Europe is a popular destination for those that love to travel, or for those that dream about traveling to only 1 special place sometime in the future.  There is a lot of history in Europe, and plenty can trace their family tree back to some country contained therein.  There are also many great historic cities and sites there that many find intriguing and hope to see before they are not able to get on a plane and travel.  You’ll have just been there, and if that’s the case, you could be looking for Europe destinations that you have yet to see.  Don’t be scared to go off the well trodden route in that case. 

Some of the finest Europe destinations are ones that aren’t included with some of the most standard packages you’ll find.  Some folks would like to see as much of Europe as they can, and that means jumping from one country to another as fast as they can.  There’s no problem with that, and those are great Europe destinations for those that haven’t ever been to that part of the Earth.  It does {, however ,} mean that you could be missing some of the really nice things that this continent has to offer . 

If you decide that you would like to see some of the destinations in Europe that aren’t of the regular, you might need to plan your own trip.  Most that you find thru web sites and travel agencies are going to have some of the commoner stops.  You can research online to see some of the out-of-the-way places that others have selected to explore.  You can find this kind of information on many of the travel forums you can find virtually anywhere on the web.  An easy search should bring these up for you. 

You can also find some out-of-the-way Europe destinations by going out and finding books on travel in Europe.  You can find these in your local book shop, or you can find them online too.  You can then go through these and pick out what you want to do on your own.  You can then book each part of your trip on your own thru your airline of choice or your travel agent.  You can also to that with online travel sites.  It can be a bit sophisticated and lengthy, but it’s going to be worthwhile when you have planned your vacation precisely the way you want it.

The ideal way to unlock some of Spain’s hidden secrets is through the windows of your hire car. A hire car offers you complete flexibility on where to visit and when. Instant Car Hire offers discounted car hire at Alicante Airport, a popular entry point serving the resorts of The Costa Blanca. Instant Car Hire gives you the best prices from a selection of big name rental car suppliers.

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 lowest air fares to a huge number of European cities. It’s quite normal to see that one of the leading budget carriers such as Easyjet or Ryanair has an offer of return flights from the UK to Spain, France or Germany for £1 (approx $1.45). There could be airport landing fees and taxes to be added to the fare, but it remains an absolute bargain if you’re looking to see a variety of European cities. One of the biggest disadvantages of flying with the budget airlines is that they frequently fly to the smaller municipal airports instead of the more well known majorinternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is supposed to be flying to a big European city actually lands up to fifty miles away. In fact there are a number of plus-points with this arrangement, the municipal airports will always offer a much quicker service on check-in and luggage since they are catering for far fewer flights. The downside is that transportation serving 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 whilst making use of cheap floghts from the low cost airlines. We’re sure that you’ll enjoy visiting any of these scenic, without doubt they have plenty to offer to visitors to their shores.

Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow, once the butt of so many jokes about the slums of the Gorbals has undergone a Renaissance and has become a wonderful, architecturally diverse city attracting huge numbers of tourists throughout the year. The trendy West part of the city is home to one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. Perched on a hill amidst the Medieval region of Glasgow, its students add greatly to the fun loving and vibrant atmosphere of that area. The low cost carriers utilise Prestwick Airport which is approximately 35 miles (51 km) north east of the centre of the city and you will find a good road between the airport and the city centre. It’s a popular sightseeing area, so you are advised to hire a car at Glasgow Airport in advance of your trip. A congestion free half hour journey from the airport on the M77 motorway takes you to the centre of the city. Glasgow is a perfect starting point for an adventure in the Trossachs National Park. Just 13 mile (20 km) journey out of Glasgow and you could find yourself enjoying stunning countryside on the back of a pony, whilst a 50 km (30 mile) drive eastwards along another excellent motorway will find you in 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 impressively beautiful cities, Florence is served by the airport at Pisa, which is 50 miles (84 km) west of the city. Hire a car at Florence airport and you will be perfectly positioned to explore Pisa with its leaning tower, majestic Florence and a selection of Europe’s most picturesque countryside, 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 most of the city centre is pedestrianized thus preserving its many ancient architectural treasures and statues from the vibrations and pollution associated with hectic traffic. The traffic free status brings a sense 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 evil, ear splitting roar of Florence’s legion of scooter riders. Apart from the Ponte Vecchio the remainder of the bridges into the city centre are noisy, polluted places, thus giving us a further reason to stay within the ancient alleyways and peaceful sanctuaries of Florence’s beautiful piazzas.

Tours, France

Tours, the centre of the famed Loire Valley chateaux with not a single chateau to its name! The ideal centre for discovering the Loire Valley famed for its wonderful array of palatial residences, the city 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 rent a car in the Loire Valley to fully explore some of the most picturesque towns and villages to be found throughout France. Along the banks of the River Loire between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, a number of cultural treasures are presented for the visitor to enjoy. The Loire valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and offers beautiful countryside, historic villages and lots of flamboyant castles. During the renaissance the Loire Valley was known as the “Retreat of Kings and was a big favourite of the French royal family. Built originally 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, Chinon and Tours have lots to see and do whilst the most popular of all the chateaux is probably that on the Chambord Estate. Throughout the area you will discover 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 in the middle of a long leisurely lunch you will be made very welcome and he will be more than willing to offer you a tasting of his complete selection of wines. Of course, it is strongly advised that you take a non-drinker as your chauffer, some of these tasting sessions can get very serious!.