YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Is renting a car the easiest option for travel in Sardinia?
Q We are planning a two-week holiday on the Italian island of Sardinia in July. Is it possible to get public transport to our destination, Castelsardo, or would it be easier to rent a car for the fortnight?
BM, Dublin
Castelsardo is about 70km from the airport, and it will take about an hour and 20 minutes to get there. There is only one bus a day, and that leaves at 10.15am, probably too early for you. A taxi from the airport will cost about €90 each way. If you decide to rent a car, www.algherocarhire.com, the site of a local firm, has good offers. The tourist-information office at Alghero Airport can advise also on transportation; its number is 00-39-079- 935150.
Q My father-in-law is retiring later this year, and my mother-in-law wants to bring him away as a surprise. The problem is the destination . . . Transylvania. As his long-suffering wife will testify, he has always had an obsession with vampires. Every book, movie, poster, etc, he's got it. Anyway, can you recommend a travel agent who might specialise in providing an all-in experience, particularly ones relating to Bram Stoker's novel? Taking her husband away as a treat is all the more selfless, as the lady in question has no more interest in Translyvania then he does in going to see "Sex and the City".
Anon, Dublin
There is a company in Romania that specialises in just such a trip, www.mysteriousjourneys. com. It is the official travel agency of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, and members of the society accompany the tours. They visit all the sites made famous in Dracula. In September they plan the Classic Dracula Tour, but as yet do not have enough people to fill it. They do have availability on tours in August; a long weekend with Dracula from the 10th to the 14th costs €665, and over Halloween, for a week from October 27th, the Classic Dracula and Halloween tour costs €895. The tour begins in Bucharest, and the easiest service from Dublin is with Malev Hungarian Airlines (www.malev.com), via Budapest, with fares of about €210, including taxes.
In London there is also www.romaniatravelcentre.com; the site has five-day trips throughout the year to visit sites of Dracula- and vampire-related interest, with flights from Gatwick. That tour costs from £899 (about €1,135) per person.
Q I plan to take my dad to Israel as a birthday present next February. I have looked at all the airlines I can think of, and Czech Airlines seems very good value, at about 350. I would prefer to fly with Lufthansa or Swiss, but they are twice the price. Do you think their fares will drop in the meantime? I also wonder whether there are any direct flights or charters. Also, is it possible to enter Nazareth?
There are a number of charters to Israel every year from Ireland, but not in February. The price you have for Czech Airlines is very good, and you are unlikely to beat this. Lufthansa and Swiss do have sale fares every month, but they are not released until the month before travel, so watch their websites around December.
The prices are unlikely to be less than the €350 you quote, as oil prices are only rising at present.
There are regular buses and sherut (shared taxis) to Nazareth from the bus station in Tel Aviv. For more information go to www.nazarethinfo.org.
Q Is it possible to hire a bicycle at one point along the Camino de Santiago and leave it at the destination? I don't really want to join an organised trip but would appreciate some tips in terms of the best place to start (ie, not the mountains). Any information about cycling the Camino would be appreciated.
CH, Galway
Yes, it is possible to hire a bike and cycle the Camino. Here are some companies that can help: www.tourride.com, www.bikespain.info and www.mundicamino.com. When planning your journey, I would direct you to the very good Irish site www.stjamesirl.com.
Also, the Spanish Tourist Board opened a new office in Dublin recently. It can give help on 01-6350280. It is at 1-3 Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2, if you want to drop in. It's open from 11am to 2pm, Monday to Friday. E-mail requests to Dublin@tourspain.es.
Go contact Send your questions with name and address to jscales@irish-times.ie