Dadelle

Thanks to all who replied to my previous post. My daughters are 27 and 24 year’s old. I guess they nol linger want to go to Switzerland. One wants to go to Paris and also visit Lyons, Cannes, Montecarlo. She wants to see the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, Louvres, Champs Elysees etc...we don’t mind doing day trips also. my other daughter wants to go to Ireland lol. So we could stretch the vacation to 2 1/2 weeks if need be. Is it easier to fly to Ireland from France to Cork Ireland or go to UK from Paris then fly from there. She wants to visit Dublin, Shannon, Kilkenny etc...For Hotels suggestions as far as prices middle price range $100+ is okay. We love visiting churches, historic places, shopping of course, Flea markets etc... Myself (mom) love to gamble a little so I would love to visit the casino in Montecarlo if possible. We won’t have a car so most likely taking buses or train if possible or booking tours. Thanks for any input.

neckervd

" Is it easier to fly to Ireland from France to Cork Ireland or go to UK from Paris then fly from there?"

What do you mean with "easy"?
There are tons of cheap non stop flights from all 3 Paris airports to Dublin and one daily direct flight from CDG to Cork.

neckervd

As you will go to Southern France, you could also book a direct flight from Nice to Dublin (Airlingus, Ryanair) instead of backtracking all the way to Paris.

bilboburgler

hi, it might have been easier to stay with the original thread, however. Cheap flights have some disadvantages such as much smaller ovrehead lockers and charges for luggage in the hold, but there are lots, try skyscanner or rome2rio to get the overview but don't trust either's details.

Cannes and Montecarlo, not much fun there unless you like to see very wealthy people. If you like to gamble walk into any high street in the UK and give your money to the bookies, no need to dress up.

London Paris is easy and the train is fun (centre to centre) while flights are a bit of a pain. Paris to Dublin, again relatively easy (but less so) and often early morning hanging about. Prices peak about a week before and are lowest between 6 months and 3 months before. Train prices see seat61.com who explains it all in detail

BigRuss

$100 is not "middle price" in Paris or Cannes or Monte Carlo. It's not even close. It's also not "middle price" in Dublin.

Monaco is not exactly close to Paris and you seem to have no concept of the size of France - it is larger than any US state other than Alaska and Texas. Your proposal has you bouncing around the whole country, which won't be convenient.

thursdaysd

If you insist on doing France and Ireland on the same trip, instead of one this year and one next year, you will be much better off staying in the Paris area instead of trying to add the south of France.

Recommend consulting a map and some guidebooks. As BigRuss says, $100 is not going to get you a triple, never mind three singles. Unless you will settle for a dorm room.

PalenQ

We won’t have a car so most likely taking buses or train if possible or booking tours>

In France and U K trains are great and go everywhere you'd want to - Ireland trains good on few main lines but buses go lots of places.

There is also a boat between France and Ireland I believe (took it long ago and was the trappings of a cruise ship and probably gambling machines onboard (ubiquitous in British pubs) - could be a great experience as goes overnight -kind of like a cruise ship with pub and disco, movies, etc.

For loads on trains in those countries check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Lots of nice day trips from Paris and London - Paris like to Normandy D-Day beaches; Mont Saint-Michel; Reims for Champagne House/Cave tours; London - Stonehenge, Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, etc.

Really a car would be nice in Ireland and drive up from Cork via Killarney, Dingle Peninsula, Burren, Cliffs of Mohair, etc - look those places up - as public transit poor along the coast -to me the most awesome part of Ireland and one of few places where Gaellic is still the local tonque (though everyone of course speals English) - don't be daunted by driving - not much traffic really along the remote coast.

thursdaysd

https://www.directferries.co.uk/ferr...to_ireland.htm

Forget the ferry - fly.

PalenQ

Well yeh flying is quicker but why dismiss out of hand the unique experience of taking an overnight ferry - and we are not talking about dumpy boats but rather cruise ship type ones. No not for speed or to save money but the novelty?

I was enjoying our cruise until about half-way when the seas became so rough many folk became sea sick - 2nd thought fly! Or check on weather/seas reports.

