European Tours Thread 3

[d_zialcita]

thank you for replying mamasqueak.

here's my itinerary:
april 10: flight from manila to paris
april 11: arrive paris at 1:30pm
april 12: day tour
april 13: day tour
april 14: day tour
april 15: leave at 7pm for night train to florence
april 16: arrive florence at 7:30am
april 17: go around tuscany
april 18: go around florence
april 19: pisa then rome
april 20:rome
april 21: rome, fly to athens
april 22-28: athens and santorini.. fly back to athens

booked all hotels, trains, air tickets already.

just need the manila-paris, athens-manila tickets.



do you suggest we go back to paris to avail of the round trip fare?
thanks!

[mama squeak!]

^sis, I just made a mock booking for a round trip ticket MNL-CDG-MNL. Unfortunately the dates available are for MNL-CDG 09April  and return CDG-MNL 30Apr, total fare for two is USD1951.52 (plus PH travel tax of PHP1620 each) as against USD2920 for two with KLM. A thousand dollars difference!

Here's the link to the promo. You can try mock booking other dates if available.

Try to see also saan kayo makakatipid: RT promo + domestic flights as against Open Jaw tickets. Of course another consideration is the alloted time. 

Edited:

I just did another mock booking this time with Easyjet for Athens to Paris (ORY). Fare for two with 2 bags comes out to EUR338 or USD445.00

So, if you avail of the MNL-CDG-MNL promo with the following dates and routing:

09April  MNL-CDG
30April  CDG-MNL
Total fare: USD1952 (plus PH Travel tax of PHP1620/pax)

29April  Athens to Paris (ORY)**Overnight in Paris since your flight back to MNL via CDG is next day.
Total fare: USD445

Overall total for two pax is USD2397.00


 

[d_zialcita]

^wow! that's so cheap!
but i have a question, my visa starts on april 10th. can i still get the april 9th ticket?
if i can, then, hopefully my husband's leave can get an extension so we can do this!

if not allowed... then will choose between klm and emirates.

thank you mamasqeak!

[mama squeak!]

^If you take CX on the 9th the flight will be arriving Paris on the 10th. Just in time for your visa's start of effectivity. So no worries on that front.

Must warn you though since the fare is on promo expect limited seats. First come first served.  Otherwise, choose between KLM and EK.

 

[paulina19]

HI Mama squeak, thanks for your very quick reply... first time travel ko kasi ito in Europe.  I am here nga pala in Dubai with my kids. Thanks po talaga Sana maaprove ang visa ko, so I can move on thinking of my ITs

[mama squeak!]

^Oh if that's the case then you can maximize the whole 16 days of your vacation since DXB to Paris is just a 7 hour flight if you take the direct flights. You can add two more days to Germany maybe add Berlin.

You are planning to go in summer so I suggest try to book your accommodation soon since those are peak months. Since you'll be staying longer in one place at a time, it will be cheaper to rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. Back read ka lang on this thread and the earlier ones to get tips on your planning.

 

[d_zialcita]

thank you mamasqueak.
will book emirates.. that's what the husband wants.
last day to pay is on march pa, so still have time to wait for other promos just in case meron pang iba.

what should i wear to paris, will be there on april 11 to 15th. will be doing a postnup shoot, any suggestions? will be doing another postnup shoot in santorini on april 24th, how is the weather then kaya? what to wear?


thanks!

[riksy07]

Sisses, checked Uniqlo sa MOA and they don't have HeatTech anymore kasi change season na raw. Ended up buying nalang sa Marks And Spencer ng HeatGen nila. Checked the weather din and mukhang magnenegative ang temperature sa London and Paris this coming week and then improve lang ng mga two to three degrees in the following weeks. Question lang. Can I just wear the wool Marks and Spencer leggings and tights I got on their own (like under a dress) or do I layer them under jeggings/jeans/pants? I'm planning kasi na to wear them on their own eh, tapos HeatGen socks for added warmth and boots na rin, tapos HeatGen top underneath my dress. Then coat and scarf on top and gloves (wool ones).

[Starlust]

^Depende sa tolerance mo sa cold sis. Also if it rains or not. If it's raining, windy and temp is single digit lang I suggest don't wear the tights on their own.
I live in Paris and temp this week has been at 11-16 degrees. When it's not raining, nakakalabas akong naka tights lang (not even thermal, just regular tights) + dress/long pullover + coat (or pag super sunny just a poncho or a thick cardigan)
Next week mukhang the weather is going to drop nga. www.meteo.fr has super accurate predictions, I always check the site to use as a guide before getting dressed

[mama squeak!]

@d_zialcita, sorry I missed your other Q. April is the start of spring so it should be starting to warm up. No need to bring heavy wool clothing, tama na ang layering. You can even get away with a regular trench coat. Bring ka lang ng sweater/tights for layering in case it gets cold. Oh and don't forget your travel umbrellas. 

@Starlust, if things work out I might be back in Paris February next year in time for the winter sale. I have a Q lang, PM kita. Thanks!

