Travelling in Europe - Meals and Transportation

Yes, Emirates are good. Went on them when they were the first, I think, to have individual screens for economy passengers!

Wetherspoons pubs in London still have really good value meals + drinks; I don 't agree that prices are 30% more now than 2 years ago! Where do you go, c i??

If you're going to Paris, there are hostels for about 28€ a bed, but also check out Formule 1 hotels which are very basic but a lot quieter than a hostel - modern and characterless, ideal for someone on a budget who just wants somewhere to sleep and leave luggage. I used to go for the characterful and cheap because there were no facilities but that's just silly really! You can eat in the Cité Universitaire, subsidised meals - meant to be for uni students in Paris (like my son) but if you're foreign, I think it's easy to get in. Nice campus nr Porte d'Orléans.

Emirates..

There's been some discussion, over the past 2-3 weeks, in the travel section of the Sydney Morning Herald about Emirates, with opinions ranging from "bloody appalling" to "great", "wonderful service", to "service - what?"

I've not tried them personally, but they're flying out of Sydney, and advertising a lot at present. Maybe next year. Preference is dear old Qantas, though. Heading your way next week, Kiwi Chic!
Don't start me on Scandinavian Airlines - I'm running a 1-person vendetta!

Clary, I was talking about a cup of coffee and donut in London. I distinctly remember it cost about US$5 in 2003, and over $6.50 this year! Pub food was almost the same, except for the fact that the conversion from US$ to English pound cost us about 10 percent more.

Do you all think that it might be wise to "reserve" hostels for some after-Christmas dates? Cause I just bought my tickets .

el_pohl, Winter rates in London should be rather good compared to high season rates. Check out the web sites and compare prices remembering that London is a very big city with good public transportation.

Margo the weather here is brilliant at the moment-where abouts are you going to?

I prefer air New Zealand but they are just too expensive now,
I dont think I could ever fly Qantas again, at least not all the way over to England. That was just a horrible experience.

Seems like a good idea to act soon, el Pohl, but look around a bit, check comments - Trip Advisor has comments from people who have stayed at different places. Look at maps. I don't know how to find out what is a seriously bad neighborhood in London - there was a link for something like that re San Francisco when a2kers went there from all around. Not that those kind of comments are always right, they're often written by generally rather frightened folks, but it might make a difference in what you choose.

You may end up staying near train stations. I don't have enough general travel experience to say how smart that is. Some riff raff hangs around; on the other hand, lots of friends have stayed near various train stations happily and conveniently. Being able to walk a short way to catch a train seems pretty efficient.

I don't know how city transportation is in TJ..
when I lived in LA it was there but not all that helpful.
I think you'll be amazed at public transportation in Europe re how extensive and handy it is. (Could be wrong, both about your amazement and perhaps I have a starry-eyed viewpoint.)

europe
...OFFICIAL SITE - LONDON TRANSPORT...

this site should give you all the information you need to travel about london including maps. it's usually best to buy a day/weekly travel pass ... no waiting in line-ups and cheaper ... but don't ever loose it, fines for being caught without ticket are steep and no excuses allowed (like : "oh, i didn't know. sorry about that" ... it won't cut any ice !).
we bought our london transport pass in canada in advance and after arriving at heathrow used the tube to get into the city. hbg

yep use the Tube and buy a 'London A-Z' book from and
newstand vendor

Plenty of newsstand vendors around Picadilly Circus and on the east side of the National Gallery.

bm

and

you're right Osso, I'm amazed how well the public transportation is in here and I've been told Italy is not that great because of slight delays on time. But other than that it's just great.

Italy's public transportation is by European standards indeed below average.

Right now I'm in Bergamo, Italy and I'll have 5-6 days to travel in 2 weeks and I'm looking to travel either to:

- Rome, although I might wait a little to book by trenok.com which has a fare for only 9 euros from Milan. But I must reserve with 2 weeks in advance and it's too late for that. So I'm thinking of going later. Can also book for 19 euros.
- Get some kind of 'travel all that you want' and get to know the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg) and Germany. I'm thinking of sleeping on the train or bus if I do this. Maybe flying to Brusells with ryanair.com (since the nearest airport from here has a direct flight there) and returning either by air or ground from Germany.
- Same idea as above but going to Spain.
- Flying somewhere like Prague and staying there for the whole 5 days.

Any comments?
Special offers that you know of?

Don't have much time right now.. will come back.

JoeFX, When in Prague, wear your inside the clothing money belt, and don't take a taxi without making sure you won't get ripped off (this was a problem a few years ago). If you go to Spain, don't miss Barcelona. In Milan, go see the Opera House museum. I also waited for three hours in the hot sun for three hours to see Leonardo's "the last supper." In Belgium, go visit Brugges, a nice historical walking city.

just catching up from the weekend....this is all very exciting..where is the 'Last Supper' painting, I think I would be very interrested in seeing that!

You can purchase tickets when you're at home - just as long as you have 15 days before attending.
This link give you info on Leonardo's painting, tickets, and maps. http://www.weekendafirenze.com/museidet/cenacolo_e.htm

Never never never never never leave tips to restaurants, especially in France and Italy.

If you pay tips, they ask you for more tips.

Well, there are - especially in France and Italy - restaurants, where service is not included in the bill.

I don't know when and how often you made your expeiences, Jaffrey, but I'm traveling quite a lot in Europe (actually: exclusively until now), and this now since more than 50 years.
Such never happened and I've never heard (or read) of similar.

Ok, I decided for none of my options I had... I'll go to Bratislava on the 7th and spend 8th and 9th on Vienna.