Dublin to Mumbai (with stopover in Istanbul) €320

galwayjohn89

Hopefully this hasn't been posted before (and secret flying hasn't been blacklisted as a source of bargains)

Dublin to Mumbai with a couple of days in Istanbul for €320 return with Turkish Airlines.

Booked it as been looking at cheap flights to Kathmandu, so combining this + low fare carrier works out nice and cheap.

-Edited to add link-
Secret Flying link

Can also book on www.vayama.ie in euros for €330

Burning Bridges

link?

Just a little Samba

Burning Bridges wrote: »

link?

This I think

http://www.secretflying.com/2015/04/2-in-1-trip-dublin-ireland-to-istanbul-turkey-mumbai-india-for-only-276-return/

Just a little Samba

Jusy for anyone thinking of doing this, inmmy opinion 10 days in Mumbai would get boring.

India is massive but it's pretty easy to get around. Companies like SpiceJet offer stupidly cheap flights between major cities so from Mumbai you can fly to somewhere like Cochin, Goa, Madurai, Calcutta, Calicut, Mangalore or so on and make a nice trip out of it, or take the Chennai Express across the country and stop off at a few places along the way and then fly back to Mumbai.

The cost of accomodation and food in India is insanely low. You can stay in a 2 star hotel with air conditioning for about €15 a night if you're smart and you can get a lunch like Dosa Masala for about €0.50 in any little "hotel" (they call restaurants hotels in the south) if you're not super fussy.

Train tickets shouldn't cost more than about €20 each way for a 3AC (3rd class air conditioned, it's a sleeper/bed and pretty comfy) berth from Mumbai to anywhere along the west coast, maybe €30 if you go all the way to Chennai.

SpiceJet and Air India Express do flights from about €20 each way but it's a ryanair type deal so carry on only.

€320 to visit Turkey and India is a bargain for anyone on the fence about this.
Istanbul is a beautiful city and 4 days there would be plenty of time to explore.

RasTa

Do you still need to apply for a India visa?

Just a little Samba

RasTa wrote: »

Do you still need to apply for a India visa?

Yup. Takes about a week to process, costs about €50 for a 6 month multiple entry visa.

Antar Bolaeisk

RasTa wrote: »

Do you still need to apply for a India visa?

You need a visa to visit Turkey as well.

Just a little Samba

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

You need a visa to visit Turkey as well.

Well spotted.

It's $20 for a multiple entry "e-visa" with an Irish passport.

Birneybau

Isn't Kathmandu completely destroyed at the moment?

Just a little Samba

Birneybau wrote: »

Isn't Kathmandu completely destroyed at the moment?

Katmandu is 1600km from Mumbai and in another country.

galwayjohn89

Just a little Samba wrote: »

Katmandu is 1600km from Mumbai and in another country.

Presume he mentioned that as I said I was going to Kathmandu in the OP, and yes it is in a mess at the moment, but I know a good few people over there from past trips.

Birneybau

Just a little Samba wrote: »

Katmandu is 1600km from Mumbai and in another country.

Yes, I'm aware of that. It was mentioned in the op, did you read it or just jump in?

And, the four people that thanked your post mustn't have read it either.

Stinicker

Just a little Samba wrote: »

Katmandu is 1600km from Mumbai and in another country.

The OP mentioned he was planning to fly to India and onwards with a cheap lowcost carrier. A friend of mine did the exact same thing last year flying via London to New Delhi with Air India (on their new Boeing 787) and onwards to Nepal and was actually trekking the Annapurna circuit up towards Everest base camp as far as I remember. He got an Indian transit visa for around €25 or €26 I think which gave him three days in India and he had just enough time to make a brief flying visit to the Taj Mahal on his way back home to Ireland after his Nepalese trip.

An Indian transit visa cots less than an full tourist visa and maybe more suited to the OP if he is just using India as a a stepping stone to Nepal. Bear in mind if you were connecting in India with Air India e.g. London-New Delhi-Kathmandu then no transit visa would be required if it was all on the one ticket and itinerary, but as the OP's plan is to fly to India with Turkish Airlines and onwards to Nepal with a lowcost carrier then a transit visa is required or a tourist visa if planning to spend more than 3 days in India.

Best bet is to monitor things closely re: the Nepali earthquake and I read today that a 101 year old person was pulled alive from the rubble amazing to read. Now is when they really need the tourism and support just like how masses of westerners and their tourist euros helped Thailand recover from the devastating 2004 tsunami.

dubby1978

Guys, would it be worth booking accommodation in advance online before taking up this offer? or would it be fairly easy to find affordable hotels in Mumbai on the day? and how about Turkey? I'll only be carrying around a small bag with me, solo traveller.

gerrykiddy

This site is legendary although I haven't been to India for over 10 years and not used the site recently.

http://www.indiamike.com/

Oscar_Drai

Vuzuggu wrote: »

Hopefully this hasn't been posted before (and secret flying hasn't been blacklisted as a source of bargains)

Dublin to Mumbai with a couple of days in Istanbul for €320 return with Turkish Airlines.

