Europe Trip in Oct 07

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disneyland

New Member
I will be going for my Europe Trip in Oct 07. Places that I will visit are Old Trafford, Disneyland. So countries that I will probably go are France, England, Italy and Switzerland. Me not good in geography. are these countries near to each other and conveniently to travel? Any places to recommend if I visit these countries. Mose of transport? Most importantly, hotel recommendation needed. Preferably not too expensive. can be 2* or 3* provided toilets are clean and not shared. Need a lot of info as me going europe first time free and easy. thank you
 


this is quite doable.
England is connected to France via undersea train. But need to book early so as to get cheaper rates. u can travel England --> France --> Switzerland --> Italy
Try to leave from an Euro country, e.g. France/Italy esp if u r buying branded goods from France/Italy.

All these countries are connected by trains.
England to France 'via EuroStar
France to Swiz/Italy 'via EuroRail
You can get the 3 countries euroRail pass.
www.railpass.com

How many days are u doing??
France --> U can go visit chateaus at the Loire Valley (Amboise, Tours), Paris (of coz), Nice (beach)

Switzerland --> Jungfrau (snow-capped mountains), Lucern... DO NOT GO ZURICH
 
Disney, France, England, Italy and Switzerland are all inter-connected by train or plane.

I would say Italy is most southern-most point of the 4 countries and has a very well-connected train (try to go Trenitalia's website to get offers on international train tickets to other parts of Europe from an originating Italian city) to get to most cities in Europe. I would probably start with Italy and make my way upwards to Switzerland and then France and then UK. Also don't flights (budget or otherwise) cos' they can cost less than trains depending on the time you're on holiday.
 
Hi Disney

So coincident!!I will be going to Europe with my wife for HM in October and also to exactly the places you mentioned!!

Switzerland, Italy, France and England (Old Trafford==>MUST GO)

Cheers
Dericko
 
Hi Disney

Idyll's suggestions are pretty sensible. In fact if you only intend to visit Old Trafford it would probably be cheaper for you to fly from France to Manchester as buying a train ticket from the train station in London to Manchester would be expensive (train tickets in Britain are cheap only if you book way way way in advance). Alternatively if you do intend to travel round Britain, a Britrail ticket would be a worthwhile investment. Since you intend to make the journey North to Manchester (Old Trafford) why not include a visit to the Lake District as well! Its a very pretty part of England and you'll be more than halfway there as its closer to Manchester than to London.
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You can get Britrail (and eurail for that matter) from travel agents in Singapore (I got mine the last time from Dynasty but I'm sure there are others who sell them as well).
 
Hi Dericko,
Such a coincident. have you decided on the iternary already or..mayb we can share on the best rate, etc..u goin free n easy also??
 
Ah yes, flying in Europe is so much easier and effortless seeing how there is an abundance of budget airlines plying Europe's airports.

The con is with the recent terror alerts coming through. I shudder to think what will happen when we get into Europe this Fall, seeing how I was one of the many that was stuck in Europe at last year's airport clamp down.
 
Idyll

I can understand! I flew off to UK the day after they had the London airport bomb scares. Had to queue for 2 h to check in at Heathrow.
 
Gosh Jul! It must be a nightmare.

Let me recount our nightmare. We were in Florence when we (actually me) got up in the morning. Around 8ish Florence time. Saw the news unfolded on telly and after BBC and CNN and most major news networks start to show the same thing, I nudged hubs off the bed to call the airline/airport.

So to cut the story short. We took the train to Rome (praying that the flights are still taking off - they were still flying then) and then when we got to Rome Termini station, we decided to not pursue the flight and queued up for the train to Paris. He was on the phone with insurers, I was on the phone with BAA and our hotel in London (we had 3 phones between us!). All that whilst queueing for the tickets and eventually getting the tickets to Paris via Milan.

In Paris, we had to take early morning train - massive queue (this is the 3rd day of clamp down already) - all going into London. And when we wanted to leave London for Singapore, our flight was at 8pm but we got there around 5pm! And we still have to wait for about 1.5 hours outside where they set up tents etc before getting into the building to officially check in - chaotic man! I felt like a non-contestant of Amazing Race.
 
Hi Idyll

Whoa.. sounds much worse than my experience. The queue at Changi Airport was pretty ok. First time I'd ever seen a queue at the waiting area tho.. U know, that place where they scan ur boarding pass, x-ray ur hand carry luggage & scan u with that rectangular doorway? Anyway it wasn't too bad. They were quite efficient. And as I wasn't flying to US, I din have to carry my things in that ziploc bag. I felt so sorry for the other passengers in the queue next to ours - all holding a ziplox bag with only wallet, keys & passport.

