| To begin, select a topic in the navigation bar to the left
Getting there from Britain
The easiest way to get to Italy from Britain is to fly; and the prices
of the cheapest tickets can even be cheaper than those for the long
train journey. Deals change all the time, and prices depend on where you
want to fly to and often on how far in advance you can book. The
majority of flights go to Milan and Rome, with Bologna, Pisa, Naples,
Turin and Venice in the second tier; frequent onward connections are
possible from these gateway cities to smaller regional airports. Costs
broadly reflect the distance and popularity of the place you're
travelling to - flights to Milan, for instance, can be a great deal
cheaper than those to Palermo
Getting there from Ireland
Both Aer Lingus and Alitalia have direct flights from Dublin to Milan
daily, from where connections to regional airports are frequent; flights
to Rome are less often, usually around three times a week. It's possible
to find deals for around IR£250/¬288.00 if you book a long time in
advance, but prices are usually significantly higher
(IR£300-450/¬346.00-518.00), and unless you're in a hurry it's likely to
make more sense to pick up an inexpensive flight to London, Brussels or
Paris especially if you are heading for the south of Italy.
There are many daily flights from Dublin to London, operated by Ryanair,
Aer Lingus and British Midland: the cheapest is Ryanair - which also
flies from Kerry, Cork and Knock - starting at around IR£60/¬76.18 for a
return to Stansted (sometimes as low as £IR30/¬38.09), though the cost
of the journey across London, added to Britain's high airport taxes, may
in fact make the total as much as Aer Lingus or British Midland fares
straight to Italy. Avoiding these costs, Virgin Express now flies from
Shannon to Brussels twice a day and budget deals can be found on Ryanair
from Dublin to Brussels or Paris, from where connections to the major
Italian airports are frequent.
From Belfast , British Airways and British Midland fly to Heathrow, but
the cheapest options are the British European flights to Gatwick and
Stansted, starting at around £60 return, though prices depend very much
on availability. For the best youth/student deals from either city,
contact Usit .
Getting there from the USA and Canada
You can fly to Italy direct from a number of US and Canadian cities: the
main points of entry are Rome and Milan, although there are plenty of
connecting flights on to other Italian cities from those two gateways.
Prices are quite competitive, making Italy a feasible entry-point for
Europe as a whole. Many airlines and agents also offer "open-jaw"
tickets, enabling you to fly into one Italian city and out from another,
travelling overland in between. Another good option is to travel via
elsewhere in Europe (particularly Britain or Germany), since there's a
broad range of well-priced flights from all over North America. A Eurail
pass may be a useful option if Italy is part of a longer European trip,
since you can use it to get from any part of Europe to Italy.
Getting there from Australia & New Zealand
There are no direct flights to Italy from Australia or New Zealand. All
flights require either a transfer or stopover en route - often a welcome
break as flying time is upwards of 21 hours. Several airlines fly to
both Milan and Rome via an Asian or European city. Fares are highest
between mid-May and August and at Christmas; low season is October to
mid-November and mid-January to February; while the rest of the year is
classed as shoulder season. Tickets purchased direct from the airlines
tend to be expensive; travel agents generally offer much better deals,
and have the latest information on special offers and stopovers. They
can often also help with accommodation packages, tours and car rental,
as well as organizing your visa and travel insurance. It's also worth
checking out Web sites like www.travel.com.au and www.sydneytravel.com
for discounted fares.
If you're planning to visit Italy as part of a wider world trip, then
Round-the-World tickets offer greater flexibility and are better value
than a standard return flight. There are numerous airline combinations
to choose from; for example, a straightforward ticket (no backtracking)
from Sydney or Auckland to Honolulu, then Vancouver, London, Rome/Milan,
Bangkok, Singapore and back home, starts at A$2099/NZ$2399. However,
more comprehensive and flexible routes are offered by "One World" and "Star
Alliance" allowing you to take in other destinations in the USA, Canada,
Europe, Asia as well as South America and Africa; prices are mileage-based
from A$/NZ$2700, for a max of 29,000 miles up to A$/NZ$3700 for 39,000
miles.
|
