European Tours Thread 3

[d_zialcita]

hi everyone!

@mamasqeak, thank you!
i've actually been to venice. but i was a lot younger then.
have decided with husband to skip it to have more time in florence with relatives.
will not be renting a car anymore. spoke to my aunt and she said she could just tour us most of the time. and other times, she can drop us off at the stations. thank you!!


about the accommodations, have decided to follow you and book an apartment in paris. will also get a bed and breakfast in rome to save on costs.


have another question...
should i book our train tickets already?
paris to florence (263 dollars for 3 persons in a room)
pisa to rome (70 dollars for 2nd class)

will the prices increase if i wait?
how will i get the tickets? by airmail? eticket?

booked our greece package already. athens and santorini..
since that's our last stop before flying back to manila... can i refund tax in greece (athens) airport? my sister flew from there to manila 2 years ago, she said she was not allowed to refund hers.

hope you for your responses.

thanks

diana

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ sis, you checked trenitalia website na for pisa-rome tickets? Dun ako bumili ng tickets for intercity travels within Italy. Sometimes, they have "mini" fares, which are discounted fares. You can book 1st class tickets for the price of 2nd class tickets. And 2nd class fast-train tickets for the price level of Regionale/slow trains. sulit pag me naabutan kang mini fare. There's a limit of sale seats per trip, i think. I suggest check there to compare prices. You can choose your seats na din. You can pay by PH credit card, tickets will be sent to your email.

[hefi_ness]

Hello girls! I'm doing our 5-day itinerary for Paris (technically 4 days lang pala since medyo hapon na kami darating on our first day). Can anyone help me with this? Wala talaga akong alam sa paggawa ng itinerary. We'll be staying in 18th arrondissement and we'll be there from Jan 16-21, pero yung whole day gala is from Jan 17 (Thurs) to Jan 20 (Sunday). I will really appreciate your inputs mga sis. Lahat ng maganda puntahan gusto kong puntahan, gusto ko rin sana mag-disneyland

[d_zialcita]

@bagaholic_chewy thank you for replying...

how early did you book your train tickets?
i am trying to do a mock book for april 15: paris to florence
and april 19: pisa to rome
but it says i can't book both.
help?

 

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ i think about 2-3 months lang yata pwede mag-advance purchase.. For trenitalia, i bought our tickets nung nakuha na visa at medyo sure na ako sa itinerary namin..

[mama squeak!]

@hefi_ness, check the Paris thread. There are a lot of tips there specifically for Paris.

@d_zialcita, normally train tickets go on sale starting from 3 months from departure date. That would be the time that they would offer low fares. Same concept with plane fares, the farther the departure the cheaper. Though in some cases they would offer promo seats nearer the departure dates if the trains are not full. But for the popular routes expect the seats to fill up and the cheap fares to be sold immediately.

The Paris to Florence is a popular route and a long trip too. If you can afford it, I suggest you and your husband get a cabin with your own banyo (1st class). It may be a bit expensive than 2nd class but you will be well rested and comfortable when you get to Florence. During our recent trip hubby and I took 1st class from Amsterdam to Prague then Prague to Strasbourg. Good decision since both trips were 13-14 hours long. We felt secure with all our bags with us, had our own shower and banyo facilities and breakfast was served to us right inside our cabin. A bit pricey EUR300 each trip but well worth the money spent. But if you think about it the fare comes out cheaper if you total one hotel/apartment stay plus two air fares, you get the memorable experience pa of riding an overnight train.

For your Pisa to Rome, just get 2nd class since it's just a short ride. But if you want more space for you and your bags get 1st class. Just keep on checking the trenitalia website for promo fares at leat 3months prior.

[d_zialcita]

thank you again mamasqueak
i'll check on the trains again on january. hopefully they are cheap!
i really want the 1st class (2 in a room) train from paris to florence.
depends on the price nalang. cause for now it is at 15k each.. 30k for a train ride seems too much!



florence accommodations are set: free
booked the rome-athens santorini-athens airline tickets: nonrefundable
i've also already booked greece (athens and santorini) : 90% refundable 45 days before trip

i just need the paris apartment. they ones i messaged in airbnb aren't replying. - any suggestions?
and a place at rome... trying to make this as cheap as possible, but i can't find an affordable but decent place. -any suggestion?
and the train tickets.- will try on january

also, i'd like to ask for itineraries for paris and italy.
i'll ask din in the paris/italy page cause it might be ot here. :s

thank you in advance to those who will reply!

diana

[mama squeak!]

^sis, train tickets don't go that expensive! The EUR300 I mentioned is the whole cabin that is good for two persons. That comes out PHP7500 per pax. When you do mock bookings input two persons agad and that will give you the fare for two. I think the most expensive fare I saw before was EUR450 but that was nearing the departure date na.

I'll PM you the apartment we got in Paris once I get home from my Hong Kong trip. You can check out the pics in my blog to have an idea how it looks. I like the area kasi it's not touristy plus pagbaba mo andaming cafes and a grocery is nearby.

