Flying in Europe

Flying out of Paris
Air Travel is the best option for going some place where taking a train is just not convenient, such as Spain, Italy, etc. And we're lucky that Europe has many discount airlines available. There are 2 main airports in Paris -

• Charles de Gaulle is a monstrosity (it covers 6 towns). It is difficult to get to, and also difficult to get around. If you are flying out of Charles de Gaulle , give yourself PLENTY of time to get there and get to your terminal/gate. The easiest way to get there if you have a lot of luggage is by taking an Air France bus directly from Montparnasse. It costs around 16€ one way, or 25€ round-trip. The RER is a pain in the ass if you have a lot of luggage because it tends to be crowded and there are hardly any escalators in the metros. However, if you are traveling light, the RER is the easiest and fastest option. RER costs just under 9€ one-way.
  
• Orly, on the other hand, is much simpler. It is divided into 2 large terminals, though these terminals are quite a bit easier to get around than in those at CDG. Orly is also easier to get to - my recommendation is the OrlyBus, which goes from the Denfert-Rochereau Metro/RER stop (only 3 metro stops from Montparnasse) to Orly in about 30 minutes, and it's cheaper than the RER. The Orlybus costs around 7€. Also, there are Air France buses that go directly from Montparnasse to Orly that cost around 10€ one-way, or 16€ round trip.
  

Easyjet
The best discount airline by far is Easyjet (www.easyjet.com). They fly to most major destinations out of Paris (Mostly from Orly, but some also go from Charles de Gaulle). I flew round trip to Barcelona for 65€. It's important to remember that they charge around 10€ per bag (for each flight) to check in, and are strict about only having one carry-on bag. Also note that the baggage weight limit is 20kg, and they charge somewhere around 10€ per kilo in addition. However, you can purchase extra weight when you book your flight for much less than you'd be charged in the airport proper. Seats are not assigned in the plane, and you get no free food or drinks, but the flights are never too long so it tends not to be a problem.

Ryanair
Ryanair is the devil, which is why I put it in red letters. It is extremely attractive because their fares are DIRT CHEAP. For a round trip ticket, you will pay anywhere from 1€ to 30€ for the fare, and then an additional 30€-40€ in taxes. I flew to Italy for 20€ one-way. But, here are extra things they will charge you for:

• Baggage, around 15€ per bag per flight
• Heavy Baggage - the maximum weight is 15kg, which if you have a barely-filled large suitcase, will exceed 15 kg. They charge 15€ per kilo extra for bags weighing more than 15kg. A friend of mine who was traveling around Europe had a 25kg bag. So the flight cost 30€, but she had to pay 150€ in extra charges for her heavy bag

And the thing that makes Ryanair such an inconvenience is the fact that they never fly into major airports. They fly out of Beauvais Airport. Where is Beauvais? About an hour and a half north of Paris. The bus ride is 13€ each way. Every airport that it flies to is also about an hour to an hour and a half outside of the city, costing you another 10€-13€ bus ride. In addition, the majority of their flights leave before 9am, or after 9pm. Let's say you have a flight from Paris at 8am. You have to take a bus that leaves Paris 3 hours before, at 5am. That means that you have to leave Vire the night before, and stay in a hostel. What time does the metro start in Paris? 5:30 am. What's the only way to get to the bus-stop? Taxi. How much will a taxi cost you? Anywhere between 15€-25€. Needless to say,Ryanair is a headache. You may say to yourself "Oh well, I'll handle it, it's so cheap!" but you'll be kicking yourself later.

Schengen Zone
It is very easy to travel throughout the Schengen Zone, it's just like traveling from New York to New Jersey - there is no border control or passport check. Note that if you leave the Schengen zone, (such as going to the UK or Ireland) you will have to go through passport control upon arrival and return. The following map shows the Schengen Zone in dark blue.