This will be my first trip to Europe. I am planning the itinerary and looking at how to get from place to place. I've been told that flights later in the evening might not be good since some hotels close early. So are there any concerns to consider if flying early morning from country to country? Should I be concerned about traffic, "rush hour", causing us issues in getting to the airport on time? Flights we are looking at: Dublin to London, Paris to Rome, Venice to London, London to Edinburgh. Those of you who do this a lot, what's your advice on when to move from place to place....early morning, mid day, evening. THANKS!
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
I don't think traffic is a major issue to be considered. I'd take a morning flight (but not a dawn flight) that allows you to wake up on civilized hours, have breakfast and leave for the airport, arriving at the other city around midday or early afternoon. I don't like arriving at night in a new city if I can fly earlier (everything is easier under daylight).
Posted by
2081 posts
stacybosch,
i fly solo, so i go when its most convenient for me and my pocket book. I choose to try and be at the other place early so i can do more sight seeing/touristy stuff.
To me, youre going to be in some crowds/traffic somewhere, someplace so i dont let that dictate when i go do things.
just a comment. you can take a train from Edinburgh to London or the other way around. The one i got was about a 4 hour ride. Puts you in city center to city center, no worries about rush hour or getting from the airport to city. There were table seats and those went fast, but i found it way better than flying even with the extra time needed to get from A to B.
in my opinion, in general, is that Europe has their act together when it comes to public transportation between the city and airports. This has been my observation so far.
happy trails.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
I would not be worried about hotel reception closing early in these big cities. But do always let them know what time you plan to arrive, especially if that will be after 6:00 p.m., so they don't worry that you're a no-show. If you do fly in the morning, you may find it easier to make use of the rest of your day upon arrival, versus trying to do morning sightseeing while worrying about getting to an afternoon flight.