KEY POINTS:
I am going on a 12-day tour from Rome to Paris in July and will be spending six days in Paris at the end of the tour. Some time ago I read that some of Paris' locals take walking tours of their neighbourhood. Can you tell me anything about this? Also, how expensive is Paris compared with London? I am on a fairly tight budget but would love to buy a French clock or art print as a memento. Is it best to shop at the flea markets? Jillian Hill
Perhaps the Paris walking tours you are thinking about are the ones run by Paris Greeters, part of a global volunteer greeter network. The idea is simple: a group of local Parisians volunteer their services free of charge to take you on a personalised tour of their city. The tour lasts for two to three hours and you (or your greeter) can decide which part of the city you'd like to visit. The tours are suitable for groups of up to six people and children are welcome.
If you decide to venture out on your own, Downhill Walker has DIY walking tours of Paris.
When you weigh up the cost of public transport, food and accommodation, Paris can be a less expensive city than London for the budget traveller. Grab a crusty baguette, a slab of cheese and a bottle of Cotes du Rhone for a few euros at the local Monoprix supermarket and take the metro to the Surrealists' favourite park, the wonderful Parc des Buttes Chaumont, for the day - voila!
Paris' most famous market, the colourful Porte de Clignancourt, affectionately known as Les Puces (the fleas) to the locals, has absolutely everything up for grabs, so you should be able to find yourself an antique clock.
Amalfi onslaught
My family - eight adults, three children (aged 9, 7 and 4) plus one infant - will be travelling to Positano next May. We have spent hours trying to find suitable accommodation on the web, and have found a few options at around $6000 per week. Could you recommend some websites? Our budget would be up to $8000 per week and we intend to stay 14 days.
Rhondda Coffey, by email
Positano is the most photographed and expensive town on the impossibly beautiful Amalfi Coast and one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations. A good general website of the region is amalficoast.com.
With 12 of you to house you'll be needing a villa rather than an apartment for the fortnight. Villas start at around $2400 per week so you should be able to find something quite lovely if you're willing to pay more; you'll have more choice if you broaden the search from Sorrento to Ravello. A top rate of $8000 converts to around ¬4000 for the week, and sometimes there are discounts for extended stays. Have a look at Positano Villas, Amalfi Life, Italian View and Italy Vacation Rental.
Thai connection
I am considering travelling from Bangkok to Surat Thani via train and then bus/ferry to Koh Samui. Is there any way that the combined train/bus/ferry ticket can be advance purchased from New Zealand?
Colin Guldbrandsen, by email
Koh Samui has long been the locale for those in search of a tropical paradise.
You can book the overnight Bangkok to Koh Samui combination train, bus and ferry ticket in advance with Thailand Train Reservation Services. A one-way 1st/2nd-class sleeping berth costs around $60/$40. Taking an overnight sleeper saves a night's accommodation.
The train departs from Bangkok at 7.30pm and arrives at Surat Thani train station at 6.27am. A shuttle bus makes the 60km run from Surat Thani to the Don Sak ferry terminal (the bus ride is included in the train and ferry ticket price). The ferry departs from Don Sak at 8am and arrives in Koh Samui at 9.30am.
Before heading off, be sure to read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade's travel advisory for Thailand.
Hungary for kids
We have been invited to a wedding in Budapest in late June. We will be travelling with our 8-year-old son and are wondering whether there will be sufficient things to see and do in Hungary and Austria that would appeal to him. We plan to be away about three weeks in total.
Sandy Hall, by email
Nothing is more than five hours away by train in compact, romantically baroque Hungary, so distances should be no problem at all. Go for a combined Hungary-Austria Eurail pass; 1st-class 10-day saver from $540.
Your 8-year-old son is bound to be captivated by Buda's medieval, Harry Potter-like Castle Hill, with stairs to climb and winding lanes to follow. A ride on the funicular back down the hill could be fun, as could a visit to the Roman ruins at the Aquincumi Museum. On the other side of the Danube, you could visit the buzzing market in Pest, with souvenirs and snacks for sale in the upstairs section, or go for soak at the Szechenyi Baths.
With distances so short you could easily base yourselves in Budapest, at a central hotel such as the Burg Hotel; triple room $302, right on Castle Hill, and take a day trip to Szentendre, 19km north of the capital (40 minutes by commuter train). The highlights here are the re-created Hungarian villages at the open-air ethnographic museum and wandering round Szentendre's charming old centre. You could spend time at the beach by visiting Keszthely on immense Lake Balaton, with waterfront fun parks and summertime activities for kids.
Vienna has plenty to keep children entertained, particularly the Prater funfair. Some museums have summertime programmes for kids. Zoom; adult/child free/$9, hosts arty and crafty activities for children, while the Kindermuseum; adult/child $11/$8) at Schonbrunn stirs young imaginations by invoking the intrigue and grandeur of the Habsburg court.
Check out Austria's kid-friendly hotels at kinderhotels.at.
Vantastic shopping
My wife and I have an eight-hour stopover at Bangkok when returning from Europe. We land at 10am. We wish to take an air-conditioned bus/minivan to the CentralWorld shopping complex for a few hours. Can we organise this on arrival at the airport or is it necessary to book beforehand?
Bill Landy, by email
CentralWorld is Southeast Asia's largest shopping complex. You'll find more than 500 shops to browse, plus the Isetan and Zen department stores, cinemas, food courts and restaurants.
Airport Express buses AE1 and AE3 run from the airport to CentralWorld from 5am to midnight. The Airport Express counter is on the ground floor near Exit 8 and the one-way fare is $5.50. The airport pick-up point is at Arrivals on the second floor; drop-off is at Departures on the fourth floor. There's an Airport Express bus stand outside CentralWorld. You can't pre-book these buses and the service is pretty slow, departing when full around once an hour and taking at least an hour to get into the city. For more information see the Suvarnabhumi international airport website.
It would be just as easy to take a metered taxi to and from CentralWorld for around $15 each way.
