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To save on Europe, start in Germany
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, May 17, 2009
Great deals to Europe are available for this summer, but the best bang for your buck may be the incredible fares we're seeing to Germany.
When we priced flights from Dallas for departure July 15 and return July 22, we found round-trip fares as low as $529, including taxes and fees, to cities such as Cologne, Dresden, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. For comparison, flights from Dallas to Dresden last summer cost $1,411 round trip.
If you want to go to a different destination in Europe, you could save a considerable amount of money by flying from the U.S. to Germany and then taking the train, a flight or a drive within Europe. Since Germany is centrally located, it offers many convenient alternate cities for those willing to do some additional travel once they reach Europe.
Flights to Prague have been averaging $1,000 round trip for July travel from Dallas, but you could fly to Dresden, which is just 96 miles from Prague, for $599 round trip. Berlin is 320 miles from Warsaw, but you could save $650 per person by flying from Dallas to Berlin with round-trip fares starting at $529 vs. $1,179 to Warsaw. When we priced round-trip flights from Dallas to Innsbruck, Austria, they were $1,129, but flights to Munich, just 102 miles away, were $569, for a savings of $560.
Cologne and Luxembourg are 138 miles apart, but flights from Dallas to Cologne cost $569 round trip, while Luxembourg was $420 more at $989 round trip. Taxes and fees were included in fares listed above.
If you want to go to Amsterdam or Brussels, think Dusseldorf, or if you want to go to Italy or Switzerland, think Stuttgart. Remember, the more people you have flying, the greater the savings. You could save $1,300 per couple by flying into Germany.
As always, these fares are subject to change. While they may go higher, we have continued to see fares to Europe decrease, so they could go even lower. The cheapest fares to Europe are typically available for travel Monday through Thursday. Weekend flights often have a surcharge, and since they are the most popular days to fly, the cheapest fare class is often sold out, leaving you paying hundreds of dollars more.
A number of low-cost carriers offer cheap flights for travel within Europe. Be aware that there are strict limits on luggage, and you could make a serious dent in your travel budget with excess-luggage fees, so pack light if you plan to fly within Europe. These airlines also have a lot of a la carte fees; check before you book so you know the true cost of the flight.
WhichBudget.com allows you to plug in your departure city and destination to find out which low-cost carriers offer flights on your route.
If you want to check prices on rail tickets and passes, contact Rail Europe (1-800-622-8600; www.raileurope.com). The major U.S. agencies offer car rentals in Europe, and you can also check Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com), Sixt (www.sixt.com) or Europcar (www.europcar.com).
Tom Parsons is publisher of BestFares.com.
FIND FLIGHT BARGAINS every day.
dallasnews.com /travel
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