Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting there
Unless you're coming from elsewhere in
Britain, or from northwest Europe, the
quickest and easiest way to get to
London is by plane. The city has five
airports (see p.20) and is a major destina-
tion for most international airlines, so
airfares tend to be keenly competitive.
How much you pay to fly to London
depends on how far in advance you
book, and how flexible you need your
ticket to be.
London range between NZ$2000 and NZ$3000
depending on the season, route and carrier.
By plane or train from Ireland
Travel from Ireland is quickest by
plane
, with the
likes of Aer Lingus and Ryanair offering return
tickets from Dublin, Derry, Cork or Shannon to
London Stansted or Gatwick for as little as €50.
From Belfast International, easyJet has return fares
to London Luton, Gatwick or Stansted from around
£60, if you book far enough in advance; flybe has
similar fares from Belfast City to London Gatwick. A
fully flexible fare can cost three or four times that
amount, but will allow you to change your plans
after purchasing the ticket.
Flying may be quick, but the
ferry
and
train
fares
are pretty competitive and much more flexible, with
Irish Ferries (
W
irishferries.com) offering SailRail return
fares of around €80 to London (via Holyhead) from
anywhere in the Republic; from Belfast (via Stranraer
or Holyhead) returns start from £90. Journey time is
eight hours from Dublin, ten from Belfast.
Flights from the US and Canada
All major US and Canadian airlines run direct
services from North America to London, Europe's
busiest gateway. Two of London's airports
-
Heathrow
and
Gatwick
- handle transatlantic
flights, and in terms of convenience they're
about equal.
Figure on around six hours' flying time from New
York; it's an hour extra going the other way, due to
headwinds. Add three or four hours more for travel
from the West Coast. Most eastbound flights cross
the Atlantic overnight, arriving the next morning;
flying back, departure times tend to be morning or
afternoon, arriving in the afternoon or evening of
the same day.
The cheapest return
fares
(including taxes)
from New York or Chicago (and even LA) start
from around US$600; or from around Can$800
from Toronto; and from around Can$1000 from
Vancouver.
AGENTS AND OPERATORS
North South Travel
UK
T
01245 608291,
W
northsouthtravel
.co.uk. Friendly, competitive travel agency, offering discounted fares
worldwide. Profits are used to support projects in the developing world,
especially the promotion of sustainable tourism.
STA Travel
UK
T
0871 2300 040, US
T
1800 781 4040, Australia
T
134 782, New Zealand
T
0800 474 400, South Africa
T
0861
781 781,
W
statravel.com. Worldwide specialists in independent travel;
also student IDs, travel insurance, car rental, rail passes and more. Good
discounts for students and under-26s.
Trailfinders
UK
T
020 7408 9006, Ireland
T
01 677 7888,
W
trailfinders.com. One of the best-informed and most e
cient agents
for independent travellers.
Flights from Australia and New
Zealand
Flight time from Australia and New Zealand to
London is at least 22 hours, and can be more
depending on routes and transfer times. There are a
wide variety of routes, with those touching down in
Southeast Asia the quickest and cheapest on
average. Given the length of the journey involved,
you might be better off including a night's stopover
in your itinerary; some airlines include one in the
price of the flight.
The cheapest direct scheduled flights to London
are usually to be found on one of the Asian airlines.
Average return
fares
(including taxes) from eastern
gateways to London are Aus$1500-2500 depending
on the season. Fares from Perth or Darwin cost
around Aus$200 less. Return fares from Auckland to
A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL
At Rough Guides we are passionately
committed to travel. We feel that travelling
is the best way to understand the world we
live in and the people we share it with
- plus tourism has brought a great deal of
benefit to developing economies around
the world over the last few decades. But the
growth in tourism has also damaged some
places irreparably, and climate change is
exacerbated by most forms of transport,
especially flying. All Rough Guides' trips are
carbon-offset, and every year we donate
money to a variety of charities devoted to
combating the effects of climate change.
