Hi,


Will be visiting Japan mid April 2019. Flying in and out of Nagoya. We have 11 days and intend to cover Takayama, Shirakawago, Kanazawa, Toyama, Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, Matsumoto, Gifu and Nagoya.

I did some research and found that the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass does not cover the Kurobe Alpine Route while the Alpine-Takayama-Matsumoto Area Tourist Pass does not cover Kanazawa. I need some advice on how I should plan my itinerary / route to cover all the places that I would like to visit in the most economical way.

Does it make sense to buy both passes since I will have 11 days (5 to cover the Kanazawa & Shirakawago area and 5 to cover the Kurobe-Alpine Route and Matsumoto area)? I checked the individual train fares for each sector but still couldn’t work out a suitable itinerary.

Appreciate some advice and comments from all who have done Central Japan. I am open to suggestions.

Thank you in advance

slmkhoo:

Sel69:

Just wanted to know how much time for transit? Is 1.5H enough? Or should I give myself a bit more time just in case of flight delay etc?


Thank you.

Heathrow is a large and busy airport. Flights can be delayed, security can take ages, and it can be a long walk from place to place. I generally allow at least 3 hrs between flights, even more if you need to collect baggage and re-check in.

Thanks slmkhoo for your advice. Will take note of that.

mummychua:

Hi Sel69,

I'm planning a similar trip. Either flight into Edinburgh at the start of the trip or return to Singapore from Edinburgh. But there is no direct flight to Edinburgh, all airline transit in London. and yes, 1.5hrs can be a little too short unless you are booking both tix from the same airline then they will transfer the luggage for you. i was told that one need a minimum of 4hrs for transfer between different airline.

cant find the so called budget tix from British Airway from their website. otherwise i will have book my return from them since Norwegian air return is not that cheap.

I read that lake district is not ideal during nov period. wet and cold, not suitable for hiking which is what the area is famous for.

I wonder if there are any guided tour (~3day?) for the highlands during end nov or early dec. I'm so not comfortable driving in the wild. haha...

Hi hi mumychua,

When are you travelling? Yes no direct flight into Edinburgh. Got to change at Healthrow. I checked BA, arrive from SIN at T5 and depart to Edinburgh also from T5. But I think you’re right that 1.5H for transit a bit too rushing.

And re Lake District, if not suitable for hiking, what other things can we do? Possible to drive to the various spots to sightsee?

iluvcruising2:

Sel69:

Dear iluvcruising2 and slmkhoo,


Thank you for your comments and advice re the weather. :thankyou:

I am now working out a rough itinerary to know if I should be buying a return ticket to London or buy an open jaw ticket (SIN-EDI-LHR-SIN). How much time should I allow for transit? Is 1.5H too short? I am thinking of either doing a round trip from London to Edinburgh and then back to London or perhaps flying in to Edinburgh, tour Scotland (for 3-4 days) then drive down to London stopping at Lake District, Liverpool, Straford-upon-Avon. Any comments and advice?

Thanking all in advance.

If you fly in and out of different cities, chances are the tickets would be more expensive, at least on some airlines. You can price the different airlines to see their prices. I recall that middle eastern airlines (e.g. Qatar, Emirates, Turkish) have very reasonable pricing if you fly in and out of different cities. For that reason, we have flown with them when we wanted to enter and exit different parts of Europe. E.g. we flew Singapore-Copenhagen and then London Singapore on Turkish. We separately booked British Airways for the Copenhagen to London leg.

One way is to get a return flight in/out of London. But get a separate one-way ticket from London to Edinburgh or London to Glasgow.

Thanks iluvcruising2. I’m considering BA even though they do not have positive reviews. Heard and read about their lousy service etc. But we prefer direct flights and their tix are about $350 cheaper than SQ. Cost for return tix on BA is $1175 per pax. And it cost only $60 more to buy the open jaw tix. So very likely I will settle for BA. Just wanted to know how much time for transit? Is 1.5H enough? Or should I give myself a bit more time just in case of flight delay etc?

Thank you.

Dear iluvcruising2 and slmkhoo,


Thank you for your comments and advice re the weather. :thankyou:

I am now working out a rough itinerary to know if I should be buying a return ticket to London or buy an open jaw ticket (SIN-EDI-LHR-SIN). How much time should I allow for transit? Is 1.5H too short? I am thinking of either doing a round trip from London to Edinburgh and then back to London or perhaps flying in to Edinburgh, tour Scotland (for 3-4 days) then drive down to London stopping at Lake District, Liverpool, Straford-upon-Avon. Any comments and advice?

Thanking all in advance.

How’s weather like in Dec? Am planning to travel 4 - 18 Dec 2018, including Scotland too. Will it snow in Scotland in Dec? Will it be difficult to self drive in winter?


Thank you.

Thank you all for your feedback on the various airlines. Will do some homework these few days on the fares and book my tickets. Thereafter, I can start planning my itinerary already!

Hi all,


Has anyone taken BA to UK before? How is it? In terms of flight comfort, service and reliability?

I am planning a trip to London this year end in December and was checking prices of air fare. Noted that BA is about S$300 cheaper per adult compared to SQ. So the savings is quite a lot for my family of 4. However, my colleague told me that BA always have strike.

Any comments?

Thank you.

starlight1968sg:

Thanks sel69 for sharing.

We will go NI for about 12 days and travel by their public transport
I note your sharing on Mitai Maori Village. I have to see if it is accessible via public transport. Te Puia is easily accessible via public transport. In fact, I think both are too \"touristy\" and am looking around any parts of NI am visiting can provide a similar yet less touristy experience.

Dear starlight1968sg,

Mitai provides free transport from most accommodations in Rotorua city centre. You can go into their website to check if the accommodation you are staying in is on their list. Even if it's not, I'm sure you can always email them to check.

During my research for the trip, I remembered coming across a Maori village which is not too \"touristy\". You may want to google to find out. Can't recall the name though. :scratchhead:

Hi starlight1968sg,


We were in NZ last Dec. Self drive for 18 days, covering both North & South islands. In NI, we stayed 1N Napier, 1N Taupo, 2N Rotorua and 2N Auckland. All my accommodation bookings done via Booking.com. Yes some accommodation will charge extra 2% for payment via credit card. Do take that into consideration when you do your budgeting. We stayed mostly in 2-bedroom motels / apartments for my family of 4. And yes I also try to select those in close proximity to the town centre and restaurants. As mentioned by slmkhoo, use the map to help you identify suitable accommodation.

We also went to the Mitai Maori Village. Personally I think it's a worth while experience. We learn about the Maori culture and watch the performances. Food like what slmkhoo say, is nothing fantastic but still quite a decent spread. And the interesting thing about this is that we were seated with visitors from different countries and we had a great time sharing our experiences of our travels in NZ. We even exchanged travel notes! Included in the Mitai Maori visit was a walk through the forest Rainbow Springs (which is next door) after dinner to see the glow worms. During this tour, we also learned more about the fawn and flora and culture of the Maori people.

Thanks