For some years now a group of the so-called “budget airlines” in Europe have been embroiled in a price war attempting to offer the cheapest fares to a huge number of European cities. It’s quite normal to read that one of the leading budget airlines such as Easyjet or Ryanair has an offer of return flights from the UK to Germany, Spain or France for £1 (approx $1.45). There are taxes and airport landing fees to be added to the fare, but it remains an absolute bargain if you’re keen to visit a number of cities throughout Europe. One of the major disadvantages of these flights is that they often make use of to the smaller local airports instead of the more well known biginternational ones. This can mean that a flight that is supposed to be flying to a major European city actually lands some fifty miles away. In fact there are a number of plus-points with this arrangement, the regional airports often offer a much slicker service on luggage and check-in since they’re catering for a lot less flights. The downside is that public transport serving these airfields can be patchy at best and an extremely popular option is to hire a car from the airport. Here are some of the beautiful cities that we have visited using cheap flights. We’re confident that you will enjoy visiting any of these fine areas, they certainly have a lot to offer to visitors to their country.

Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow was once an extremely unattractive industrial monster but it has undergone a Renaissance and has become a wonderful, architecturally diverse city welcoming huge numbers of visitors throughout the year. The trendy West side of Glasgow is the home of one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. Perched on a hill in the middle of the Medieval region of the city, its students bring a cosmopolitan, fun loving atmosphere to the city. The low cost carriers use Prestwick Airport which is approximately 35 miles (51 km) north east of the city centre and there is an excellent road between the airport and Glasgow city centre. It’s a popular sightseeing area, so the best idea is to rent a car at Prestwick in advance of your trip. A congestion free half hour drive from Prestwick along the M77 motorway brings you to the centre of the city. Glasgow is an ideal starting point for an adventure in the Trossachs National Park. Just 20 km (13 mile) journey out of Glasgow and you might discover sensational countryside aback a pony, whereas a 30 mile (50 km) drive eastwards along another excellent motorway will find you in Edinburgh together with its amazing festivals, Princes Street shopping, the historic Castle and Holyrood Palace.

Florence, Italy

Undoubtedly one of Europe’s most impressively beautiful locations, Florence is served by Pisa Airport, which is 84 km (50 miles) west of Florence. Hire a car at Pisa airport and you’ll be in position to take in Pisa with its leaning tower, majestic Florence and some of Europe’s most picturesque countryside, that of the majestically beautiful Tuscany. It therefore will not come as a huge surprise that Florence is high in the popularity stakes when considering European cities. Once you arrive at the city of Florence you will find that a large proportion of the centre of the city is pedestrianized protecting its many ancient architectural treasures and statues from the vibrations and pollution caused by busy roads. The complete lack of traffic overwhelms you with a feeling of peace and quiet as you wander from one fragment of history to the next. You don’t have to walk too far before experiencing the evil, ear piercing roar from the scooter riders of Florence. Apart from the Ponte Vecchio the remainder of the bridges leading to city centre are noisy, polluted places, thus providing a further reason to keep to the ancient alleyways and peaceful sanctuaries of Florence’s beautiful piazzas.

Tours, France

Tours is the ideal base for touring France’s wonderful Loire valley and its stunning chateaux The ideal centre for exploring the Loire Valley renowned for its wonderful array of palatial residences, the city boasts a few charms of its own. Although the little airport is only a few miles out of town, it’s pretty much essential that you rent a car at Tours airport in order to explore a selection of the most picturesque towns and villages in the whole of France. A large number of cultural treasures can be found scattered beside the Loire. A UNESCO site, the Loire Valley offers beautiful countryside, heaps of flamboyant castles plus a good scattering of historic villages. During the renaissance the Loire Valley was named the “Retreat of Kings and was a firm favourite of the French royal family. Originally constructed as working fortified castles, the buildings were converted into the palatial chaeaux that you will find today. Tourists from around the world are attracted to the historic towns that are situated along the banks of the Loire. Towns such as Blois, Tours, Orleans and Chinon have lots to see and do whilst the most popular of all the chateaux is possibly that on the Chambord Estate. Throughout the area you will find small, family owned vineyards offering a variety of wonderful wines at budget prices. Look out 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 more than willing to lead you through a tasting of all his wines. Of course, it is vital that you take a tee-totaller as your chauffer, some of these tasting sessions can become extremely alcoholic!.

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