Rick Steves' Europe: Travelers' Helpline

Problems With Travelocity?

2009-11-07T15:00:00-08:00

I have logged on to Travelocity 4 times in the past two days, and every time my computer has locked up. The only thing I can do is to cut off the power switch, re-boot, and then try again to access the website. Anyone else have this problem?

RE: non registration with police in Italy/e.u.

2009-11-07T14:56:00-08:00

Here's a perfect reason to be thankful for living in the USA. We can travel anywhere in this country we want to, and never have to worry about "registering with the police".

RE: Travel from La Spezia to Cinque Terra

2009-11-07T14:55:00-08:00

At La Spezia you can buy three different kinds of tickets: 1. A single train ticket to a particular CT town. 2. A day pass that allows you to travel back and forth all day between La Spezia and Levanto with unlimited stops at all the CT towns. 4. A pass that does the same as #2 and also includes access to the hiking trails between the towns.

RE: fat tire bike tour in paris

2009-11-07T14:41:00-08:00

Cheryl: Please take a look at Bike About Tours (http://www.bikeabouttours.com). We took one of their bike tours about three weeks ago and absolutely loved it - and BTW, I'm 57 and my wife is 52. In addition to the wonderful guides, Paul and Christian, the biggest selling point to us was the small groups they run - no more than 15 (on our day, we were in a 7 person tour). Read the reviews on Tripadvisor and I think you'll be sold.

RE: getting from Amsterdam Airport to Bruges

2009-11-07T14:36:00-08:00

If you take IC trains from Schiphol to Bruges, you can simply buy your tickets at Schiphol and jump on the first available train. Reservations are not possible on IC trains. You will need to make at least one connection (in either Antwerp or Bruxelles). Your route will vary depending upon your departure time. To see for yourself, go to www.bahn.de and click on the drop-down flag menu for English. After you get summary timetables for Schiphol (airport)-Brugge, click on the arrow to the left of each departure time to see the connecting points. Do not take a Thalys train between Schiphol and Bruxelles. It's expensive and reservations are required.

RE: London car rental - where??

2009-11-07T14:33:00-08:00

It was be better if you rent a car by Gatwick tour the south of England (like Tim says that covers a lot of territory) drop of the car then go into London. If you take a car into London you have to pay a congestion fee which is $11.00 a day if you don't pay that day and pay the next day it goes up to $16.00. There are several places by Gatwick where you could rent a car.

RE: getting from Amsterdam Airport to Bruges

2009-11-07T14:33:00-08:00

If I were going, I would wait to purchase the ticket at Schiphol Airport once you clear customs. It looks like there are hourly trains. If one isn't available immediately you can purchase your ticket for the next one.

RE: getting from Amsterdam Airport to Bruges

2009-11-07T14:31:00-08:00

Wait and purchase your ticket at Schiphol. Lines at the ticket windows aren't usually an issue. Seat reservations aren't possible for inter-city trains in Holland and Belgium, it's first come first serve. So there's no real advantage to purchasing your tickets in advance.

RE: One day in Frankfort

2009-11-07T14:25:00-08:00

Dear Lee, do typos really make you that nuts? Frankfurt Germany is one of few main cities/routes on the way to South Africa. Dear Cathy a 12 hour lay over will just make the already 30 hours worse, if you have not booked/paid try and lay over a couple of nights each way. Castles on the Rhine is good, Porches factory tours... Joanne

RE: London car rental - where??

2009-11-07T14:15:00-08:00

"south England" covers a lot of territory. There are car pick up points all around the outskirts of London that are outside the central congestion zone which you could reach by Tube. What direction will you go first when you pick up your car?

RE: fat tire bike tour in paris

2009-11-07T14:14:00-08:00

We took a walking tour this summer with Paris Walks. I just took a peek at the website, and they have a November schedule there, so I'm guessing they are still offering walks. Go to: http://www.paris-walks.com/welcome.html We took the two hour family walk in the Latin Quarter in August, and had a great time; our guide was very informative. It didn't hurt that no one else showed up, so it was a private tour for my family!

