For some years now a group of the airlines labelled “low-cost airlines in Europe have been taking part in a price war attempting to offer the cheapest fares to a host of European cities. It’s not unusual to read that one of the major budget airlines for example Ryanair or Easyjet has an offer of return flights from the UK to France, Germany or Spain for £1 (approx $1.45). There might be taxes and airport landing fees to be added to the fare, but it remains a real bargain if you’re keen to visit a variety of cities throughout Europe. The downside of these cheap flights is that they frequently fly to the smaller municipal airports instead of the better known majorinternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is advertised to a big European city actually lands some 50 miles away. There can be some advantages with this situation, the smaller airports will always provide a much quicker service on check-in and luggage because they’re servicing a lot less flights. The downside is that transportation to and from these airports can be scrappy at best and an extremely popular alternative is to hire a car from the airport. Here are some of the beautiful cities that we have visited whilst making use of cheap floghts from the low cost airlines. We are sure that you would enjoy visiting any of these fine areas, you can rest assured that they have plenty to offer the visitor to their country.
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow was once a particularly unattractive planning disaster but the city has seen a Renaissance and has become a wonderful, architecturally diverse city welcoming huge numbers of visitors throughout the year. The chic West side 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 surrounding area. The budget carriers utilise Prestwick Airport which is approximately 51 km (35 miles) to the north east of the city centre and there is a good road between the airport and Glasgow city centre. This is a popular area for sightseeing, so the best idea is to rent a car at Glasgow Airport in advance of your journey. A congestion free half hour journey from the airport on the M77 motorway takes you to the city centre. Glasgow is an ideal base for a trip out to the Trossachs National Park. A mere 13 mile (20 km) drive out of Glasgow and you might discover sensational countryside on the back of a pony, whereas a 30 mile (50 km) drive east 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
Without doubt one of the most stunningly beautiful cities in Europe, Florence is served by Pisa Airport, which is 50 miles (84 km) west of Florence. Rent a car at Florence airport and you’ll be perfectly positioned to explore the leaning tower at Pisa, majestic Florence and a selection of some of the most picturesque countryside in the whole of Europe, that of the disturbingly beautiful Tuscany. It therefore will not come as a huge surprise that Florence is one of the most popular historic cities throughout Europe. Once you arrive at the city of Florence you will find that most of the centre of the city is pedestrianized protecting its many ancient statues and architectural treasures from the pollution and vibrations associated with heavy traffic. The complete lack of traffic overwhelms you with a sense of tranquility as you stroll from one monument to the next. You do not need to stray too far before being hit by the evil, ear piercing roar of Florence’s legion of scooter riders. Apart from the Ponte Vecchio all of the bridges into the centre of the city are polluted, noisy places, thus giving us a further reason to keep to the ancient alleyways and tranquil inner sanctums of Florence’s wonderful piazzas.
Tours, France
Tours, set amongst the famed Loire Valley chateaux but without a single chateau to its name! The ideal centre for discovering the Loire Valley famed for its wonderful selection of palatial residences, Tours boasts quite a few of its own charms. Although the little airport is but a few miles out of town, you really need to rent a car in the Loire Valley in order to explore a selection of the most picturesque towns and villages in the whole of France. A host of cultural treasures will be found along the banks of the Loire. A UNESCO site, the Loire Valley offers scenic countryside, historic villages and lots of flamboyant castles. Formerly the “Retreat of Kings” back in the days of the Renaissance and the middle ages, the Loire Valley was a firm savourite of the French monarchy. Former working fortified castles were converted into elegant palatial trophy residences and these are now the main tourist attractions of the region. Visitors from around the world are attracted to the historic towns that are situated along the banks of the Loire. Towns such as Chinon, Tours and Orleans have so much to see and do whilst the most popular chateau is probably that on the Chambord Estate. Throughout the area you will find little, family owned vineyards offering a variety of wonderful wines at budget prices. Look out for the word “degustation”, which means sampling I guess, and as long as ‘Le Patron’ is not enjoying a long leisurely lunch you will be offered a warm welcome and he will be more than willing to offer you a tasting of his complete selection of wines. Naturally, it is vital that you take a tee-totaller as your driver, some of these tasting sessions can get very serious!.
