Shockingly high airfare rates to Europe are starting to slowly fall as the winter months bring low seasonal rates.
Don't put off going to Europe during the months of November through March. The experience will still bring delights for the senses, although you'll need to bundle up a bit more to stave off chilly weather. The temperatures are ideal for walking cities from end-to-end and for slipping into cozy museums -- normally not on a must-do list during spring and summer.
Remember, you can fly into one city and depart from another and plan a between city trip either by rail, rental car or by a short and inexpensive flight. For more on inter-Europe rates, visit www.RyanAir.com or www.WhichBudget.com.
Here's one of the first sales that offers a wide range of destinations.
$190 round-trip to:
- Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Germany
- Budapest, Hungary
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Geneva or Zurich, Switzerland
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Oslo, Norway
- Salzburg or Vienna, Austria
- Stockholm, Sweden
Plan to depart Nov. 14-Dec. 14; Dec. 29-Jan. 1 or Jan. 9-March 22.
The least expensive days to travel are Sunday-Thursday outbound; Monday-Thursday inbound. Add $25 per direction for other travel days. Stay at least one Saturday night or up to 30 days. All travel must be finished on or before March 28.
Participating carriers include British Airways, Delta (only to Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich) and partners Continental/United/Lufthansa.
Stopovers not permitted.
Now for the not so good news: Taxes, fees and fuel surcharges are additional. For instance, inclusive round-trip rates to Frankfurt are $780.30. So as a rule, factor in $500-$630 per round-trip ticket.
Buy tickets through Nov. 2.
Sale airfares are always subject to change. Every seat on every flight is not offered at the lowest rate. Since only a limited supply of seats is available, act quickly to make your purchase.
I recommend starting the search for available seats at Kayak.com vs. calling an airline directly. You can also search for the sale at travel Web sites such as Expedia or Travelocity, etc. Airlines can discontinue or pull a sale price without notice when the offer does not have a "ticket-by" date or when the offer is deemed "sold out."
Clara Bosonetto is a retired travel consultant.
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