Next year, my wife and I are planning on taking a European vacation. Our proposed itinerary at this time is: Rome, Lake Como, Paris, the Loire Valley and Normandy, and London. My two questions are: 1.) How does one get the best airfares, arriving in Rome and departing from London? Does one just keep monitoring Expedia, etc? Or does one simply give the problem over to a travel agent? Would one save big bucks by traveling round trip to,say, Paris? 2.) We (two travelers, aged 66 and 62) would like to travel by train from Rome to Milan, Milan to Varenna and back to Milan (unless there is a shorter way to get a train to Paris), Milan to Paris, Paris to Tours, Caen to Paris, and finally Paris to London. I've read Frommers' "Europe by Rails," but with four countries involved and a myriad of discounts for multiple and senior travelers, I'm at a loss as to how to minimize our train related costs. Thanks in advance for any assistance. I'll also be posting these questions in the Italy and UK forums.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
If you are posting duplicate questions on the other sites, you should not as answer build on other answers. Use the edit button. Open jaw tickets can be just as cheap and sometimes cheaper than RT tickets. There is no magic to finding cheap ticket. Just keep looking and buy when you th ink the price is acceptable. Very hard to buy the cheapest ticket. With advance purchase discounts p2p tickets are generally cheaper. Use bahn.com for scheduling. You book tickets from A to D and do not worry about in-between points.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12314 posts
I like to set up fare alerts, shop a lot and keep checking until I feel like I know what prices are available. I also watch market trends on oil prices and travel, and make a judgment about whether prices will be going up or down. Most often, I purchase when I decide I'm getting a decent price. Occasionally I find a truly great deal and grab it quickly.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
Use the various national train websites to purchase discount tickets in advance. Trenitalia, for example, offers a mini fare for advance purchase, bringing the price of the fast ES train from 91 euro down to 71. The ride to Varenna is on a regional train that only costs a few euros and discounts are not available. From Milan to Paris you have several options, including a night train, or a stop to break up the journey is Switzerland. Check for discount tickets for Milam-Geneva-Paris (or through Zurichnor Basel) on SBB.ch. Also try TGV-Europe. Budget airlines might be the best price for this. For Paris to London you get the best price by buying way in advance on the Eurostar website. There may be senior discounts on this one, but we were not yet seniors when we last did that so I was not looking for them.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
I neglected to mention that there even more ways to go from Italy to Paris. From Varenna, instead of returning to Milan, you could head north into Switzerland via the Bernina Express, with an overnight somewhere in the Alps (Pontresina comes to mind). Then continue to Zurich and head to Paris from there.
Posted by
Reston, Virginia
403 posts
You might also consult the website run by "The Man in seat 61" (google it), as he has a wealth of information including pictures and clear explanations as to how to go to different places (he assumes London as a starting point, but that is no problem to work around).
Posted by
OP
OAK LAWN, IL, USA
26 posts
Thanks all! My computer was down for a couple of days so I didn't respond quicker.