Europe on a Budget
For quite a few years now a number of the so-called “budget airlines” in Europe have been embroiled in a price war attempting to offer the cheapest fares to a host of cities throughout Europe. It’s not unusual to hear that one of the major budget carriers for example Ryanair or Easyjet has an offer of return flights from the UK to Spain, Germany or France for £1 (approx $1.45). There are taxes and airport landing fees to be added to that, but it’s still an absolute bargain if you’re looking to visit a variety of cities throughout Europe. The downside of these cheap flights is that they often fly to the smaller municipal airports instead of the better known biginternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is advertised to a big European city actually lands anything up to fifty miles away. There can be some plus-points with this arrangement, the smaller airports will normally offer a much quicker service on check-in and luggage since they’re catering for a lot less flights. The disadvantage is that transportation to and from these airfields can be patchy at best and an extremely popular option is to hire a car from the airport. The following are a variety of the wonderful cities that we have visited whilst making use of cheap floghts from the low cost airlines. We are sure that you would enjoy a visit to any of these scenic, without doubt they have plenty to offer the visitor to their country.
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow was once a particularly unattractive industrial monster but it has seen a Renaissance and is now a fascinating, architecturally divine city supporting huge numbers of visitors throughout the year. The chic West part of the city is home to the fourth oldest university in the U.K.. Perched on a hill amidst the Medieval district of the city, its students contribute a great deal to the vibrant, fun loving and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the area. The budget carriers use Prestwick Airport some 51 km (35 miles) north east of the city centre and there is an excellent road between the airport and Glasgow city centre. It’s a popular area for sightseeing, so you are advised to hire a car at Prestwick Airport in advance of your trip. An uncrowded 30 minute journey from the airport on the M77 motorway takes you to the centre of the city. Glasgow is a perfect starting point for a trip out to the Trossachs National Park. A mere 13 mile (20 km) journey out of Glasgow and you could discover stunning countryside seated upon a pony, whereas a 50 km (30 mile) drive east along another excellent motorway will take you to Edinburgh together with its ever popular festivals, Princes Street shopping, the historic Castle and Holyrood Palace.
Florence, Italy
Without doubt one of the most stunningly beautiful cities in Europe, Florence is served by the airport at Pisa, which is 84 km (50 miles) west of Florence. Rent a car at Florence airport and you’ll be in position to take in the leaning tower at Pisa, the wonders of historic Florence and some of Europe’s most picturesque countryside, that of the majestically beautiful Tuscany. Thus it is hardly surprising that Florence is one of the most popular historic cities in the whole of Europe. When you arrive in Florence you will find that much of the centre is pedestrianized protecting the many ancient statues and architectural treasures from the vibrations and pollution caused by hectic traffic. The traffic free status brings a feeling of tranquility as you meander from one fragment of history to the next. You do not need to walk too far before being hit by the ghastly, ear piercing roar of the scooter riders of Florence. Other than the Ponte Vecchio all of the bridges leading to city centre are noisy, polluted places, thus providing a further incentive to stay within the ancient alleyways and peaceful inner sanctums of Florence’s beautiful piazzas.
Tours, France
Tours, set amongst the famed Loire Valley chateaux but without a single chateau to its name! The ideal centre for exploring the Loire Valley renowned for its wonderful array of palatial residences, Tours boasts a number of charms of its own. Although the little airport is only a couple of miles from town, it’s pretty much essential that you hire a car at Tours airport in order to explore a selection of the most stunning towns and villages in the whole of France. Along the banks of the River Loire between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, a host of cultural treasures are presented for the visitor to enjoy. The Loire valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and offers scenic countryside, historic villages and lots of flamboyant castles. Originally the “Retreat of Kings” back in the days of the Renaissance and the middle ages, the Loire Valley was a favourite location for the French monarchy. Built originally as working fortified castles, the buildings were converted into the palatial chaeaux that you can see today. Visitors from around the world are drawn to the historic towns that are situated along the banks of the Loire. Towns such as Blois, Chinon and Tours have lots to see and do whilst the most popular of all the chateaux is maybe that on the estate of Chambord. Throughout the region you will discover small, family owned vineyards offering a variety of tasty wines at very low prices. Keep your eyes skinned for the word “degustation”, which means sampling I guess, and provided that ‘Le Patron’ is not enjoying a long leisurely lunch you will be offered a warm welcome and he will be delighted to lead you through a tasting of his complete selection of wines. Naturally, it is strongly advised that you take a non-drinker as your driver, some of these tasting sessions can get very serious!.