4 ms·

Ask HN: Planning a trip to Europe

2 points by obaid 16y ago

Alright, I need your help. After spending the weekend on different sites and trying to find the package I am sorta lost. I am planning a trip to Europe and my plan is to visit London (and surrounding area), Paris and then Frankfurt.. All the sites that I have checked out give a one-destination deals.. however I am planning to spend around 2 weeks in these three cities all together.. looking for at least 3.5+ star hotel. any idea which sites can I use to create and plan this trip?

pierrefar 16y ago
I don't know of any sites, but can give you a tip: It's probably easier to use one city as a hub (say London), and then take return short hop flights + hotel deals starting from that city.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  Paris would probably be preferable to London as a hub, since it's more central that will save you quite a bit of time flying. It's a good idea though. Anywhere that easyjet flies to is probably a good spot, they're a dirt cheap carrier in Europe.
  - CaptainZapp 16y ago
    "Anywhere that easyjet flies to is probably a good spot, they're a dirt cheap carrier in Europe." As always, this depends. When you can book well in advance then you'll usually get a good deal. If you fly on short notice or during busy times, however, you may pay the same prices as the old boy airlines. Just as any airline EasyJet are masters of yield management. If they can sell you a ticket for 400 quid, they won't sell it for 40. Also, it's no frills whatsoever (OK, neither is any other airline nowadays).
    - jacquesm 16y ago
      True enough. High speed rail is another option to be considered by the way.
      - pierrefar 16y ago
        +1 for rail, particularly if the hub is Paris.
pavlov 16y ago
Hotel stars are fairly meaningless, unless the number of mini shampoo bottles in the bathroom is an important metric for your holiday experience. At least in Paris I've stayed in perfectly decent 2-star hotels with great location, comfortable room, free WLAN, etc. -- but of course it's best to read some reviews first. The other end of the 2-star range could well be staggeringly bad.
CaptainZapp 16y ago
Very much agree with the first poster. Distances are generally much shorter then in the US. You can fly into London and then actually use the train to get to Paris and from there to Frankfurt (and Brussels and Amsterdam and Zurich and lots of other places). It may make sense to check out European rail deals. http://railteam.com http://railteam.com may be a good start to check on trains. Alas, they where never able to implement ticket sales into the site, it may be a good for general information. http://tgv-europe.com http://tgv-europe.com is the mothership of the French high speed train network. They do sell tickets. Not sure, though, if they send them overseas. Flying is certainly the other option. As for hotels. I made good experiences with http://hrs.com http://hrs.com, http://booking.com http://booking.com and http://hotels.com http://hotels.com are all fairly good and often offer specials (compare all three, if you have a hotel in mind). Anyway, have a lot of fun and plan ample time for your visit.
- obaid 16y ago
  Thanks for the info. I will definitely use the suggestion to choose one city as a hub.
yardie 16y ago
Heathrow has the highest airport taxes in the EU. Fly into Frankfurt or Amsterdam instead. You can take the eurostar from there or Paris to London. I've had good luck using tripadvisor.com to find hotels. Stars are fairly meaningless when most people are more concerned about the location and price. (I believe you get a star for onsite drycleaning even if you are in a shitty neighborhood) And if you want to start and end a trip in 2 different cities talk to a travel agent. The sites are fairly good for single destination returns. Anything more complex needs a human being. I've always found the prices to be about the same.

2 points by obaid 16y ago

pierrefar 16y ago

I don't know of any sites, but can give you a tip: It's probably easier to use one city as a hub (say London), and then take return short hop flights + hotel deals starting from that city.

jacquesm 16y ago
Paris would probably be preferable to London as a hub, since it's more central that will save you quite a bit of time flying. It's a good idea though. Anywhere that easyjet flies to is probably a good spot, they're a dirt cheap carrier in Europe.
- CaptainZapp 16y ago
  "Anywhere that easyjet flies to is probably a good spot, they're a dirt cheap carrier in Europe." As always, this depends. When you can book well in advance then you'll usually get a good deal. If you fly on short notice or during busy times, however, you may pay the same prices as the old boy airlines. Just as any airline EasyJet are masters of yield management. If they can sell you a ticket for 400 quid, they won't sell it for 40. Also, it's no frills whatsoever (OK, neither is any other airline nowadays).
  - jacquesm 16y ago
    True enough. High speed rail is another option to be considered by the way.
    - pierrefar 16y ago
      +1 for rail, particularly if the hub is Paris.

pavlov 16y ago

Hotel stars are fairly meaningless, unless the number of mini shampoo bottles in the bathroom is an important metric for your holiday experience. At least in Paris I've stayed in perfectly decent 2-star hotels with great location, comfortable room, free WLAN, etc. -- but of course it's best to read some reviews first. The other end of the 2-star range could well be staggeringly bad.

CaptainZapp 16y ago

Very much agree with the first poster. Distances are generally much shorter then in the US. You can fly into London and then actually use the train to get to Paris and from there to Frankfurt (and Brussels and Amsterdam and Zurich and lots of other places). It may make sense to check out European rail deals. http://railteam.com http://railteam.com may be a good start to check on trains. Alas, they where never able to implement ticket sales into the site, it may be a good for general information. http://tgv-europe.com http://tgv-europe.com is the mothership of the French high speed train network. They do sell tickets. Not sure, though, if they send them overseas. Flying is certainly the other option. As for hotels. I made good experiences with http://hrs.com http://hrs.com, http://booking.com http://booking.com and http://hotels.com http://hotels.com are all fairly good and often offer specials (compare all three, if you have a hotel in mind). Anyway, have a lot of fun and plan ample time for your visit.

obaid 16y ago
Thanks for the info. I will definitely use the suggestion to choose one city as a hub.

yardie 16y ago

Heathrow has the highest airport taxes in the EU. Fly into Frankfurt or Amsterdam instead. You can take the eurostar from there or Paris to London. I've had good luck using tripadvisor.com to find hotels. Stars are fairly meaningless when most people are more concerned about the location and price. (I believe you get a star for onsite drycleaning even if you are in a shitty neighborhood) And if you want to start and end a trip in 2 different cities talk to a travel agent. The sites are fairly good for single destination returns. Anything more complex needs a human being. I've always found the prices to be about the same.