The entire 3 weeks I was in UK, all I ever saw on BBC was reports of Ryan Air boss being furious coz he's losing money, weird boys who sneak themselves on board by hiding in a bag, 2 poor Muslim guys who got thrown off a plane back from Greece etc. We were just crossing our fingers that the confusion wud be cleared up by the time we were gog home.

Coming back was not so ok tho. Other than the queue to check in, there was the security check. They confiscated my lip balm, moisturiser etc. But they told me I cud buy new ones from the duty free shops. Strange.. I cud still make a bomb from the stuff I bot! But I guess I was lucky in that the authorities & airport personnel had abt 3 weeks to get the system into better shape. Or I wud be one of the poor souls who q for 10hrs to check in!
 
You are right - it seems odd that we could still buy all those stuff in duty free and still get on board. Hubs was furious (he used to work in the airline industry for 10+ years prior) so he knew that didn't make sense.

I was ill (flu and the works) by the time I got into Heathrow to fly home. Had to have my meds all checked into my luggage. So i requested Qantas to give me an extra seat so I can lie horizontally - they obliged - HURRAY! (I guess with what was going on, everyone just avoided travelling altogether). But when I landed in Changi, I heard a pop in my ear and after that, my sense of hearing in my left ear was slowly depleting causing me to lose equilibrium and feel out of sorts. I only recovered fully with my hearing back to normal some 3 weeks later. It was agonising cos' my ear was aching.
 
Oh, I had the cough. I developed it after 1 week in London. Think the cold & wet thing just din agree with my weak constitution hehe.

The way I was coughing on the plane, I tot someone wud throw me out for being a suspect SARS case. But surprisingly, no one even blinked. Think they were all occupied with the bomb threats to worry abt biological "warfare" haha
 
hi all..i need some advice here. I will be travelling to Milan, italy for work in mid september'07. After which, i m extending 6 nights to tour switzerland and Italy. I will be staying ard the lake Maggiore area which is also connected to switzerland. Thus, i m planning my trip this way: From Verbania (lake maggiore) to Lugano (in switzerland) to Jungfrau (interlaken, stay 1 night) to Bern (2 nights) to venice (2 nights) and Milan (last night). Any advice if the itinery i proposed is feasible. Alternatively, i m also interested to see the Mont Blanc which is bordered by swtizerland, italy and france. But if i choose to go Mont Blanc i might need to skip Jungfrau and bern, and will go to lake geneva instead. I check the web too, it seems that there is nothing much to see in geneva. Anyone been there before. Would really appreciate it if anyone can give me some advice. Thanks
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Hi Shirley, here's my 2 cents worth (for what it's worth, may not worth a lot..hahaha).

I haven't been to most parts of Switzerland though I have spent a winter's week in Lugano - that's about it. So maybe I can't be of much help.

I'm biased --> leaning more towards Italy. Northern Italy is beautiful and the climate is almost always perfect. I'd probably not do all that travelling in 6 days. First, I'm the kind that likes to suck in the atmosphere, be merry with the locals and jsut experience. I can't get that in say a day in a city and move on. Of course, this is my own humble opinion.

Perhaps spend a 3-3 or 4-2 day between a city in Switzerland and a city or two in Italy?
 
Hi marnie, thanks for ur feedback. ya, i know it's a bit too rush..by then i will be spending 6 nights in northern italy. Other parts of italy like pisa and rome seems nice also, but i think they are too far. My must go places are venice and Jungfrau. But last night will still be spend at milan, as i will be flying back from there.

Any other people here went to bern before? How's the place like, any comment?
 
Disney, you can get on RER A from the city centre (ie. Chatelet-Les Halles station) to Marne-la-Vallée Chessy which is just on the doorstep of Disneyland.

Shirley, enjoy your hols in Italy/Switzerland.
 
Hi Idyll,
Thanks!

Shd i fly from SIN to ITALY then travel to ENGLAND or fly from SIN to ENGLAND then travel down to ITALY? Any differences??
 
Disney, this was what I did last year - I flew Qantas to London and spend a bit of time there before flying into Rome by Alitalia.

You can try British Airways to see what the cost is like. I reckon for 2 pax, it'll be about S$3.5K to do this itinerary - Singapore-Rome-London-Singapore. Of course, it's very much depended on the period you are travelling and the city. I'm gauging it's cheaper to fly into Italy then it is to fly into Paris (where I am headed). It's always a good starting point when you are researching for flights.

Where you go first, is very much depended on your travel itinerary (ie. what you plan to do. etc).
 
