For quite a few 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 cities throughout Europe. It’s quite normal to read that one of the major low cost airlines such as Easyjet or Ryanair has an offer of 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 the fare, but it remains a real bargain if you’re looking to see a number of cities throughout Europe. The downside of these cheap flights is that they frequently fly to the smaller local airports instead of the more well known biginternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is advertised to a major European city actually lands some 50 miles away. In fact there are a number of plus-points with this situation, the smaller airports will normally offer a much faster service on check-in and luggage because they are catering for a much smaller number of flights. The disadvantage is that public transport serving these airfields can be scrappy at best and a very popular alternative is hiring a car from the airport. Here are a variety of the wonderful cities that we’ve visited with flights from the budget airlines. We’re sure that you’d enjoy a visit to any of these scenic, you can rest assured that 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 is now a fascinating, architecturally divine city supporting a huge number of visitors throughout the year. The chic West side of the city is home to the fourth oldest university in the U.K.. Situated on a hill in the middle of the Medieval region of the city, its students add greatly to the vibrant, fun loving and cosmopolitan atmosphere of that area. The low cost carriers use Prestwick Airport some 51 km (35 miles) north east of the city centre and you will find a good road between the airport and the city centre. This is a popular sightseeing area, so the best idea is to rent a car at Prestwick before setting out on your journey. An uncrowded 30 minute journey from Prestwick on the M77 motorway takes you to the centre of the city. Glasgow is an ideal base for an adventure in the Trossachs National Park. A mere 13 mile (20 km) journey out of Glasgow and you might find yourself enjoying sensational countryside seated upon a pony, whereas a 50 km (30 mile) drive east using another excellent motorway will find you in Edinburgh together with its amazing festivals, Princes Street shopping, the historic Castle and Holyrood Palace.

Florence, Italy

Without doubt one of the most hauntingly beautiful cities in Europe, Florence is served by the airport at Pisa, which is 50 miles (84 km) west of the city. Hire a car at Pisa airport and you’ll be perfectly positioned to explore 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. Thus it is hardly 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 centre of the city is pedestrianized thus preserving the many ancient statues and architectural treasures from the vibrations and pollution caused by hectic traffic. As a result you are overwhelmed by a sense of peace and quiet as you meander from one monument to the next. You do not need to walk too far before being hit by the ghastly, ear piercing roar from Florence’s legion of scooter riders. Apart from the Ponte Vecchio all of the bridges into the city centre are noisy, polluted places, thus providing an added incentive to keep to the narrow alleyways and tranquil sanctuaries of Florence’s beautiful piazzas.

Tours, France

Tours is the perfect centre for touring France’s beautiful Loire valley and its magnificent chateaux The perfect centre for exploring the Loire Valley renowned for its serious array of palatial residences, the city has quite a few of its own charms. 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 stunning towns and villages to be found throughout France. A large number of cultural treasures can be found along the banks of the Loire. The Loire valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and offers scenic countryside, lots 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 firm savourite of the French monarchy. Former working fortified castles were converted into palatial and elegant trophy residences and these are now the region’s main tourist attractions. The historic towns that line the river banks are a magnet to tourists from all over the world. Towns such as Chinon, Tours and Orleans have lots to see and do whilst the most popular of all the chateaux is maybe that on the estate of Chambord. Throughout the area you will discover small, family owned vineyards offering a variety of tasty 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 delighted to lead you through 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!.