Booked it as been looking at cheap flights to Kathmandu, so combining this + low fare carrier works out nice and cheap.

-Edited to add link-
Secret Flying link

Can also book on www.vayama.ie in euros for €330

You can book directly with the airline for very little more. Worth doing to avoid dealing with online agencies and their hidden fees. 357€ if booked with Turkish Airlines. Amazing BA! Thanks a lot

dubby1978

Oscar_Drai wrote: »

You can book directly with the airline for very little more. Worth doing to avoid dealing with online agencies and their hidden fees. 357€ if booked with Turkish Airlines. Amazing BA! Thanks a lot

did you book it just now?

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Heading off on the 8th October! All my VISA's obtained and accommodation sorted. Can't wait! Anyone else going then? Where are you all staying?

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Anyone else heading off tomorrow?

damemcd

Please post how ye get on..... would be interested in going in spring.... enjoy!

Nabber

Just back from Mumbai after 3weeks there in business trip.

To be honest I don't think I'd go back. We stayed in Grand Hyatt, SantaCruz. There is not much to do in Mumbai. The city is safe, my self and work colleague travelling together (both male). Found that the city was cheap when buying in local stores, but very expensive when in modern stores and shopping malls. Was going to buy my son a PS4 while there. But the cost was €540. Nike, addidas, Tommy, ext.. all expensive.
Being a tourist there is not much to do. Every where is extremely dirty and crowded. Often with some over whelming odours. Gate way to India, Badra markets, Elephant Island... All left us with a lack of awe or even just some enjoyment.

Luckily my expenses were covered by my company, with an added budget of €100 per day for recreational time.

Uber is a must have, if you find a driver you like, you can use him for the day for about 2,500rupees. Need to be careful where you eat, Mumbai at this time won't have many mosquitoes.

Be prepared for the beggars, the children begging, the maimed begging.... I found it quite upsetting. The poverty is everywhere, so be prepared to see very depressing sites. There is also very few holidaymakers, so you are likely to be the only tourists and will draw a lot of beggar attention.

I won't be back there. Caste system is disgusting.

I hope anyone heading over has a better time than me.

Oscar_Drai

Nabber wrote: »

Just back from Mumbai after 3weeks there in business trip.

To be honest I don't think I'd go back. We stayed in Grand Hyatt, SantaCruz. There is not much to do in Mumbai. The city is safe, my self and work colleague travelling together (both male). Found that the city was cheap when buying in local stores, but very expensive when in modern stores and shopping malls. Was going to buy my son a PS4 while there. But the cost was €540. Nike, addidas, Tommy, ext.. all expensive.
Being a tourist there is not much to do. Every where is extremely dirty and crowded. Often with some over whelming odours. Gate way to India, Badra markets, Elephant Island... All left us with a lack of awe or even just some enjoyment.

Luckily my expenses were covered by my company, with an added budget of €100 per day for recreational time.

Uber is a must have, if you find a driver you like, you can use him for the day for about 2,500rupees. Need to be careful where you eat, Mumbai at this time won't have many mosquitoes.

Be prepared for the beggars, the children begging, the maimed begging.... I found it quite upsetting. The poverty is everywhere, so be prepared to see very depressing sites. There is also very few holidaymakers, so you are likely to be the only tourists and will draw a lot of beggar attention.

I won't be back there. Caste system is disgusting.

I hope anyone heading over has a better time than me.

Is this then a little exaggerated?

http://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/hate-mumbai/

ChickenBalls

I've been to Mumbai many times - first time was with the job for 6 weeks loved it from day one. Wife came along and freaked out after 2/3 days due to culture shock(we've been to Thailand and it's more of a culture shock believe me!) but then just embraced the imperfections and began to love the place. It really is up to how you portray the city - poverty is very visible and something the wife found difficult at first but she was heart warmed when she gave €10 to a family a few times when it was quite. Wouldn't recommend giving money at busy times as it can get scary. Slums worth a visit too but you need to calm and relaxed you'd be surprised they have satellites hanging from their huts! Been to a wedding there and it's amazing, 4 days of no alcohol!

Moral of the mini story here - it's not for everyone but it could be delight for others.

Nabber

Just my experience. No exaggeration.

You can't satisfy everyone, Mumbai wasn't enjoyable for me.

Oscar_Drai

Nabber wrote: »

Just my experience. No exaggeration.

You can't satisfy everyone, Mumbai wasn't enjoyable for me.

By exaggerated, I actually meant the blog post, not your comment. However, I think this is spot-on:

Moral of the mini story here - it's not for everyone but it could be delight for others.

Thanks to both!