London/ Europe questions...

H

hrn346

25+ Posts
Well I've been to London and other parts of Europe w/ my family many times (have aunts and cousins that live there etc.). I've used british airways everytime i have gone, and loved it. Now I am going again in July (grandma gave me a free ticket).....what airlines should i use?

Should i stay with british airways (are they the best) or go on another flight.....money is really not an option b/c its paid for.

Also once I get to london, whats the best way to get to spain and greece?

Thanks in advance
 
As far as airlines, I think that they are all relatively the same. I've flown a dozen different airlines on transatlantic flights. Unless you move up to business/first class, it doesn't really matter. The meals, peanuts and cokes are about the same.

As far as Spain and Greece...

The beautiful thing about London is that it is the gateway to western Europe. You can probably get a flight to Spain for around $120 provided that you fly into a major city. (Madrid, Barcelona, etc.) I actually took a bus/channel trip down there which I wouldn't recommend. But, we were poor college students on a mission to run with the bulls in Pamplona. I'm too old for that kind of stuff now.

I would say the same for Greece as far as flights go. But, if you have the time, fly into an off the beaten path destination and take the railroad. For major cities outside of Greece I wouldn't go any farther west than Vienna or Budapest. It's still a 20 hour train ride to Greece from these 2.
 
Ryanair for travel within Europe.

Go to the Fodors message board for real information on traveling to Europe. Do some searching there and then ask questions as needed.
 
If you can fly any airline, fly the one you are most likely to fly in the US when you get back so you can use the miles you'll earn flying over.

Flying Ryanair is the cheapest option for internal transport in Europe. Lots of destinations available to you via London's Stansted airport. But Ryanair is like flying soutwest, but worse. If you fly Ryanair, you will want to go to the Customer Service desk AFTER you check in and purchase a priority boarding pass - this lets you get in the first boarding group instead of queueing up with the hundred other people boarding your flight. Well worth the 2 pounds or whatever it costs in London, especially if you have carryon bags. Also note that they DO weigh your carry-on bag, and if its over the 8kg limit, you'll have to check it (and pay for it, you have to pay per checked bag on Ryanair now).
 
If you want to see Amsterdam and money isn't an issue, then try KLM.

I think most of those flights have to go through Schiphol (Amsterdam) anyway. So, if you fly to Greece from London, you can easily squeeze in a short (or long) trip to Amsterdam on your way there or on your way coming back, depending on how you plan your itinerary.
 
Thanks for the help to all.....I bought my ticket today via British Airways ($840 round trip....from what i have been told, that is cheap, because I am flying in July).

I will get to use those miles on my American advantage account, which is good.

I plan on using British airways now to book my ticket to Barcelona and to Greece as well.

I have my Greece trip planned out already, but am probably going to Barcelona by myself. So anyone have any thoughts on where to go once i Land in Barcelona? I want beaches, nightlife and clubs (I am 25 years old and like to have a good time). I will be there for 3 days.
 
hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure you can't get AA miles if you fly BA on trans-atlantic flights. Since they both fly competing routes, that is one exception to the normal rule that lets you get AA miles on BA flights...if you fly BA to Greece, Barcelona, etc, you can get the AA points, but you'll definitely want to check the BA website before you give them your AA FF#. I made that mistake once a couple years ago...

I would also recommend comparing BA fares to Ryanair, especially for your flight to Barcelona. BA can get quite expensive on flights inside Europe...
 
You guys are correct, but from what i was told when talking to British Airways Executive club (i had an acct setup there arleady), that i can use my BA miles (once I have enought) to get a ticket on american for any flight in the US (since BA doesnt fly within the US).
 
Barcelona can pretty much be seen in a day. If you are in to old buildings and nice markets, you will be good to go. Beautiful city, but not much offered in the way of tourism. Even if you don't really care for soccer, I'd try to see a game for FC Barcelona because it is a cool environment. They take ti really seriously over there.

If you are REALLY looking for a good time in Spain, I'd recommend trekking to Ibiza. It's an island off the east coast of spain where they do NOTHING else but party. It's a string of several nightclubs, beaches, nakedness and booze to keep you happy. Picture a Mardi Gras celebration every night of the week without the hassle of beads. Great area for a 25 year old. You can get there by train and a ferry.

Here's a good info site on Ibiza:

The Link

I'd also recommend travelling to Pamplona if you are going in July to see, or participate in, the running of the bulls. If you are against bullfighting, you can do the run and leave the arena. It's pretty awesome to say you have done it.

This is the official site for the San Fermin Festival:

The Link

*May have to use the link to translate into English

I'd recommend going to a bookstore and getting a Lonely Planet guide to Spain. They are really good with giving you the tourist and local attractions for the entire country. It will become your traveller's Bible.
 
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