 

[d_zialcita]

mamasqueak omg, i hope the 15k for 2 is true, if yes, i'll be really happy!
i've been checking the fares here: http://www.eurorailways.com/products/night_trains/paris_to_florence.htm
the rates are as follows:
Paris to Florence: Single Cabin    $493
Paris to Florence: Double Cabin    $353
Paris to Florence: Standard Triple Cabin    $263
Paris to Florence: Comfort T4 (shared cabin - 4 persons)    $273
Paris to Florence: Comfort T6 (shared cabin - 6 persons)    $215



i hope am wrong!!

yes, please pm me the apartment. that would be very helpful. i already checked your blog. thank you!!

[d_zialcita]

oh my!


using thello.com
the price for 2 people in one cabin is 360 euros!
thank you mamasqueak!
do you think i should book this na now? or too early?

also, if i use thello.com, will the tickets be delivered by airmail or eticket nalang?

am so happy! thank you!

[chuzzle]

@melodymedley and @little_princess! Thank you so much for answering my questions. I got a 15-day visa. talagang walang labis walang kulang. =)))

I am a bit worried cos my flight is December 26, 12:20 AM and of course, I have to be in the airport on the 25th, I am thinking our immigration might give me a hard time cos my schengen visa is only valid starting december 26?

And is it true that there are no embarkation cards when entering schengen countries?

Now, I am planning to prepare outfits. I left 2 of my winter coats at my ex bf's place so that sucks. Hahaha. I need new ones. What to wear so I can move comfortably? And where to get not-so-expensive winter stuff? I am planning to take home ham in vacuum packs. Meron naman siguro, no? and cheese. and other Spanish goodies. So excited.

[Starlust]

@little_princess yes it can rain in October it's not that terrible, Paris is still pretty in the rain. If it rains, plan to spend the day at the museums or shopping nalang

[bagaholic_chewy]

+1 on booking private first class cabin for long train journeys. We tried that as well for Paris-Madrid and Barcelona-Paris. We booked the 9pm-ish train departures from Paris and Barcelona then. Kasama na dinner and breakfast (we had our sit-down meals at the first-class "dining car"). And what i liked most was we had our own WC with amenities. We were able to freshen up before sleeping, and had a nice shower as well in the morning. Fresh na so all set for sightseeing pagdating.

[hefi_ness]

@mama squeak,  hindi ko po makita yung Paris thread. is it here in Foreign Lands? Hindi ko sya mahanap eh. Thanks

[mama squeak!]

^sis, backread ka sa thread na ito. If you have further questions post mo rin dyan para di OT.

 

[little_princess]

chuzzle, not an issue at all. same thing happened with me when we went on our honeymoon to malta. visa was for nov 14 but we were in the airport nov 13. medyo matipid talaga spanish embassy, only the french and italian embassy would give you longer ones. as for the winter clothes, bring 1 coat na lang and then you can shop in spain, madaming brands from there like balenciaga, zara, mango, etc so mas mura and you can get the newest stuff. madami naman naka vaccum seal, nag-uwi na kami ng cheese for and it was good naman after. as for the card, some do and some don't. they give this out sa plane or you can check with the FA.

Starlust, when I was in Paris a few years back, it did rain and that was around Easter. It was still pretty but gloomy kind of pretty. i want sana sunshin-y paris this time will apply for a schengen visa early next year via french embassy and see if i can get a 1 or 2 year visa. it's easy naman to go to paris from the UK

[mama squeak!]

@d_zialcita, I PMed you our Paris apartment. 

I checked the thello trains and their 1st class cabins as of now only comes with a washbasin. They'll later introduce private showers/toilets in the cabin. Common toilets can be found in each car. Bring na lang alcohol and wipes. 

The overnight train we got was the City Night Line train operated by Deutsche Bahn. These trains have the Deluxe Sleeper rooms with private shower/toilet ensuite.

Here's a good website to guide you on train travel from Paris to Italy. It also gives you other options to take to get from Paris to Florence if the overnight train is not working out for you.

As to ticket delivery depending on the train operator/website, Eurorailways will air courier paper tickets to you (our Amsterdam-Prague-Strasbourg tickets were couriered to us) while our TGV tickets were e-tickets. Check the thello website for ticket delivery na lang. 

[d_zialcita]

thank you again and again mamasqueak!

i'll book the thello train, 1st class, on january. for now kc, di pa available our dates.
e-ticket sya, so buti nalang, am scared of shipping things, baka mawala or magkaissue sa customs.

mamasqueak, i know you've helped me a lot na, but hope you can reply to me in the italy and paris thread. need help kc sa itineraries. thanks!!

[summer_princess]

Currently in Paris sisses. Winter is still quite bearable except it gets raining every evening so we almost always had to cut our trip short. 5pm pa Lang madilim na haaay! Anyway unlimited train/bus pass is just EU6 and €10 if with Versailles. Super sulit, even the escalator in Sacre coure included.

Still thinking if we'll still do Versailles, it's our last day tomorrow and we got to see most of the major tourist spot: louvre, arc of the triomphe, the famed Eiffel, trocadero,  champ élysées, notre dame, sacre coure, moulin rouge, plus some not so touristy area.

My Tita Hooked us with fellow Pinoy private transport €50+ parking airport transfer, €30-40/hr if you want to tour the city in a chauffeured driven van. Kainis Lang traffic is crazy it took us 6friggin hours to tour the city.

What are the spot we can go on a half day tour kaya? We are currently staying very near plaza San Germaine de Pres so Sana nearby us so we can easily transport back.

[chuzzle]

Do I have to fill out a disembarkation card upon entering spain? Just want to be prepared. =)