StCirq

I suspect the OP doesn't know the ins and outs of booking open-jaw tickets and was looking at one-way fares or something.

TX, you need to choose the multi-city option when pricing your fares - then I suspect you'll see the $1200 or less fares everyone is talking about. There's no need to pay $1600, and no need to backtrack to London.

daveesl

Yeah, a good rule of thumb is to NEVER do the one-way searches on long-haul flights, they will almost always show up as more expensive than a RT to the same place. Now, once you are somewhere, like say Europe, then you can always find inexpensive one-way fares on the discount and even big name airlines. The caveat is to always look at the airports they use. As an example, Ryanair uses Beauvais for Paris and Frankfurt-Hahn for Frankfurt. Neither of these are near the actual cities they represent so you get to pay for additional transportation from the airport to the city. Plus most of the discount carriers have all kinds of strict rules and hidden prices on baggage.

If you understand the rules and how to work the system, then you can get some excellent deals. But if you don't, you'll find yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere paying prices far higher than you originally thought. It always cracks me up with Ryanair in Ciampino. People are frantically weighing baggage and shifting things around to make sure they are not overweight as 1 kg = 20 euros.

dave

TX_MatRachel

Thanks for the tips everyone. This is our first major trip out of the states to a different continent so we're a bit new at this. I believe we were looking at one way flights last weekend which is where the 1600 probably came from. With the multi-city searches I'm finding flights less than 1200. Backtracking to London has been nixed and the schedule shifted slightly to accommodate.

@daveessl: My friend who spent a month in Europe was the one that suggested taking Ryan Air for trips within Europe. Now that we'll probably fly out of Rome to get home we'll be skipping the extra $50 flight back to London then taking the plane home a day or two later. Thanks for the info and the heads up on the extra baggage fees.

Anyone have any favorite things to do in Paris, Venice, Florence/Tuscany, or Rome?? We'll be going to the typical sight seeing places but I'm curious to know what everyone has done there before. I saw some cooking classes and market tours that looked like fun in both places. Anyone done those before??

amwosu

Use the "Search the Forums" box at the top of the page and plug in words like "first time in Paris" or "Paris must sees" or just "Paris" and read trip reports from others. There is a ton of archived information on these forums by people who have already shared their information and moved on and may not see your question. Enjoy the planning process. Lots of good people here on Fodors Forums will help you.

I always buy guidebooks for each large city I plan to visit to get a feel for the layout and what there is to do in each location. Eyewitness Travel is my favorite guide book company for the simplicity of use of their books. http://us.dk.com/static/cs/us/11/travel/intro.html
Ann Marie

daveesl

If you are looking for stuff in Rome, you can go to my website for a ton of free info. The Library area will let you download my free guidebook, official brochures and MP3 audio guides. The Googlemaps area will show you the various location spots along with each spot's audio section. Sorry, but I have only just begun the Paris website, so there is essentially no info on it yet. The Photo Gallery will provide you with thousands of photos (good and bad, I just uploaded them before I did any retouching or sifting).

www.passagetoroma.com

dave

greg

I am glad you found the multi-city option.

Even though the option is available on many search engines, this must be one of an easy expense and time saving option overlooked by first time travelers. Every week we see new posters coming onto the forum after purchasing round-trip tickets only to find out that the flight arrangements are incompatible with the itinerary requiring additional expense and travel time to squeeze in the destinations.

amwosu

My favorite things to do on a Sunday in Paris are
Sainte Chapelle (on museum pass)
Square du Vert-Galant on the tip of Ile de la Cite
Open Air Bird Market at Place Louis-Lepine on Ile de la Cite Held Sundays only 9am-7pm, rest of the week it is a flower market from 8am-7pm, Great photo op.
Crypte de Notre Dame (on museum pass)The entrance is located at the far end of the square opposite the 'front doors' of Notre Dame. Archaeologists have found ruins underneath the Notre Dame courtyard that trace back to the beginnings of Paris.
Notre Dame- wander through during services and enjoy the singing
Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation- Appropriate attire is requested as well as your cell phone being turned off. The Memorial is in a quiet garden, the Square d'Ile de France, at the eastern end of Ile de la Cité.
Head to Marais the old Jewish area of the city with shops open on Sunday
Sacha Finkelsztajn- Jewish Deli 27 rue des Rosiers, gorgeous east European breads, cakes, aubergine puree, blinis
Musee Cognacq-Jay
Place de Vosges- most beautiful square in Paris, visit the longtime home of Victor Hugo
Centre Pompidou- modern art museum open until 10pm, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Chagall. Giggle at some of the crazy art installations.
Ann Marie

PalenQ

Sunday is also a great time to climb the Eiffel Tower because the air is noticeably cleaner IME than on workdays as many polluting vehicles are not driving amok - really can see something from the top instead of smog.

Michel_Paris

amwosu has a good list.
The area around Notre Dame to me is a great place to spend a day. Since Sainte Chapelle is a prime place to visit, I might go there first. On a sunny day...wow. Next door is the Conciergerie, which to me is only so-so for a visit. Marie Antoinette was help here for her trail and left sitting in the back of a cart on her way to her beheading at Place de la concorde. But the cell that they show you is nto really hers, but a reconsitution.

Across the street from these buildings is a cafe with an outdoor area that I have gone to for breakfast.

After leaving the Deportation memorial I would corss over the bridge to the ajoining small island of St Louis. A nice small place with old mansions and some nice shops on its main street. I have bought cheese and wine here, you could think of buying some items and having a small picnic.

At the opposite end of Ile de la Cite is Sqaure du Vert Galant, as noted above. This is also the location of Vedettes du Pont Neuf, a good choice for doing a Seine cruise. I would recommend goinf after dark.

I've often walked along the Seine both above and below street level in this area, on the Left Bank side. At street level you will find the bouquiniestes, sellers of old books, maps, magazines, A tradition of sorts.

If you were to walk on the Left Bank, away from the back of Notre dame (Eastward) you would come to a plaque marking the spot where a soldier was killed during the liberation of Paris in 1944.

Marais is another area, and as mentioned above, I think Place des Vosges is one of the nicer squares in Paris.

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