We are taking the tour that begins in trier Germany and ends in Vienna. Looking into flying to heathrow then taking a flight there to Luxembourg then return to heathrow from Vienna. how much time should we reasonably allow to make connecting flights? And pros and cons to booking separate connecting flights on out own ( since it's much less expensive).
Any other suggestions for getting to Tier from LA and from Vienna to LA?
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8967 posts
We flew direct from US to Frankfurt, then direct return to US from Vienna, on one multi-city (aka open jaw) ticket. Is there a reason you want to go to Luxembourg City? Frankfurt gives you much more options.
Posted by
Orono, Maine
89 posts
Generally it seems that the minimum recommended connection time in Heathrow is 2 hours but that depends on whether you are connecting on one ticket or two (two will definitely take longer). Personally I'd always allow at least 3 hours and maybe more at Heathrow, as it's a huge busy airport and I hate missing flights.
Last year I connected thru Amsterdam into Luxembourg airport to get to Trier for the GAS tour, and definitely prefer the LUX connection instead of Frankfurt, if the price is right. For one thing, LUX is a lovely small airport and very easy to navigate. It has a great cafe and bakery!! Also it's just a short train trip to Trier, with no connections to worry about. There is a bus to take you directly from the airport to the train station in town.
Depending on your plane schedules you may decide to stay overnight in Luxembourg. I stayed at one of the hotels next to the airport. Others in our tour group who flew into LUX opted to stay at an airbnb in the town.
You'll love the GAS tour, and Trier is a very interesting town with lots of history and things to see.
Posted by
Ohio
2161 posts
Hi Stephanie, I did the GAS tour in 2010. I flew Delta from the US to Amsterdam then took a smaller (commuter-type) plane to Luxembourg. From there I took a shuttle to Trier. At the end of the tour I flew directly from Vienna back to the states.
Book all the flights through one airline. If your flight gets delayed or cancelled, they will put you on another flight. If you make all the flights separately, you're on your own to figure it out. I'd bet that it's cheaper to do it all through one airline too. Check the "multi cities" box on the reservation site to book "open jaw" flights - flying in to one city and out of another.
There's a lot to do in Trier. Take a look at the tour itinerary to see what's covered and then check the RS book to see what you'll be missing. Some of our tour members said they booked a day trip to the Eagle's Nest before the tour. I didn't think to do that but it sounded interesting. Hope you enjoy the tour!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Follow Donna's advice for ticket booking. I really don't expect the price to be much different, especially with the wealth of choice from LA, and the protections of the unified ticket are major. It's even more important on the way home, when the flight connection you could miss is the long, expensive one. Booking a separate connection of your own design is not recommended and should be the very last resort.
Posted by
San Francisco area
1888 posts
When I did the RS GAS tour several years ago I flew into LHR and stayed for a couple of days. I took a short flight on a separate ticket to Luxembourg. There was a public bus to the train station. The station is not the last stop so you have to keep an eye out for it. Short train ride to Trier. Short taxi to the hotel. If you are on the RS tour, some folks have reported that their drivers had some difficulty find the hotel, so have a printed copy of the hotel name and address handy to show. Flew home from Vienna.
Open jaw ticketing is the way to go for this trip.