 

[la vampira]

hello sisses!

It's my first time to post here after backreading this and the other threads! My eyes are literally bleeding, hehe!! I'm starting to plan for our 5th wedding anniversary trip next year, sometime March/April or September/October. We plan to visit France, Italy and Spain with a week to spare in each destination. It's our first time to go to Europe kaya we have very little ideas on what to expect and what to do. I've also explored doing a packaged trip (the one that interests us would be this: http://www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=35210&content=overview&source=CO_Product_Panoramas) but I feel like we won't really get to enjoy each place since we'll only get to spend about 1 or 2 nights in each destination. Your inputs on the following will be much appreciated:

- Is 1 week per country doable? or is it too much? Can I do a 4th country, say, London and take our flight back home from there?
- What cities in France, Italy, Spain are a must?
- How much budget should I allot for a DIY Euro trip, excluding airfares and hotel accomodations please
- Of the countries I mentioned, which has the best shopping scene?

I'm super excited for this! Thank you in advance sisses!!

[bagaholic_chewy]

For me, 1 week is ok for each country. Or if Paris ka lang sa France, you can spend the extra days in Italy kasi andami talaga mapupuntahan dun. I think 3-4 days in Paris is enough if you have other destinations pa. Althoug kami, we spent about 10days in total sa Paris, relaxed pace kasi kami and we went to Disneyland din.

For Italy, i would recommend Rome, Florence (also a good jumpoff point for Pisa, Siena and The Mall, where shopping for branded Italian goods is really good) and Venice. Last April, we spent about two weeks in Italy in total (we went to Naples, Milan, etc pa kasi).

For Spain, i'd recommend at least Madrid and Barcelona. Zara, etc are really cheap in Barcelona. You can buy shirts on sale for 3-5euros per piece. Naghoard ako dun ng mga pampasalubong sa family, especially sa mga pamangkin.

First trip namin was about 2.5weeks - France and Spain. We took our inbound and outbound flights to/from Paris. Went to Spai i the middle of the trip, we left our other things sa Paris. Second trip namin was for three weeks - Italy and Czech Republic. We entered in Rome, and left from Milan. We went to Czech in the middle of our trip para wala masyado bitbit na stuff, iniwan namin sa Rome yung ibang stuff namin. 

If you want to add another country, i'd recommend within Schengen na para di hassle sa pag-apply ng another visa for UK, esp kung few days lang kayo dun. But, that's just me. Good luck and enjoy planning!

[riksy07]

@Starlust

Thanks for the reply and the suggested site sis. I'll check up on that.

[little_princess]

share ko lang that we booked out london to paris train ride na, 2 hours 15 mins lang and it cost us GBP268 for 2 pax na. if we took the plane ata, comes up equal or cheaper pa

[riksy07]

Sisses, question. Kasi my flights are all Cathay Pacific. I'm flying Manila-HK-London then Rome-HKG-Manila. Do I have to claim my baggage upon arriving in HK and check in again or does my check in here in Manila (and then in Rome on the way back) enough? Tapos diba when I get off the plane I have to pass by immigration, go out, and look for the gate to my connecting flight right? First time ko kasi to be on a flight like this. Teehee! 

[bagaholic_chewy]

Sis, most connecting flights naman e check-through na ang luggage - meaning, when you check in here, diretso na London ang baggage mo. Di na kelangan claim sa HK. Ganun din pauwi, when you check in sa Rome, sila na magtatransfer ng baggage mo diretso to Manila. Once ka lang magki-claim ng luggage. No need na din to pass through immigration during your layover, unless gusto nyo talaga lumabas ng HK (for example: if mahaba ang layover time nyo).

[melvel]

share ko lang that we booked out london to paris train ride na, 2 hours 15 mins lang and it cost us GBP268 for 2 pax na. if we took the plane ata, comes up equal or cheaper pa

You got the Eurostar Premiere Class?  Cheap kami, economy class lang

[mama squeak!]

@riksy07, when you check-in for your flight be it in Manila or Rome you just have to make sure that your bags are checked all the way through to your final destination. No need to claim your bags during transit in Hongkong. The check-in agent will then give you your baggage claim tag and your two boarding passes i.e. MNL/HKG and HKG/LHR.

When you get to Hongkong, you just have to look for the nearest transfer point from your arriving gate. Show your onward boarding pass (HKG/LHR or HKG/MNL) and passport to the security at the transfer point entrance. Go through the security xray and up to the departure level. Sometimes depends how far your departure gate is you  might have to take the train (also inside the terminal, don't worry).

Enjoy your trip! 

[little_princess]

melvel, economy class lang yan! the train to paris kasi was GBP99 per person but the return to london id only GBP35. how much did you get and when were your travel dates?

btw, can anyone suggest a good airline in terms of rate for manila-london, barcelona/madrid-manila? will be there september until october

[melvel]

^Akala ko one way!  Pwede na!  Ours was one-way for GBP79, but we got one of the in-demand times (after lunch) so ok na rin.