Vueling expands flights at Barcelona El Prat

Budget airline Vueling, partially owned by Spain's national carrier Iberia, announced a dramatic expansion of flights at the main Barcelona El  Prat airport. This is good news for travelers who want to visit other European destinations, but who by time constraints or preference do not want to go by train or car.

Barcelona El Prat airport is about 30 minutes from the center of the city by taxi.

The list of new destinations includes for the first time the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, as well as Croatia and several cities in France.

From cost and time standpoints, it's hard to argue against a budget flight between European cities. Prices can be extraordinarily low, although you must be careful to count up the add-ons. We flew from Barcelona to Florence a few years ago, which took about 90 minutes; it would have taken many hours and more euros by train. And if you rent a car in one country and return it in another you'll be hit with a hefty drop-off charge.

But with time, as we will have in May, a train/car trip allows for leisurely sightseeing along the way. We'll take four days to go between Barcelona and Paris, likely through the Auvergne region of central France and Burgundy. To avoid the drop charge - and limit time behind the wheel - we'll take trains from Barcelona across the border into France, then pick up a car. At the other end we'll return it in Dijon and take a TGV train into Paris.

If you'd rather fly, be careful to know which Barcelona airport your flight is to or from. Some discount airlines fly into Girona, which is an hour or more by bus from Barcelona itself.

And one more tip: If flying into Barcelona El Prat, take seats on the right side of the plane. You'll be rewarded with a great view across the city on approach.

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