Top Travel Spots
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 European cities. It’s not unusual to hear that one of the major low cost airlines such as Easyjet or Ryanair is offering return flights from Britain to Spain, Germany or France for £1 (approx $1.45). There could be airport landing fees and taxes to be added to that, but it’s still an absolute bargain if you’re looking to see a variety of European cities. The downside of these cheap flights is that they often make use of to the smaller local airports instead of the better known major international ones. This can mean that a flight that is advertised to a major European city actually lands up to fifty miles away. There can be some advantages with this arrangement, the municipal airports will always provide a much faster turn round on check-in and luggage because they’re servicing a much smaller number of flights. The downside is that transportation to and from these airfields can be scrappy at best and a very popular option is to hire a car from the airport. The following are some of the wonderful cities that we’ve visited with flights from the budget airlines. We are confident that you’d enjoy a visit to any of these fine areas, without doubt they have a lot to offer to visitors to their shores.
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow was once an extremely unattractive industrial monster but the city has seen a Renaissance and has become a wonderful, architecturally diverse city supporting a vast number of visitors throughout the year. The trendy West side of the city is the home of the fourth oldest university in the United Kingdom. Perched on a hill amidst the Medieval part of Glasgow, its students add greatly to the vibrant, fun loving and cosmopolitan atmosphere of that area. The low cost airlines utilise Prestwick Airport some 35 miles (51 km) to the north east of the centre of the city and there is an excellent road between the airport and the city centre. It’s a popular area for sightseeing, so it is advisable to hire a car at Prestwick in advance of your trip. A congestion free 30 minute journey from the airport terminal along the M77 motorway brings you to the city centre. Glasgow is an ideal base for a journey to the Trossachs National Park. A mere 13 mile (20 km) drive out of Glasgow and you could find yourself enjoying sensational countryside seated upon a pony, whereas a 30 mile (50 km) 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 Europe’s most stunningly beautiful cities, Florence is served by Pisa Airport, some 84 km (50 miles) west of the city. Rent a car at Florence airport and you will be perfectly positioned to take in Pisa’s leaning tower, majestic Florence and a selection of some of the most picturesque countryside in the whole of Europe, that of the majestically beautiful Tuscany. It is therefore not surprising that Florence is high in the popularity stakes when looking at European cities. Once you arrive at the city of Florence you will find that a large proportion of the center is pedestrianized thus preserving the many ancient architectural treasures and statues from the pollution and vibrations associated with heavy traffic. The traffic free status brings a sense of peace and quiet as you walk from one monument to the next. You do not need to stray too far before being hit by the ghastly, ear piercing roar of Florence’s legion of scooter riders. Other than the Ponte Vecchio all of the bridges into the city center are polluted, noisy places, thus providing a further reason to keep to the narrow alleyways and peaceful inner sanctums of Florence’s beautiful piazzas.
Tours, France
Tours, the centre of the famed Loire Valley chateaux but without a solitary chateau to its name! The ideal centre for exploring the Loire Valley renowned for its wonderful array of palatial residences, Tours has quite a number of its own charms. Although the little airport is only a couple of miles out of town, it’s pretty much essential that you rent a car at Tours airport to fully explore some of the most stunning towns and villages to be found throughout France. Along the banks of the River Loire between Chalonnes and Sully-sur-Loire, a number of cultural treasures are to be found for the visitor to enjoy. A UNESCO site, the Loire Valley 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. Tourists from around the world are drawn 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 of all the chateaux is possibly that on the Chambord Estate. Throughout the region you will find small, 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 as long as ‘Le Patron’ is not in the middle of a long leisurely lunch you will be made very 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 tee-totaller as your chauffer, some of these tasting sessions can become extremely alcoholic!.
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