Porto, London and Lourdes
GO ASK JOAN: All your travel questions answered by JOAN SCALES
From Porto to northern Spain
We have to get to the airport in Santiago in northern Spain for 2.30pm on Saturday, August 4th and are having difficulty finding a bus service to get us there from Porto in Portugal. We will travel a day ahead if necessary. Also we need to get from Malaga to Cadiz by public transport. – PQ, Dublin
It looks like you are taking a trip around the Iberian Peninsula from Malaga all the way to Santiago de Compostela. Having looked at the options from Porto/Oporto to Santiago de Compostela, I think you would be better to travel on the Friday as you would be cutting it very fine trying to make it in time.
There is a bus operated by Alsa and you will find timetables and details on alsa.esunder the international routes section. It is a five-hour journey, once a day, and keep in mind the time difference between the two countries. Portugal is on GMT, one hour earlier than Spain. There are train services with Portuguese train service Cp.ptand Spain’s Renfe.com, though you have to change in Vigo and the timings are not great.
From Malaga to Cadiz is a bit easier in that you have the choice of taking the train or the bus. The bus service is operated by Avanzabus.es, takes around four hours and costs about €26.50. The train is not direct to Cadiz, you would have to change at either Cordoba or Seville. See the timetables on Renfe.com.
Apartment stay in London
We are planning a trip to London in October to see family. We have two small children and are hoping to find self-catering accommodation for a week. We would need a basic kitchen for feeding the kids/sterilising bottles etc. Can you give us any advice on where to look, needless to say we are on a limited budget?– DD, Dublin
As a rule of thumb, the further out you go from the city centre the lower the cost for apartments in London. At the same time, you do not want to be too far out as the cost of transport can be high. Also it can be very tiring travelling around London, especially on public transport with children.
There are more apartments to rent in London than previously, a side effect of the Olympics, and prices range from £500 to £5,000 per week or more. Renting directly from an owner will be less expensive than using an agency. Average rental costs from an agency is around £1,100-£1,400 per week, direct from owners from £500-£900 per week. Keep in mind that the last week in October is half-term across Europe and tends to be a busy week. Websites for apartments include HolidayLettings.com, Holiday-rentals.com, ApartmentService.comand Staycity.com.
