Hi all - well my topic title says it all. I have been to western Europe lots of times and planned all the trips. Now, my niece and I are planning a trip to Croatia and Slovenia in May 2011. My problem is finding flights. I have absolutely no idea how to get the best flights for time as well as price. It seems very expensive to travel from Cleveland to either country. Is it better to fly into another city - say Amsterdam, London, whatever, and then fly to either Croatia or Slovenia? When I have checked into that option it seems just as expensive. Am I doing something wrong or is it just very costly to visit those countries. Thanks in advance...........
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
lisa, For travel to the two countries you mentioned, you'll probably have to transit through a larger "hub" airport such as Frankfurt. Could you provide some further information on your travel plans. Are you intending to start in one of the countries and return home from the other? Will you be using open-jaw flights, and if so which airport will you be using for the trip home? I suspect the flights will cost more than those to more frequently travelled locations, so you may have to allow a bit more in the travel budget. Cheers!
Posted by
St. Louis, MO USA
1976 posts
Hi Lisa. First, check Kayak.com for flights - the returned results start with the cheapest flights. Second, you could look at round-trip flights departing from NYC, Chicago, Newark, or other cities. There are almost no direct international flights from St. Louis, so I look at round-trip flights from other cities and then at flights from St. Louis to Chicago or NYC or wherever. This method is sometimes cheaper than trying to fly direct from cities that can't offer much international service.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8059 posts
I agree that flights will be more expensive than a major western europe destination, but maybe comparable to flying onto a smaller western Europe destination. If the cost is significantly higher, you might consider flying into a major destination, then using budget airlines to get to and from Croatia and Slovenia. Most likely this would mean spending a night or two at that major destination, but a night in Paris, London, or Munich may be fun too.
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
Easyjet flies from London to Zagreb, Split, and Ljubljana. So your best bet might be to find a low price to London and then switch to Easyjet. One downside is that Easyjet's flights are out of Stansted or Gatwick, not Heathrow. A search today on farecompare.com gives a best price of $1049., RT Cleveland to Zagreb, next May. Downside is two stopovers both going and coming. But that price might serve as a basis for comparison. (btw $1049 doesn't seem like too bad of a price). Price varies quite a bit depending on the exact dates you choose to fly.
Posted by
Pearl, Mississipp, USA
3 posts
www.dohop.com is al good website for europe flights.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
Have you looked into flying into a cheaper gateway (but as close as possible to your first destination), then taking the train? It might work.