Ask Lonely Planet: Visiting Verona's theatre of dreams

After visiting my daughter in London in July I am travelling to Munich and on to Oberammergau for the Passion Play. From there I want to see Verona to take in an opera at the amphitheatre before returning home. Can you advise me of an inexpensive way to get from London to Munich and then Munich to Verona? For the latter I think a land journey through the Alps would be beautiful. There is a train to Verona but would it be possible by coach and how long would either take? And how would I book - from here or Munich? I would also be keen to know of inexpensive accommodation within walking distance of the arena at Verona.
-Dianne Harlow

Lonely Planet's Asia-Pacific travel editor Shawn Low writes:

Airfares from London to Munich average around £40 ($84) to £90 depending on which airline you go with. Booking early will ensure you get the cheapest fares available. Taking a train from London to Munich requires at least two (or more) connections and while do-able, might not be worth the hassle.

From Munich, you can take the train from Munich to Verona, passing through Innsbruck and some stunning Alps scenery. The journey will take seven hours and is well worth it. You can easily book tickets in advance via raileurope.co.uk.

If you're visiting Verona during Opera season, expect to pay high accommodation prices and book early to guarantee a room. I did a search on lonelyplanet.com and found at least five properties within walking distance of the Arena. Prices start from US$125 ($180).

When you're in Verona, a great day trip to do is a visit to Placid Mantua. This is the place where Shakespeare exiled Romeo, and it was for centuries (1328-1707) the stronghold of one of Italy's most powerful Renaissance dynasties - the Gonzaga family. As you might imagine, the place is rich with history. Best of all, it's a mere 45-minute train ride from Verona.

Lost in transit

I have booked flights to Jordan in July. As I live in Malaysia and my daughter is in Auckland it made sense to meet up in Bangkok then transfer to Royal Jordanian direct to Amman. Most of the connections are about three hours, so no problem, but my return leg into and from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur has a transit time of 1 hour 50 minutes. Royal Jordanian said this is not possible as I have to go through Thai Immigration to retrieve my bags (in peak time) and then have to check in with Malaysia Airlines. I asked them if my bags could be sent straight through from Amman to Kota Kinabalu (my final destination) and they said no. This doesn't make any sense. Why do I have to go through Immigration and why can't I just transit at Bangkok?

Should we demand at our first check-in that our bags be connected all the way to final destination or is there some security purpose in forcing us through a seemingly pointless exercise?
-Sandy Cornell

Adam Skolnick, co-author of Lonely Planet's Indonesia and Bali & Lombok Travel Guides writes:

Bangkok is a global hub connecting Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas, and even to the untrained eye, the baggage/transit system seems to be modern and top notch. Of course, you shouldn't have to deal with Immigration. But then why was the Royal Jordanian representative being so difficult?

Last weekend I flew out of Suvarnabhumi, but before I did I approached the on-duty officer with the Airports of Thailand (AOT) information desk with your problem.

"You don't have to go through Immigration," she assured me. "Just transit. One hour 50 minutes is enough time."

To be certain she called the Royal Jordanian desk and handed me the phone. I spoke to a Mr Rachen in passenger services.

"Malaysian Airlines is an international carrier," he said. "We have agreements with all international carriers so we can transfer your bag for you. No trouble at all. Just transit."

Next I waltzed over to the Malaysian Air desk and posed the same question. They confirmed Mr Rachen's comments and said, "You'll need to check-in at our transit desk once you arrive in Bangkok where we can print your boarding pass."

Where does the confusion lie? Generally, airlines must have standing agreements with one another for bags to be transferred. In Bangkok all international carriers have such agreements, but they do not necessarily have them with domestic carriers. Plus, not all international airports function this way. In Los Angeles passengers travelling from Bangkok must pass through customs and pick up their bags upon arrival in LAX, even if their final destination is Mexico City or Vancouver, Canada. Policies and agreements vary from airline to airline and destination to destination.

It's possible your Royal Jordanian rep was simply confused, lost in the matrix. I don't think you'll have to demand a thing. The Royal Jordanian desk in Amman should be on the ball, knowing that in Bangkok, Royal Jordanian and Malaysian Air are indeed in a relationship.

Win a Lonely Planet guide book

Get the information you need to make your big trip a success. Email your travel questions to travel.info@lonelyplanet.com and they'll be answered by Lonely Planet's experts. In addition the best question each week will earn a Lonely Planet guide book. To give yourself a chance to win, add your postal address and the guide book you'd like to receive. You can find out about Lonely Planet books at LonelyPlanet.com. Not all questions are necessarily answered and Lonely Planet cannot correspond directly with readers, or give advice outside the column.