lobe

Hi,

Im after some help re flights, travel, rail, options to get to the Alps from Manchester airport.

Scenario is :-

Would like to go mountain bike riding in the Alps ( northern alps – Verbier, southern alps – Briancon.

Not fussed either, whatever makes it easier to get to my destination.

Fly from Isle of Man (TT races) to Manchester 07:05 – 7.55 approx, 7th June, flight booked with Flybe.

Fly from Man to Amsterdam, 7th june at 1.40pm – flight booked

I no longer want to fly to Amsterdam but would prefer to travel to the French, Swiss, Italian Alps to go mountain bike riding.

What are my options, flights, rail, flights & then drive ( I like driving so is no problem, having ridden motorbikes through from uk to Alps – loved it, UK resident with uk and an aussie license ( uk / aussie citizen )

Ive looked thru the usual suspects but am struggling to find flights etc. Surely there are plenty of airlines inc budget airlines that fly to the region?

I either go from MAN or travel to Amsterdam and pick up a flight from there to Alps area - most options travel agents have quoted dont really fit.

Fly then drive, any ideas ?

Any help, comments would be helpful

Thanks

Dean

stut

A lot of the flights to Alpine airports will be seasonal, and only really obtainable during the winter and early spring.

However... You should be able to get to Zurich (Swiss), Geneva (easyJet), Milan (Ryanair), Basel Mulhouse (easyJet) or at a push Nice (Jet2) year round.

You should be able to do a multi-search on dohop.com - you can simply specify "ZRH, GVA, MXP, BSL, NCE" in the destination field.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Are you bringing the bike with you? If so, you've really got to watch out for what you'll be charged on the budget airlines. Or pretty much all airlines for that matter. Rail is much friendlier towards bikes in cases or boxes. From Amsterdam you have a direct rail connection at the airport to... just about anywhere. If possible, avoid connections in Paris because you'll have to switch train stations and the transfers (with luggage) aren't so easy.

But you've worked with travel agents who provided options that "don't fly." What are you looking for? Dirt dirt dirt cheap, or is reasonable ok?

lobe

Thanks stut and Mike, much appreciated.

As per your question Mike, im not travelling with a bike so the budget airlines should be easier.
I will have a gear bag with me, so will have to check this in etc.

From research on the 8th there is a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Milano/Bergamo, that's pretty close to the Alps, then a train maybe.

On the June 7th 11.30 theres an easyjet flight to GVA, then from GVA to Verbier trains go every 30 min im told.

As to your question, the price doesnt have to be dirt sirt dirt cheap, just prob happy to get there etc.

I didnt put in my post, that i need to then get back to Frankfurt Int to catch my Singapore flight at 12.30pm back to Adelaide. Prob would have to travel back on the 12th then overnight in Frankfurt. Any ideas?

UAPremExecflyer

If you looked in the Germany forum, you'd see this existing thread on your question
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/germa...here-stay.html

lobe

Sorry UAprem, i meant any ideas on the early morning flight, from say GVA or Turin depending on which mountain bike company i go with.

stut

If you're going from Switzerland to Frankfurt, I'd get the train. 2h40 from Basel direct to the airport, with plenty of connections all over the country. Prices from €39.

http://www.bahn.co.uk/

lobe

Thanks Stut, id be leaving from Briancon, thinking maybe a hire car to Geneva and then fly from there. Most of the cheaper flights to Frankfurt main are 1 stop etc via amsterdam, or copenhagen, even barcalona with iberia iirc.

Other option is it looks about 8-9 hour drive. Avis car rental isnt too bad. We drive +8hrs here in Australia from Adelaide to Melb, so its not problem to drive for long periods for me, i enjoy it and would enjoy the roads through that part of europe.

i guess if im driving to geneva to catch my flight in an hire car, i could just drive the whole lot, leaving the avis car at frankfurt main.
Not sure how much id end up paying in tolls though.

stut

One-way international car hire isn't likely to work - once you cross borders, the one-way fees become prohibitive. However, Geneva airport has an access on French territory, so make sure you book from there!

FWIW, there are no tolls in Germany, but Switzerland requires you to have a motorway tax sticker on your car.

Geneva to Frankfurt is under 6h by train, so that's likely to be quicker than an indirect flight. Another alternative is to drive on to somewhere like Strasbourg, 2h from Frankfurt by train.

If you want to avod a hire car, there are regular trains from Briançon to Aix and Marseille - which does have a flight to Frankfurt (nearby Nîmes airport also has Ryanair flight from Liverpool, which could be an option for your outbound journey...)