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 IRฃ250/?288.00 if you
book a long time in advance, but
prices are usually significantly
higher (IRฃ300-450/?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 IRฃ60/?76.18 for a
return to Stansted (sometimes as
low as ฃIR30/?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 ฃ60 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.
