a start. Go directly to the website of the boat company, bus company, airline, etc to confirm schedules and prices.
To find out who flies where from an airport, go to that airport's Wikipedia page. For instance, here's Dubrovnik: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubrovnik_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations. You see what I mean about seasonal - only a few of the flights are year-round.
To search for flights within Europe, use Skyscanner, which will search multiple budget airlines: https://www.skyscanner.com/. You then have to go to the airline's own website and do a dummy booking (up to the point where you give your credit card info), to learn about all the fees and rules. Realize that budget airlines in Europe enforce the rules strictly and have fees for all kinds of things; it's not a problem if you're prepared, but it is different from how most US airlines operate. For instance, they use sizer boxes for carry-ons; if your bag doesn't fit in the box, it has to be checked, and you will be charge more at the airport than if you had paid for a checked bag online in advance.
To learn more about trains in the various countries, you can't beat The Man In Seat 61. There's a lot of info on his site, so take it slowly. Start with this introduction, then use the country list on the left of the page to get more specific information: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm
Realize that for many routes in France and Italy, trains are cheap if bought in advance as non-refundable and non-exchangeable. If you need flexibility and/or the cheaper tickets are sold out, you'll pay more (a LOT more on some French routes). On other routes in these countries, however, the price doesn't change. A quick way to be sure: look at prices for today or tomorrow, and compare these with 90 days out.
Happy planning!