It's hard to travel to Europe these days without worrying about something. Will my luggage arrive with me? Will I have enough money, given the weak dollar and soaring euro and pound? And, oh, yes, what's the best way to get from the airport to the city center or my hotel?
If you're on an escorted tour, you'll be met at the airport. But if you're traveling independently to one of Europe's gateway airports for the first time, well, you begin to wonder. Taxi? Ooh, that could be expensive. Train?
Where do I catch it if there is one? Airport bus? Is that an option?
For sure, you'll want to stretch your dollars, with the current exchange rate of one euro costing about $1.56. The pound is at nearly $2.
Since most arriving passengers are jet-lagged and want to get to their hotel, hopping in a taxi seems to be the simplest solution. But taxis are pricey. A ride from the airport to a city center can easily run $40 to $80. Sometimes,however, a taxi makes sense.
If you're a family traveling with young children, the cost and convenience of a cab ride might outweigh individual fares on a train or airport bus or the hassle on a Metro.
Since fares must be paid in local currency, you'll want to hit an ATM or bank after you clear immigration and customs.
You can find transportation by following airport signs or by asking for directions at an airport information kiosk.
Note: All forms of transport leave from the airport to city centers, and average travel times to city centers have been added when we could find them on various Web sites. Here's a look at airports - from A to Z - and what you can expect to pay to get to town:
Amsterdam Schiphol: 9 miles from central Amsterdam. Taxi: 20 to 40 euros for the 25- to 30-minute ride.
Train: To Amsterdam Central Station, 3.60 euros. Trains run every 10-15 minutes and take 15-20 minutes. KLM bus: halfhourly service, 6.80 euros.
Berlin Tegel International: 5 miles from city center. Taxi: 22 euros for the 25- to 30-minute ride. Bus: Jet Express, 2.20 euros. Buses run to Zoo Station and Main Train Station in city center in 20-25 minutes and also connect to city's subway system and SBahn trains.
Copenhagen Kastrup: 5 miles southeast of Copenhagen. Taxi: About 280 Danish krones (1 krone is about 20 cents U.S.) for the 20-minute ride. Train: 28.50 Danish krones, takes 12 minutes. Metro: 40 Danish krones, takes 15 minutes.
Frankfurt: 5.5 miles from city center. Taxi: 25 euros for the 20- to 25-minute trip.
Train: To Central Station and Frankfurt South, 3.60 euros for the 20-minute ride. Bus: 3.60 euros for the 30-minute ride. Buses to Frankfurt South leave every 20-30 minutes.
London Heathrow: 15 miles from central London.
Taxi: 35-40 pounds for the 45- to 60-minute ride. Train: Heathrow Express, with prices starting at 14.50 pounds (7.50 for children 5-15). Train takes 15 minutes to Paddington Station. Tube: 4 pounds.
The Piccadilly Circus line connects Heathrow to central London and the rest of the Tube system. Travel time to Piccadilly is 50 minutes. Air Bus: 6 pounds, departures every 20-30 minutes for the 60- to 75-minute trip to central London.
Madrid Barajas: 9 miles from central Madrid. Taxi: 15-20 euros including airport supplements for the 25- to 30-minute ride. Madrid Metro: 1.10 euros, but requires transferring at Mar de Cristal to your required destination.
Travel time to central Madrid via Lines 4 and 6 is 40 minutes. Airport bus: To Plaza de Colon, 2.40 euros for the 30-minute ride.
Milan Malpensa: 30 miles from the city center.
Taxi: 65-75 euros for a 50-ormore-minute trip to central Milan: Train: Malpensa Express, which leaves every 30 minutes for Cadorna (but not Central) Station, costs 9 euros and takes about 40 minutes.
Bus: Malpensa Shuttle departs for Central Station every 20 minutes and costs 4.50 euros.
Munich International: 20 miles from the city center.
Taxi: 55 euros for the up-to-45-minute ride. Train: 8.80 euros for the 40-minute trip to Munich's main rail station.
Lufthansa Bus: 10 euros for the 45-minute trip to the main train station.
Paris Charles de Gaulle-Roissy: 17 miles from central Paris. Taxi: 34-60 euros depending on your destination for a ride that can take from 40 minutes to more than an hour. Air France Bus: 12 euros to the Arc de Triomphe or Port Maillot (6 euros for children ages 2-11). Departures every 15 minutes for the 45-minute ride. Roissy Bus: 8.40 euros to l'Opera. Train: RER B (regional metro) to such areas as Chatelet-Les Halles and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, 8 euros for adults, 5.65 for children (ages 4-10) for the 25-35 minute trip.
Rome Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci): 20 miles from city center. Taxi: 40 euros for the 45-minute ride to central Rome. Train: Leonardo Express, 9.90 euros, train leaves every 30 minutes for the 30-minute trip. Bus: Rome Airport Shuttle, 17.9 euros.
Stockholm Arlanda: 27miles from city center. Taxi: 450 Swedish krona (1 krona is about 17 cents U.S.) for the 40- to 50-minute ride. Train: 220 Swedish krona for the Arlanda Express, which departs every 20 minutes for the 20-minute ride. Bus: 150 Swedish krona. Airport shuttle operates every 20-30 minutes. Trip takes up to 60 minutes to city center.
Vienna International: 10 miles from the city center.
Taxi: 39 euros for the 30- to 50-minute ride. City Airport Train: 10 euros for the 16-minute ride. Train leaves every 30 minutes. The Schnellbahn train costs 3 euros and takes 35 minutes. Airport Express Bus: 6 euros, takes 20 minutes and runs every 30 minutes.
Zurich Kloten: 8 miles from central Zurich. Taxi: 50 Swiss francs (1 Swiss franc is about 99 cents U.S.) to city center for a 30-minute ride.
Train: Swiss Rail 10.87 Swiss francs for a 10-minute ride to the central train station with departures about every 10 minutes. Shuttle buses: 14 Swiss francs. Some hotels operate free shuttles from the airport.
Travel, Pages 94 on 05/18/2008