Flying in Europe

[RooFlyer]

It was on the initial itinerary, but no, I searched around AFF and the tour is a bit of a waste of time, apparently.

History in Carcassonne, Ales etc and the amazing Millau Viaductwww.leviaducdemillau.com. A silly quick trip, but better than hanging around in the UK.

 

[RB]

It was on the initial itinerary, but no, I searched around AFF and the tour is a bit of a waste of time, apparently.

History in Carcassonne, Ales etc and the amazing Millau Viaductwww.leviaducdemillau.com. A silly quick trip, but better than hanging around in the UK.

A few photos of Carcassonne when we were there. From reviews it seems that the Royal hotel is no longer recommended

 

[RooFlyer]

Can't wait!

 

[VPS]

Carcassonne was on my bucket list but was quite disappointed with it. If you're going to travel around would strongly recommend a trip to Nimes and the Camargue. Can give more info if you're interested

 

[RooFlyer]

Going to Nimes; I'd normally jump at first hand info, but this is going to be a rush trip, so I won't trouble you this time.

 

[kelvedon]

[ QUOTE="RooFlyer, post: 1754011, member: 42401"]Going to Nimes; I'd normally jump at first hand info, but this is going to be a rush trip, so I won't trouble you this time. [/QUOTE]

Nimes, home of one of the most complete Roman Amphitheaters.

 

[VPS]

Going to Nimes; I'd normally jump at first hand info, but this is going to be a rush trip, so I won't trouble you this time.

I really like Nimes (and it helps to have a friend with a flat 10 minutes walk from the arena) The arena is well worth a visit. Have fun!!

 

[Franky]

I feel too vulnerable using trains in Europe - way too many thieves and scammers around the place (e.g. pretending to be rail officials while their colleagues steal one's suitcases), with the Police not worrying much about them.
Regards,
Renato[/QUOTE]

We also felt a tad vulnerable on a couple of Italian stations operating from Bologna and Verona around 18 months ago, though were not robbed or scammed. It seemed we had been targeted due to our age with the usual amount of luggage waiting for trains, and as the trains arrived, we boarded and I was passing up the bags to my wife, when what seemed like a couple of well mannered blokes just grabbed our bags and passed them up the steps for us. However, once we got on the train they had their hands out looking for a donation, and then departed the train when we declined. Another time we had one similar group just grabbed our bags and were walking us towards our gate, and it took a few minutes to convince them to leave us alone. It bothered us that we had become a target, but this will not deter us from using trains in a couple of trips later on this year, but will make us more aware of our surroundings. We always carry a bike lock cable and will always use them when our bags are out of our sight.

 

[kelvedon]

Taking the airport train recently to FCO, I was rather perplexed as to where and how to buy the ticket and which queue to join. A man approached us and in broken English asked if he could help us. He then took us to a vending machine, rapidly pressed a few buttons and produced our tickets. I thanked him and he politely asked for a small gratuity for his help. Initially I was apprehensive but rapidly acknowledged that he provided an enterprising service and I was more than happy to reward him for saving us time and angst.

 

[SuzieQ68]

Our last visit to Europe saw a mix of planes, trains and buses (and our friend's vehicle when possible).

We generally fly around Europe with either Easyjet or Vueling. Both were fine, but Easyjet were super strict with the hand luggage allowance (which was kind of a pleasant change from the usual 'bring as much as you can onboard' thought process of many guests travelling). Would fly both again, but overall referred Vueling.

Trains were fabulous. Used them quite a bit through Italy. Note Renato's comments above, but our experiences were good (no scammers or people posing as police). Will definitely keep an eye out in future though! We tend to travel light, so don't have much to carry around with us. Might be the difference??

Quite enjoyed the bus travel too. Went from Padua (Italy) to Rovinj (Croatia) and back to Trieste (Italy) via bus. Also went from San Sebastian to Madrid. Really nice way to see the countryside. Super cheap too!

At the end of the day, you need to keep your wits about you regardless of where you travel. There will always be someone somewhere who may seize an opportunity. Touch wood, we've not had any bad experiences - we run on the theory that as long as we have our passports, credit cards and mobiles, we'll be ok.