Robert2016

Funny, I thought a VACA was a cow.

thursdaysd

@PQ - did you bother to follow the link I posted? There is a grand total of eight sailings a week, which includes only one a week to Dublin, which takes over 19 hours. Plus the ferries go from Cherbourg or Roscoff, nowhere near the places the OP is interested in. Even seat61 recommends taking the train to London and the rail-sail link from there if you go overland from Paris. I am not usually a fan of flying if there is an alternative but in this case it is much simpler and faster.

marvelousmouse

I think both daughters are going to be frustrated if you try to do both. I would pick one or the other.


I haven’t been to Ireland. But your budget is going to be really difficult in Paris even if you did a hostel. Did you find lodging for that price in Switzerland? Because I wouldn’t think it would be midrange there at all.

Hnh6

Maybe she meant 100 per person, which sounds about right for Paris...

Sassafrass

Way too much to cover in your time frame, too general and too scattered. Get some good guide books. Fodors and for first time to Europe, Rick Steve's. Get some with pictures, like Eyewitness. Look at some maps. Compared with cost of your trip, these books are cheap, and you need them. Your daughters must focus on what is most important for them to see. After they are firm about the number one place they each want to see, calculate how much time you will need in each place. Add things in order of priority until you run out of time.

Lay out a rough day by day or night by night itinerary. Do not count any day twice. Put in transportation days. Figure extra time getting from hotel to train station, airport, etc. and to the hotel at the other end, at least a 1/2 day or more for every move. Two nights give you one full day in a place. With these distances, you will not have tons of time, so do not count travel days as sightseeing days.

Below is just a sample.

Day 1, depart US
Day 2, arrive Dublin
Day 3, Dublin
Day 4, 5, 6, tour Ireland (takes a lot of time to get from place to place in Ireland)
Day 7, fly to ? From Shannon or Cork
Day 8, 9, 10 ?
Day 11, Train to Paris
Day 12, 13, 14, Paris
Day 15, depart Paris

You cannot possibly plan transportation or hotels until you know where you are going, when and how long!

Do not buy plane tickets until this is sorted!
If you include Ireland, do not buy RT to either France or Ireland. You will spend more money and waste time returning to France or Ireland to fly home. Instead, look for multi-destination tickets. You could fly into Dublin (or Shannon), tour from Dublin to Shannon (or visa versa), fly from Shannon to Paris and home from Paris. You could fly into Avignon, Lyon or someplace in Southern France, train to Paris, fly to Dublin (or Shannon), and home from Dublin (or Shannon). I haven't looked at current routes, but you could possibly fly into Dublin from Florida, then to France from Cork.

Usually, you do not want one-way to or from the US, but there are exceptions if you find a cheap one-way to/from Ireland and one to/from Southern France.

There are so many flight configurations. You have to spend some time looking for the best schedules and costs and see where you can get the best flights from Florida. Once you are in Europe, there are many cheap flights. Train is often best, but certainly not to/from Ireland. Unless you want to visit England, do not waste time going through England to get to Ireland. Cut travel from place to place, so you have more sight seeing time.





Sent from my iPad

neckervd

"There is also a boat between France and Ireland"

Of course, but it's way more expensive than a flight

PalenQ

Yes again boat longer and more expensive and the reason I mention is if one wants that experience which I've always rather enjoyed. But only from that aspect- otherwise makes little sense and the boat's existence is mainly for vehicles.

But yes not for most.

BigRuss

<<Funny, I thought a VACA was a cow.>>

Gawdangit - I nearly made the same comment before you, but I'd already been irascible on this board yesterday before I commented so I held back.

neckervd

Una vaca es un animal muy intelligente, more intelligent and more useful than many heads of state.

Christina

Cheap flights don't have the disadvantage that you pay extra for some things, what difference does that make. It's just a price breakdown, and the total price even what a baggage charge is still very cheap on some of these airlines, like Easyjet.

Having been on a regular ferry and an overnight boat, I fail to see the wonderful novelty of spending hours that way, in discomfort and spending a lot of your time when you could fly quickly.

PalenQ

Having been on a regular ferry and an overnight boat, I fail to see the wonderful novelty of spending hours that way, in discomfort and spending a lot of your time when you could fly quickly.>

At least I enjoyed the trappings of a cruise - was kind of exotic as a novelty - not sure why you can fail to see that appeal to some if not the ordinary blokes. And kind of neat approaching Ireland slowly in morning.