Semester in N. Ireland--Cheapest way to travel Europe???
 

I'm going to be spending a semester in Northern Ireland this fall. I want to travel and see as much as I can while there, and plan to travel around the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and possibly Wales. I may end up visiting England, specifically London a few times more than the other countries mentioned (as I know a few people studying there as well.) I have heard a lot about the Eurorail pass and other cheaper ways to travel. I will be a student and have an ISIC? card that also has some discounts associated with it.

Do you have any suggestions about sheap forms of travel? I'll be there from Sept 8-Dec 18 so I will not be on a very tight itinerary.

Thanks in advance for all your replies and advice!

*cheap

Apparently I am so overwhelmed I can't even spell, excuse me. :-)

Other posters will explain the subtleties of train cards - though my understanding is that Eurail won't get you far in the UK. And for travel within Ireland (except for straight journeys from Dublin to Belfast, Cork and Limerick), you'll need buses most of the time.
But for travelling between Northern Ireland and what we call the mainland, two basic tips:
- don't call it the mainland. It infuriates most people in Northern Ireland
- think planes. There's a huge, constantly changing, low-cost network between Ireland and the island of Britain, and it may even sometimes be cheaper to go firest to Dublin than to use N Ireland's three main airports. www.flybudget.com is a good guide to the main low-cost airlines, though bmi, BA and Aer Lingus sometimes undercut them. Follow that site's links to Ireland's dozen or so airports: each airport site lists theoperators out of there and where they go to. You might find some of the more obscure flights (like Derry to Manchester) suit you better than the better-known routes.

Don't go pale at the word "plane". It's not uncommon these days for the bus to the airport to cost more than the flight from Belfast to London. If you book the right airline at the right time. Otherwise, the transatlantic flight could cost you less!

Wow, I found some great deals on Ryanair's website for flights. Thanks so much for the advice!

:):):)

In Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and I think in Ireland people aged under 26 can buy for about 15 US dollars a years card that takes a third off travel costs outside peak hours. On the Continent another such card (bought in Dublin) takes a third off all basic rail fares. Do have a look at the BritRail card for any three-week travel period you may have in the UK, but I think it will be a worse buy than one-off tickets point to point, especially if you book two or three weeks ahead and so buy Apex, Supersaver, and so on. Once in Ireland you can phone the British number 0044 845 7 48 49 50, sketch out a few weekends, and ask them their cheapest offers, booked ahead with a credit card.

I have to admit that the UK is dull from 23 December to 3 January, with many museums, galleries and concert halls closed. Paris wakes up straight away on 27 December, and I hear the Prague and Budapest stay lively right through Christmas. Cheap flights from London are these
Easyjet, http://www.easyjet.com, ++44 870 6 000 000, fly from Luton, Stansted and Gatwick to Paris
BMI fly from EastMidlands to Paris, http://www.bmibaby.com, ++44 870 264 2229,
BMI fly from E Midlands to Prague, and Easyjet fly from Stansted, Newcastle and E Midlands to Prsgue
SkyEurope http://www. skyeurope.com fly from Stansted to Bratislava (Budapest by train in 3 hours). You are slowed down in that you must give no less than two hours for the transfer of planes in England

What will you be studying ?

Welcome to Britain

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Thanks so much for the information and welcome! :)

I am taking classes at a university in my majors and minor fields of study, psychology, theater arts and philosophy respectively, though I may opt out of one and take a class about the literature, or language of the area. :-)

Message: Thanks so much for the information and welcome!

I am taking classes at a university in my majors and minor fields of study, psychology, theater arts and philosophy respectively, though I may opt out of one and take a class about the literature, or language of the area.
In London there are museums for Freud in Hampstead and for theatre history in Convent Garden. You may visit Jeremy Bentham?s auto-icon in the central building of University College London. The site www.bbk.ac.uk/phil/intercollegiate.pdf lists free lectures in philosophy in London, and http://VictorianResearch.org will list in early October free public lectures in psychology and theatre arts. There are morning tours backstage at Shakespeare?s Globe and at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

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This is wonderful! Thank you so much! I will be sure to check this all out! :):):)

Hey Gabi,

Whilst in Northern Ireland (where abouts are you staying Belfast? Coleraine?) make sure you head up the the North Coast, and try and do it early in your time here. The glens of Antrim, Giants Causeway and Carrick-A-Reed rope bridge are all great, but best seen in the sun, and you have (marginally) more chance of getting it in September.

I agree with all the stuff about flying. If you book far enough ahead and are flexible about flying times it is usually not to expensive to get anywhere in Britain, but your student discount cards will be useless.

Make sure you get over to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Glasgow is good a party city as anywhere but also has museums and gallerys all over the show, and Edinburgh is the most picturesque city in the British Isles. Easyjet fly to both from Belfast, and you can also get a boat and train for not too much, though it takes a bit longer (a lot longer for edinburgh).

I personally cant stand the place, but many do - Amsterdam is only an hour and a bit flying time from Belfast on Easyjet, and again not to pricey.

Dublin you can get to on a bus easily.