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I saw Is an open-ended ticket more practical than a one-way ticket for touring China?

Now I'm planning to go to Montreal,Canada via Europe, my friend lives near Luxembourg . Now from what I can understand, two-three countries are very near to Luxembourg. We are trying to figure out how to see the odd 2-3 countries in 5-7 days.

I am trying to plan a trip so that I get down either at Frankfurt or/and Luxembourg, see those countries and either go onwards to Canada (onward) or go to India (return) . Frabkfurt as I understand it is a big transit hub.

I'm looking for economy flights so I can connect flexibly and cheaply either towards Canada or India either from Frankfurt or from a different altogether. I am guessing transit visas are out as they are applicable for only few hours or a day at the most if I'm not mistaken. A single schengen visa for 30 days would suffice. I dunno if they give 30 days as standard or less ?

Is it possible ? If yes, how do I do it ?

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shirish
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    It's possible, and how you do it is first, plan an itinerary, then second, apply for a visa, then third, once you get the visa, book your travel. You are correct that a transit visa will not help you; the only transit visa issued by Schengen countries is for airport transits and does not allow you to pass immigration control. – phoog Nov 22 '16 at 20:06
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    Europe will not be cheap, even when you have relatively little to pay for your flight. Near Luxembourg are France, Belgium and Germany, each of which is not cheap, but the countryside near Luxembourg will be much less expensive than Paris, the other cities will be somewhere between. – Willeke Nov 22 '16 at 20:48
  • @Willeke Actually, cities like Nancy (a bit further away) or Saarbrücken are quite cheap and the countryside is expensive. The countryside near Luxembourg city (or anything in Luxembourg except petrol, alcohol and cigarettes) even more so. – Relaxed Nov 22 '16 at 21:07
  • I read it as around the country Luxemburg, not just the city. All of Europe is relatively expensive, even cities like Nancy, compared to most of the world. – Willeke Nov 22 '16 at 21:11
  • @Willeke Obviously, I wrote as much and I assume the OP already knows that. But your comment seemed to imply France or Germany are expensive for Western Europe and that's not really the case, especially in this area. OTOH, I still don't get what's supposed to be cheap in the countryside, even out of Luxembourg the country. – Relaxed Nov 22 '16 at 21:14
  • That is my experience, the countryside being cheaper than the cities, might not be right but that is how I experience it. – Willeke Nov 22 '16 at 21:15
  • @Willeke OK but what? Food? Lodging? Transport? – Relaxed Nov 22 '16 at 21:59

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Anything is possible but there are three difficulties with your plan:

  • Luxembourg is quite expensive and not a big transit hub. It will be more expensive to get there and away than adding a layover in Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome or Madrid.
  • You can easily get to Belgium, Germany and France for a day trip and those three countries are not all that expensive (for Western Europe that is) and you can save money by taking your lunch with you instead of eating out. Unfortunately, Arlon, Thionville, and Saarbrücken are not the prettiest or most interesting places in Belgium, France, and Germany.
  • You do need a different visa, which requires some time and money to obtain.
Relaxed
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  • I'd add that booking complex multi-city air tickets is often (but not always) more expensive than simple roundtrips. Such a trip may also be possible as a couple of roundtrips booked individually, though that poses its own issues with connecting flights, baggage, immigration, etc... – Zach Lipton Nov 22 '16 at 22:26