Hi, I m gg London/Liverpool in sept 07. I need to find the cheapest hotel accommodation.... Anyone, pls advise.
 
Petrina, best if you google and trawl the internet for some leads into the hotel accomodation to one which can suit your budget. To me even a B&B at GBP50.00 is expensive cos' well, that's like SGD150.00 but have to get used to that as it's one of the strongest currency.
 
Hi all
I am thinking of going England in late Oct - early Nov. I have been to France and Italy. Am thinking of Spain or Switzerland to add on. Any advise on the how I should fly in and out? Must visit include London, Liverpool, Old Trafford.
 
Baby, where is your starting point? And how long are you spending your time in each of the cities? Once you decide on that, it would be easier to plan around your itineraries.

If it were me, I'd start with London. And then fly (on BMIBaby or BA) into Manchester before making my way to Liverpool on the train. From Liverpool, I can take a return trip to Madrid or Barcelona on EasyJet. Then take a quick 1.5 hour train trip from Liverpool to Manchester to either fly into London for my return trip or fly into Singapore.

FYI, EasyJet plies Liverpool and Barcelona and Madrid and from the London airports at Luton, Gatwick and Stansted. British Airways open jaw on SIN-LHR and MAN-SIN cost about S$1.7K each.
 
Hi Disney,

For branded goods, Paris in France, and Milan in Italy?

They are arguably the fashion capitals of the world.
 
Hi Disney,

Sorry I don't quite understand you question, perhaps you could be more specific?

I've stayed in Holland for four years when I was younger, and those four years are the best years of my life. We stayed in The Hague and have only been to Amsterdam a few times so I cannot say much about Amsterdam, which I presume is what you would be asking about.

I have not been to mainland Spain, have only been to some islands that belong to Spain, and most Singaporeans haven't even heard of those islands, so I shall not mention those...
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With regards to Italy, yeah it's nice and the pasta's great, but it's a little on the chaotic side, though the countryside is great. For my wife and I, France is our favourite European country so far as it has everything we like; happening cities, fashion (for my wife of course), wonderful scenary, fantastic food, and friendly warm people (once you get past the language barrier which really only takes a few words or phrases pronounced properly).

So are you referring to what we prefer in terms of shopping, or eating, or touring, or people, or ... ?
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We were planning to go France, UK , Switzerland and another country so do not know which one better. heeh
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touring wise le..which one u prefer?? u ever go skiing b4 in Swizerland? The gloves, etc..can rent there or we need to buy?? ..we wer planning to go old trafford..any places near there u can recommend?? i read a lot of travel books..they didnt mention anything le..
 
Disney

Old Trafford is in Manchester. So find out what you can see and do in Manchester.

How do you intend to travel round in Britain? By train? By car?

If by train you could consider going to neighbouring cities like Liverpool or Chester. Or if you want a bit of countryside, the Peak District is right on its doorstep.

If you intend to hire a car, you could go slightly further afield like the Lake District, North Wales or even the Yorkshire Dales.

These are just some suggestions on what you can see and do in the Northwestern part of the UK. Obviously there are more but that depends on how much time you have. Unless you have 2 months holiday, visiting 4 countries: Frace, UK, Switzerland and another country sounds rather heavy to me! If you are short on time, it can be quite rush as you've to spend a lot of time travelling from one place to another. It might perhaps be better to do fewer countries and save the rest for next time.
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Just a thought, if you intend to do 4 European Countries just the UK alone would fit the bill after all it is made up of 4 different countries: England, Scotland, Wales and N Ireland!
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Dear Mrs. N,

It seems like a losing battle persuading people to visit less countries. Especially when so many tour agencies in Singapore have 5 countries in 7 days type of tour packages. Coupled with our kiasu Singaporean mentality, it does not help. It takes experience for people to understand that sometimes indeed, less is more.
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i'd be doing Italy and Switzerland in 12 days, plus free & easy on our own Paris for 5 days more. Haven't booked hotel at Paris coz think should wait for CTC to confirm the 3rd Nov tour 1st?
 
Hi everyone

Went to SA tours mega sales today and booked my honeymoon trip with them to Europe(Italy Switzerland and Paris) for 12 days on the 20th Nov 2007. Anyone going on this date as well?
 
Hi Dericko,
i have booked the same pkg as you but my departure date is one mth earlier, 20th Oct. Btwm how much is ur pkg?
 
Hi,
Hi Dericko & Bride to Be,
Mind sharing with me the cost and iternary of the package? Thinking of takin package also coz much easier.