RE: Excavations Below St. Peter's Basilica

2009-11-07T14:13:00-08:00

Wow!! Talk about lucky. I sent my request to the Vatican for the excavations about 2 am this morning. When I checked my computer this afternoon, we had been approved for tickets. We had two day window December 14 and 15. So if you are headed there in December, don't hesitate to try even though it may seem late. Super excited!!

affordable travel for Peace Corps volunteer

2009-11-07T14:13:00-08:00

I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia and want to go to Western Europe for Christmas That means on a VERY slim budget. Here the Christmas is non existent and I want to enjoy the holiday .Any suggestions on a ridiculously low budget?Any decent hostels? I would appreciate any suggestions.Thanks

RE: Which direction???

2009-11-07T14:11:00-08:00

Hi Susan, Here's an option to think about: Fly London to Vienna (EasyJet from Gatwick); Train from Vienna to Budapest; Fly from Budapest to Prague (Smart Wings Airline)--might be easier and even less expensive than a 7 hour train trip. Fly from Prague to London. I used Which Budget to check discount airlines between cities and the dBahn to check travel time on rail routes. Sounds like a fun trip!

RE: Helpful instuctions for buying a ticket on the French SNFC website

2009-11-07T13:47:00-08:00

Tim, your advice is always the best!

RE: Helpful instuctions for buying a ticket on the French SNFC website

2009-11-07T13:45:00-08:00

If you go to www.tgv.com and choose the UK, you will be bumped to Rail Europe's UK site. If you go to www.tgv-europe.com and choose Great Britain as your country of residence, the site will remain in English, and you will not be bumped to RE. You can book the same discount fares that are on www.voyages-sncf.com.

RE: London car rental - where??

2009-11-07T13:27:00-08:00

View Larger Map
Heathrow cars will cost more due to airport taxes. If you don't mind driving in London (I did it last April, and did okay driving [parking is another matter, got a ticket at Kensington Gardens]). If you get a car within the congestion zone, you'll get a one day pass so you won't get nabbed as soon as you leave the driveway. Make sure when you return the car, you pay the "toll" online before the end of the day to avoid the fine. easycar can help you with that. easyCar.com and Avis share a location in Paddington, at, 8 Balderton Street, London, UK, W1K 6TF, two miles from Kensington Gardens. easyCar (same company as easyJet) has some of the best rates. Everything is ala carte, however, so there are lots of extra charges you can avoid if you are careful.

RE: Paris...don't want to miss the magic

2009-11-07T13:03:00-08:00

Grace, are you making a statement or asking a question? :) There's no law that says you can't go over early. When you find out which hotel you'll be staying in with the tour, contact them to see if they will let you check in a few days early --at your expense--so you won't have to move hotels. They may even give you a great rate. If not, there are plenty of hotels in Paris. You have Rick's France book. Go through the Paris section and mark off the things you want to do. And then leave yourself some time for cafe sitting and people watching. Personally, one of my favorite things to do in Paris is pick an area and just wander. When you get tired, find a cafe, sit down, order a drink, and watch Paris go by.

RE: Travel from La Spezia to Cinque Terra

2009-11-07T13:01:00-08:00

We bought tickets at the Central Station (Stazione Centrale) in June and were in Riomaggiore 8 minutes later. No need for reservations. It's just a little regional train. Runs pretty much every half hour. Kind of a hop on, hop off type thing between the CT towns. The tickets we got let us do that all day long (move between towns) on the same ticket. The woman behind the ticket counter handled it all for us, got us the right tickets, and even walked outside and led us to the right platform! We must have really looked like tourists!

RE: Paris...don't want to miss the magic

2009-11-07T12:59:00-08:00

This is really a matter of pacing--to allow time for serendipity--and planning, so that you can make good use of your time, turning on a dime in response to the unexpected setback. Besides cafes, think of parks and walks as opportunities for magic and refreshment of wonder. I think your posts shows good instincts, so don't worry too much!