JOAN SCALESanswers your questions
Where can we stay over on our way to catch the ferry?
Q We are travelling on the 3pm fast ferry from Rosslare to Fishguard on a Saturday. We have to be in Plymouth for 3pm on the Sunday to get the ferry to Santander. I would like to try and find an inn where we can dine and have BB en route – say near Cardiff for example.SOH, Louth
Cardiff is a good place to break your journey. It will be at least 7.30pm before you arrive there and with a three-hour journey the next day to Plymouth it is a good halfway point. The following hotels are all in the city centre and ideal for an overnight, especially if you are delayed and are looking for dinner. Barcelo Angel (www. barcelo.com), the Radisson Blu (www.radisson blu.co.uk), the Big Sleep Hotel (www.the bigsleephotel.com), and Holland House, (www.mercure. com) all charge around £100 (€116) per night.
Below that price you could consider Annedd Lon BB, Cathedral Road (00-44-2920-223349, www.anneddlon.co.uk), Preste Gaarden BB, Cathedral Road (00-44-2920-228607, www.cosycardiffhotel.co.uk) , and the Avala Guest House, Newport Road (00-44-2920-481412, www.theavala.co.uk). Cardiff Tourism (00-44-8701-211258) offers a bed-booking service for £2 (€2.30).
Q I am hoping to go on a city break in August for three to four nights, maybe Paris. I would like some advice on where to stay and who to fly with. Is Paris an expensive city?KB, Laois
Paris is a lovely city and there is so much to do that you will easily fill four days. Both Aer Lingus and Air France fly to Charles de Gaulle airport, the closest to the city, and you can use the train to get into the centre. Ryanair flies to Beauvais and there is a bus connection to and from the city.
Paris is no more expensive than many other cities, and you can keep the costs down by staying in inexpensive accommodation, eating where the locals eat, walking around and using public transport. The area around Montmartre and the Gare du Nord is less expensive than other areas and you will find a hotel here for around €50 per night. See a selection of hotels on www.parishotels.com. Always check out the tourist office as you will usually find details of special offers and free events there. The main tourist office in Paris is at 25 rue des Pyramides in the 1st arrondissement. See www.parisinfo.com. Many museums, including the popular Musée d’Orsay, are free on the first Sunday of the month. Otherwise they cost from €2 to €12 depending on the age of the visitor. Municipal museums are free, for example, the Petit Palais and the Musée Carnavalet.
Certain spots, including the Jardin du Luxembourg (www.monument-paris.com/jardin-du-Luxembourg), the Musée d’Orsay and the American Church in Paris, (www.acparis.org) frequently hold free concerts. Half-priced theatre tickets in Paris are available at the kiosks on the Place de la Madeleine or in front of the Gare Montparnasse.
You can get around the city cheaply by using the Metro, buy the pack of 10 tickets called a carnet. You can also use the public bicycles, Vélibs, which you can borrow from one of 750 pick-up spots around the city and drop off at any other centre within 30 minutes. If you need more time to get there, you are charged by the hour, around €1 for the first hour, rising to €7 for two hours.
When it comes to dining, Paris has lots of lovely parks and having a picnic is a good way to enjoy them. Watch out for prix fixe menus in restaurants, which usually include two or three courses at a set price.
Q A few friends and I are looking into doing a trek around the Lofoten islands off the Norwegian coast, possibly in late August or September. I've heard that the temperatures are mild enough in summer – would our regular camping gear suffice at that time of year or should we invest in more specialised equipment? Also, can you think of an easier way to get there than to fly or Oslo and get transfers from there (and back)?AC, Donegal
The average temperatures in the Lofoten Islands in August are 10 to 14 degrees and in September they fall to between seven and 10 degrees. Your regular camping gear should be fine for these temperatures. Like any out-of-the-way place, getting there always takes time and costs more. Flying via Oslo from Dublin is the best route. SAS (www.flysas.ie) flies four days a week, Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and onwards to Bodó. There is a new service beginning on August 19th to Oslo on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with Norwegian (www.norwegian. com), expect to pay around €270-€370. The Lofoten islands (www.lofoten- info.no) are connected to the mainland by causeway and tunnels. From Bodó you can get a bus or take a ferry.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com