Hi Dericko,
Tot u are goin to Old Trafford also? Does the package include a trip there?
 
Hi Mrs N,
I also don't know. probably by train or flight, i guess. My iternary will be something like SIN-LON-MANCHESTER-PARIS-SWISS-LON-SIN.

Places to visit in UK-Harrods,Big Ben, Buckingham Palace,Windsor Palace, London Eye and Manchester..
Places to Visit in France-Paris and Disneyland (No idea, a visit to Disneyland take how long?One day enough??)
Places to Visit in Swiss-Jungfraujoch,Geneva and Mt Titlus,etc..

I went to the europass website..so many different pass.

anyone can recommend any cheap accomodations that is ard S$100. Saw on the website..quite a number of hostels provide lodging at ard S$70 plus with individual showers and toilets..dunno how is their condition like?? Anyone has any recommendations?? Thank you!
 
Hi Disney

Yup i will be extending my trip to London and make travel north to Manchester. Will be catching the Man Utd vs Derby match. And if time permits, will also be visiting Liverpool as well.

Will PM you the SA itinery. Keen to join us as i think it will be a better idea to go to a foreign country in a small group rather than only me and my wife.

Hi Bride to be

Hope to hear your feedback when you are back in SG from your trip. I was intially signing up for 20 Oct but it is a bit more expensive. You flying by SQ also? Mind PM me your package price?
 
Hi Disney,

Sorry, only just saw your question about skiing in Switzerland. Yes, we have skied in Switzerland twice, each time for two weeks. I would really recommend at least five days, since it takes at least three days if you are a complete beginner to be able to stop and turn at will; only then would you be able to progress to steeper slopes which allows you to go to different parts of the mountain. But skiing in Switzerland is expensive; Austria and France are cheaper, and arguably just as good for skiing.

Judging from your proposed itinerary, I hope you are spending at least three weeks on holiday; else you may find it too rushed to be enjoyable. No need to be kiasu and try to cover all of Europe in a few weeks.
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Hi Raymond,

yup ..spendin 3 weeks there..any idea how long is the flight / train journey from London to Manchester??

Hi Dericko,
Thank you for sending me the iternary. will look thru and discuss.but is the package price > $3.5K?
 
Hi Disney,

The last time I was in London was not too long ago... 1985... I was barely a teenager then.
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Sorry I have not been to Manchester. But I can think of many ways I can find the answer through the net, and I think if you are resourceful, you can too.
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Disney Train times vary depending on which train you take. On average the journey is just over two hours long (provided there are no 'accidents', 'incidents' or cancellations). I usually use this website to find train times, buy tickets etc. The Trainline. You can check it out regarding dates you wish to travel. Flying is probably shorter but tis not worth the hassle with airport security on such short flights I think.
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Ha! Ha! Raymond I guess brochures from travel agents can be misleading at times. What may seem 'near' on paper isn't quite so in reality. Its only when one gets there that the realisation of how much time one spends on the road travelling from one city to the next kicks in. Yeah it's a pity that some tours are a bit rushed I think most would end up sleeping in the coach instead of admiring the beautiful scenary.
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Hi Mrs. N,

Yes, completely agree with you. Coupled with the fact that we live in a very small country so we do not really understand long distances. But I think I have complained enough about the cons of tour packages so I shall just keep my mouth shut.
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Hiya, does anyone knows whether there is any limit to the number of items we can purchase from LV, Gucci or Prada in Europe? Do u thk it is better to hand carry or pack it in the luggage?
 
Hi lilo,

Don't know about the limit, but definitely hand carry; else people may be watching you at the airport while you are claiming for VAT refund, and your check-in luggage mysteriously is lost, and all you get is some miserable compensation from the airline.
 
Hi all,

How to get from London to Manchester. I checked ryanair,easy jet..no flights to Manchester..or shd i go by train?? pls advise. thank you! i read from the above that it is better to fly from france to manchester..what u all tink?? thanks
 
Disney, you can try bmibaby.com or British Airways. Both fly from London Heathrow.

I'm not sure about flying from France as this aspect can only be answered once your itinerary is planned ie. your pattern of vacationing etc.
 


you may try the first great western train from london paddington station to Manchester(about 2hr30mins journey). If you book earlier, you may able to get a very cheap ticket. http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
How long will you been staying in UK? If you have time, you should visit some other places like Brighton(45mins train), Oxford(1hr train), Bath(1hr30mins train from London), Cornwall, Lake distict or Isle of Sky. If you like shopping, you may visit Bicester outlet village which is accesible by train. http://www.bicestervillage.com/bicester/home.asp. Very convenient.
 
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