Use Those Cheap Flights to See Europe
For quite a few years now several of the so-called “budget airlines” in Europe have been embroiled in a fares war trying to offer the lowest air 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 is offering return flights from Britain to Germany, France or Spain for £1 (approx $1.45). There might be taxes and airport landing fees to be added to the fare, but it’s still a real bargain if you’re keen to see a variety of cities throughout Europe. The downside of these cheap flights is that they often make use of to the smaller rural airports instead of the more well known majorinternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is advertised to a big European city actually lands some fifty miles away. There can be some plus-points with this situation, the smaller airports will always offer a much quicker turnround on luggage and check-in since they are servicing a lot less flights. The disadvantage is that public transport to and from these airports can be patchy at best and an extremely popular alternative is hiring a car from the airport. The following are a variety of the great cities that we’ve visited whilst making use of cheap floghts from the low cost airlines. We are sure that you will enjoy visiting any of these fine areas, they certainly have plenty to offer the visitor to their country.
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow, once known for its hard, unforgiving living conditions has seen a Renaissance and has become a fascinating, architecturally divine city supporting a vast number of visitors throughout the year. The chic West part of Glasgow is home to one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. Situated on a hill amidst the Medieval part of the city, its students bring a cosmopolitan, fun loving atmosphere to the city. The low cost carriers use Prestwick Airport which is approximately 51 km (35 miles) north east of the centre of Glasgow and you will find an excellent road between the airport and Glasgow city centre. This is a popular area for sightseeing, so the best idea is to hire a car in Glasgow in advance of your journey. A congestion free half hour drive from the airport along the M77 motorway takes you to the city centre. Glasgow is an ideal base for an adventure in the Trossachs National Park. A mere 13 mile (20 km) journey out of the city and you could discover sensational countryside aback a pony, whilst a 30 mile (50 km) drive eastwards along another excellent motorway will find you in Edinburgh , the city of festivals complete with Princes Street shopping, castle, palace and the seaside.
Florence, Italy
Undoubtedly one of the most hauntingly beautiful locations in Europe, Florence is served by Pisa Airport, some 84 km (50 miles) west of the city. Hire a car at Pisa airport and you will be in position to explore Pisa with its leaning tower, majestic Florence and a selection of some of the most picturesque countryside in the whole of Europe, that of the disturbingly beautiful Tuscany. It is therefore not surprising that Florence is one of the leading historic cities in the whole of Europe. Once you arrive at the city of Florence you will find that most of the centre of the city is pedestrianized thus preserving the many ancient architectural treasures and statues from the vibrations and pollution associated with busy roads. The traffic free status brings a feeling of peace and quiet as you stroll from one fragment of history to the next. You don’t have to stray too far before experiencing the evil, ear splitting roar of the scooter riders of Florence. Other than the Ponte Vecchio the remainder of the bridges leading to city centre are noisy, polluted places, thus providing a further incentive to keep to the ancient alleyways and tranquil inner sanctums of Florence’s beautiful piazzas.
Tours, France
Tours is the perfect centre for discovering France’s beautiful Loire valley and its stunning chateaux The ideal centre for discovering the Loire Valley famed for its amazing selection of palatial residences, Tours boasts quite a few of its own charms. Although the small airport is but a couple of miles from town, you really need to hire a car in the Loire Valley to fully explore a selection of the most picturesque towns and villages in the whole of France. A host of cultural treasures can be found scattered beside the Loire. The Loire valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and offers scenic countryside, heaps of flamboyant castles plus a good scattering of historic villages. Formerly 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. Originally constructed as working fortified castles, the buildings were converted into the palatial chaeaux that you can see today. The historic towns that line the river banks are a magnet to tourists from all over the world. Towns such as Tours, Blois and Chinon have so much to see and do whilst the most popular of all the chateaux is probably that on the estate of Chambord. Throughout the area you will discover little, family owned vineyards selling a variety of wonderful wines at very low prices. Look out for the word “degustation”, which means sampling I guess, and provided that ‘Le Patron’ is not in the middle of a long leisurely lunch you will be offered a warm welcome and he will be more than willing to offer you a tasting of all his wines. Of course, it is vital that you take a tee-totaller as your driver, some of these tasting sessions can get very serious!.