GO ASK JOAN:All your travel questions answered by JOAN SCALES
Getting the Royan treatment
I am meeting my son and his family in Royan about September 8th to spend a couple of days with them. I would like to maximise my visit to France by going five to seven days before that and doing a coach tour or something similar. There are flights from Ireland to places like Bordeaux, Biarritz and La Rochelle so I could travel easily to Royan. I would like to do a country tour of little villages and perhaps a chateau or two and also a winery – EG, Dublin
There are not that many tours available around your dates. There is a river cruise of Burgundy and Provence which fulfils a lot of your criteria and you would end up in Lyon from where you can take the train to Royan. ( onestoptouringshop.com,
tel: 01-7753838). They also arrange coach tours with Insight Vacations: I did not see anything specifically for your dates, but they may be able to help.
Departing from London, there is a coach holiday with Shearings.comin and around your dates. It is called Enchanting Brittany, and will be based in Rennes. There will be tours each day to places like St Malo, Mont St Michel, Pont Aven and Carnac. It costs about £900, not including the fare from Ireland to London, (0044-844-8246351).
Another option is to base yourself in La Rochelle and explore the surrounding area. There are direct flights from Dublin on Wednesday and Saturday with Ryanair. In this area you have Ile de Ré and the surrounding areas of Poitou Charente, see larochelle-tourisme.com. Or fly to Bordeaux before the end of August with Aer Lingus. From the city there are a good variety of tours to the wine region and famous chateaux, bordeaux-tourisme.com. You can then take the train to meet your family, see voyages-sncf.com.
What’s hot in Iceland?
I am writing to ask your advice on travelling to Iceland. I and my boyfriend are planning to go for about a fortnight in October/early November. We haven’t booked flights yet and, although I’ve been doing research on how to get there and what to do when we arrive, I’m not sure how best to get around the island and what kind of itinerary would work best. Some travel books I’ve looked at say buses are expensive and can be infrequent and car hire doesn’t seem like a great idea, as I don’t have experience driving in snow or ice.
I’d be a bit hesitant about joining a tour group (if there is such a thing off-season) except maybe for one or two days. Are there any that you would recommend that do short trips and what sights would you recommend seeing outside of Reykjavik? We like being outdoors – some walking, a glacier tour, whale watching, a ski lesson or dog sledding would be nice, along with a trip to some baths to relax! – SMM, Dublin.
Firstly, if this your main holiday, you should take into account that the weather will be quite cold – not freezing but colder than you’d expect, probably around seven to 10 degrees – and that Iceland is more expensive than you will expect.
As you will be outside the main tourist season, some things may be closed – including roads – and there will be fewer tours available. On the up side, flights, hotels and car hire will probably be cheaper. Expect to pay at least €80-€120 per night (less for guesthouses). If you opt for car hire, you would be better to rent a sturdier vehicle to take into account road conditions and driving distances.
Iceland is a beautiful country, and a great place to enjoy the outdoors: bring strong walking boots and good all-weather gear. However, the countryside can be very remote and there are few places to stop between towns. Pick two or three cities to stay in and explore the surrounding area.
Great sights include Gullfoss waterfall and, if you can find it, Bruarfoss waterfall near Laugarvatn. Stand on the tectonic plates between Europe and the Americas and survey the Lakeland country. Wait by Geysir in anticipation of a hot spout, bathe in the Blue Lagoon, see a glacier and climb a volcano: they have lots to choose from.
Icelandair flies from London Heathrow and Manchester ( icelandair.com), Iceland Express ( icelandexpress.com) from London Gatwick, and SAS via Oslo. Air Iceland ( airiceland.is) is the regional carrier in Iceland and it is cheap enough to get around. See visiticeland.comfor a list of tour operators.
From Ireland, Wallace Travel ( wtg.ie) has a three-night trip (November 1-4 with flight, accommodation and different tours to choose from: it costs from €499pps.
Pole position for the aurora My son lives in London and he and his girlfriend would like to take a trip to see the northern lights. What is the best time of year to go? Also, I presume it would be cheaper to go from the UK. What’s your advice, bearing in mind that money is a bit scarce? – PD
The northern lights or the aurora borealis will be at peak viewing this winter from November to the end of February, as the solar cycle reaches its height. Your son may not have far to go to see them, as Scotland is likely to have strong activity (see, visitscotland.com). However, if they do want to go abroad, one of the best value deals I have seen is with Icelandair.com. Their Northern Lights three-night package from London to Reykjavik includes flights, airport transfers and hotel for £299pps.
Send your questions with name and address to JScales@irishtimes.com.