Europe Travel Deal
From LoveToKnow Travel
Europe is a continent filled with culture, history and scenic beauty...as well as many a Europe travel deal. You won't be satisfied with just one trip. Whether you're backpacking across the Alps, sunning yourself in Sicily or gazing at the tulip fields of Holland, Europe offers something for nearly every type of traveler.
Fortunately for the rest of the world, Europe is well-prepared for visitors. A thick network of trains and air routes cover the continent. You can fly, drive or take a train to almost every locale on the continent. And with a little finesse, you can do it on a budget. To snag the best Europe travel deals, you'll need a few good resources and a little extra time.
Europe Travel Deal - Flights
With the enormous popularity and speed of air travel, many airlines in Europe has sprung up that offer great deals on flights. If you are persistent, check fares frequently, start well before your intended departure, and are flexible on dates, you can often get travel deals so low you wonder how they can possibly do it.
Here are the main discount airlines in Europe, offering the best travel deals for your money.
RyanAir
Though restricted to intercontinental flights, Ryanair is one of the lowest-cost airlines in the world. Prices as low as .01 euro (before taxes) aren't uncommon. RyanAir visits most European countries but generally lands in minor airports. This means you'll need to arrange for transportation to the main part of the city you land in. Sometimes this adds to the cost significantly, but usually it's only a few euro for a bus ticket to the city's center.
Aerlingus
Another low-cost airline, Aerlingus will become your best friend very quickly. The airline flies to and from Ireland and goes all over Europe and to other destinations as well. Aerlingus is also one of the few discount airlines to fly to North America. If you're flying from the U.S., you can usually find an Aerlingus flight departing from a city near you. The best part is that Aerlingus offers flights to Europe for as low as 200 euro. You can't beat that price!
easyJet
EasyJet offers a number of flights within Europe for very low prices. They run on a few select airports and have limited routes, but for their low prices it's worth going a bit out of your way.
Virgin Express
The do-it-all company, Virgin, has expanded into the airline business. Virgin Express flies to many major European cities at low prices. The advantage of this airline is they have more routes and often fly into larger airports, making your trip a little bit easier.
Europe Travel Deal - Other Transportation
After arriving in Europe, finding great deals on traveling from city to city and country to country is also very easy. The network of railways is one of the best in the world. Most towns have at least a small station and larger stations are no more than an hour apart. Depending on which country you travel within, prices can range from 5 to 20 euro for a one hour trip. If you travel to multiple countries, the prices will be a bit higher.
To get a Europe travel deal while traveling on the train, pick up a Eurpass or other similar ticket. These allow unlimited travel for a certain time period in a set number of countries. See our article Rail Travel Europe for more info.
Also keep an eye out for special deals offered by each country's rail company. RailEurope and EuropeanRail are two websites that pull data from many rail websites throughout Europe. Deals are listed on the front page and often give hefty discounts for long-distance travel.
Deals in Europe - Restaurants and Hotels
Traveling from country to country isn't your only expense while on the go. You also have to eat and sleep! These two things are your highest priority and also your highest costs.
In general, look for out-of-the-way restaurants that are filled with locals. Most places that proclaim "We speak English" will likely hoodwink you for your cash and give you sub-standard food. Avoid them and travel just off the main tourist drag for the best moderately-priced food.
Hotels named after the city or famous landmarks are also generally more expensive. To find better prices, simply walk down a side road and look for a more secluded hotel. It will be quieter, cheaper, and about the same quality as the big guys up front.
Our article Discount Europe Travel - Restaurants and Hotels gives the full scoop on finding less-expensive (but not low-quality) restaurants and hotels.
Related Europe Travel Deals
This page has been accessed 608 times. This page was last modified 18:22, 29 June 2006.
© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp.
