European Tours II

[mama squeak!]

^Yup, big difference specially if you can get airline staff discounts on hotel/room rates for short stays (less than 3 nights). For longer stays, it's still cheaper to rent an apartment.

What I do if we plan to stay for less than 3 nights in a place, I email the hotel directly asking if they offer airline staff discounts. No harm naman to always ask, all they can do is say no kung hindi, di ba? That's also true for local hotels here ha. Check mo na rin for car rentals (countryside driving) and interline airfares (ZED) for deeper savings and discounts.

Backread ka lang on this thread and the other ones and start planning a little at a time and you're DIY itinerary will be well worth it.

 

[theflygirl]

^yup, I'll start emailing the hotels mid this year. Big discounts nga for airline staff. I got huge savings at The Pen BKK last Vday. 👍 pero type ko rin to experience staying at one of those Parisian or Italian apartments. 😉

Ang di ko pa na-try eh yung sa car rental but I think di type ni hubby mag drive. So I'll look for daytours and the like. Tapos bus or train between countries na lang. Naisip ko din kasi laki risk to pay for the insight type tours tapos fly interline. Eh Kung full load eh Di lagot yung tour! Super expensive na nga, baka masayang pa. Kaya I think I'd better stick to DIY.

[m_lim]

saan ba maganda kumuha ng day tour? like Da Vinci Code tour.. recommended ba sumama sa ganun?

[gt76]

@mama_Squeak: Super big difference ba rates pag DIY vs let's say, getting from insightvacations? Now ko lang din na-realize di na kami ni hubby pasok sa contiki next year haha. Planning a 2 week Euro trip for our 10th anniv. More than a year to go pa naman. Started backreading and researching. Sa yo ko rin nafind out yung airbnb last year. Thanks for all the tips. Keep em coming!

Hi sis! Try mo check yung expatexplore bet. 18-38 y/o naman sila at mas mura sa Contiki. Pero kung kaya nyo naman mag DIY gawin nyo tutal 2 naman kayo. :-)

[theflygirl]

^thanks! I'll check that out. 👍

[gt76]

^we have 2days before Venice. saan ba maganda pumunta sis? ayaw kasi ng hubby ko sa Florence. yun sana mas ok na route since pababa na kami ng Rome. Switzerland ano ba meron?

Visit Jungfrau (Top of Europe) it's really a great experience! :-)

[m_lim]

^ano pwede gawin don sis? ginoogle ko, bundok pala iyan.

[maddie_girl]

^sis, you could try visiting a vineyard in france and stay in a chateau before crossing over to switzerland. when i go back to france, nasa to-do list ko yan.

[gt76]

^ano pwede gawin don sis? ginoogle ko, bundok pala iyan.

Tyrolienne, ski & board & glacier bar.

[little_princess]

I just back from Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Czestochowa, Krakow, Banska Bystria, Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna. If anyone has questions, let me know we were on a tour so everything was set up for us but nevertheless, it was a great experience!

[jenny_syngkit]

Hi. How's the check-in process when boarding the Eurostar? Parang airline ba that they check your baggage and documents or parang MRT na you just go through a turnstile? Thanks.

[mama squeak!]

 ^No check-in for regular bags. Bring your bags with you when you scan or punch your tickets at the train station. In short bitbit your own bags. This link might help you,

http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/travel_information/at_the_station/check_in.jsp

 

[m_lim]

^aaww. sayang. naka book na ako to Brussels. anyway, next trip!

how about sa Thalys? bitbit your own bag rin ba?

[mama squeak!]

^Yup!

[m_lim]

thanks sooooo much,mama squeak!:D

tapos na ako with our itinerary! naka book na rin ako flights and accomodations. 2weeks to go! can't wait!

[little_princess]

anyone can recommend cheap but clean and accessible hotels in london? it's so expensive! we're going there july 9-20 and we have shortlisted admiral hotel (200m from paddington station) and hilton islington (300m from angel station).

[mapy]

Mga sis I'll be in Spain this 2nd week of May. Baka meron po sainyo pwde makasabay maglibot sa Barcelona/Madrid. =)

[jenny_syngkit]

@little_princess - I checked admiral hotel in Tripadvisor and I've read not so good reviews. We'll be in London this May and I'm looking at Holiday Inn Express (Swiss Cottage, Earl's Court or Limehouse). Around 6k per night lang with breakfast (based on our travel date ha). They're not London Central pero supposedly malapit sa tube stations.

[m_lim]

naku, nabasa ko madaming museums ang sarado sa Paris ng May1 kasi Labor Day!

eto ang itinerary namin on May1:

Notre Dame
Sainte Chapelle
Pantheon
Jardins du Luxembourg

alin kaya diyan ang sarado???

[little_princess]

jenny_syngkit, thanks sis! oo nga, i checked and ayaw ko na! we are looking at holiday inn swiss cottage din kasi that's pretty near sa central london. i also found a lovely hotel called the hide london but medyo malayo