Munich is well-positioned for tourists to reach the ski slopes of Europe, but you need to know how to get there at the lowest cost. Picture: Wikipedia
When it comes to planning a winter skiing holiday to Europe, flights can be one of the biggest expenses.
With the South African rand, accommodation, meals and other things like rail passes - which are in Euros - will add to the journey when you are there.
Often a connecting flight from within Europe is cheaper than booking a direct flight, and then using low-cost carrier connections, car hire, or trains to get you to your final destination.
Many South Africans will be pleased to find out that the German national carrier, Lufthansa has recently announced that it would operate three weekly direct flights between South Africa and Munich, starting in November.
Munich is a convenient point of entry if you are planning to visit Germany and Italy or take a skiing trip to Switzerland or Austria.
If you are planning to fly in November, these are the cheapest flights from South Africa:
KLM - R5,769. Flying from Johannesburg to Amsterdam with a layover of 90 minutes, making the flight around 15 hours.
Lufthansa - R 6,475. Flying to Barcelona from Johannesburg to Munich, and then on to Barcelona. Even though it includes the additional flight to Barcelona, it costs roughly R5,000 less than a direct flight to Munich.
Emirates - R8,100. Flying from Johannesburg with an nine hour layover in Dubai, taking a total of 24 hours to get to Munich.
Air France - R10,950. Flying from Johannesburg it will take around 15 hours, with a layover in Paris.
IOL Travel