The current issue of Frommers Budget Travel points out that air connections within Europe even within a particular country often offer better prices than train travel. Rail travel is very expensive, moreso if you buy it through an US outlet such as RailEurope, when set against the fares the European short hop lines offer. The air fares are not cheaper if you have a prem or a bons plans in France and sometimes not cheaper if you get a senior rail discount. I checked the differences between several points in France for this year. Part of my route is from Paris to Lyon to Rennes. Air France offers a flight via Brit Air to Rennes cheaper than the trains or auto. Last year I took Easy Jet from Prague to Basel and a week later on to Nice. All flights were cheaper and faster than auto or train. Air travel from both Marseilles and from Toulouse to Paris was cheaper than by rail, but you should check the SNCF site for specials if you will be in France.
Posted by
Pearland, TX, USA
852 posts
Hi HD,
... Thanks for the information... P
Posted by
Hendersonvlle, NC
486 posts
But if you are looking at flight times, understand that in European cities, you take the train to the airport well ahead of your flight time, check your bag, go through security, wait for a late flight, sit in a sardine can, arrive at destination airport, wait for your luggage then take the train to the city center.
For the train, showing up 15 minutes before train time is sufficient, trains are almost always on time and they go from city center to city center. You can get up and walk around or sit in your comfortable seat.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7566 posts
You also need to figure in all of the costs of Air travel. The cheap Ryan Air flights are nice, but advertised price does not include taxes and fees, nor does it include obviously the transport cost to and from airports, which can be 10-20 Euro each way. Further, baggage limitation on planes can cause issues, if you have to pay extra, you can rack up 40 to 100 Euro in a hurry. I find the break even point is something longer than a 6 hour Train or Ferry journey is a good air candidate.