Europe car hire has a way of bringing within your ready grasp a whole Old World charm of cultural heritage and fascination. There may be no shortage of organised tours and excursions to many of the continent’s world-famous attractions. But exploring these and countless other – perhaps lesser known – byways and backwaters from the comfort of your own rental car opens up still further horizons for the discerning traveller.

Pick your region

The whole of Europe seems to offer a patchwork of diversity, contrast and heritage. Whether it’s one small district, a single country or a whole region, the traveller seems almost spoilt for choice – there is quite literally a whole world to explore.

By and large, of course, throughout modern Europe, public transport links are typically quite good. Most tourists, therefore, are likely to be able to plan and conduct quite extensive journeys by this mode of transport.

Car hire , however, is likely to lend a whole new dimension to such travels. It is convenient and it offers unparalleled freedom in terms of getting to where you want, when you want. Indeed, for the curious visitor, Europe car hire even offers the freedom of not knowing just where it is you might want to go, but simply heading off in a particular direction and making up your own itinerary as you go along – exploring backwaters and interesting diversions as they appear.

Though you might find it difficult to choose just which part of Europe to explore by car, here are just a couple of the evergreen destinations:

• France

From sweeping vineyards, full of the fruit of a sleepy summer’s afternoon, to romantic chateaux nestling in the wooded hills, France offers so many quiet corners that represent the traveller’s idea of bliss.

With a competitively priced Europe car hire deal, this might prove the rich and varied tapestry for you to explore at your leisure. Alternatively, you might have a hankering for a taste of the more glamorous life on the jet-setting French Riviera, free to roam wherever your four wheels might take you.

France is a big country, with its many diverse and contrasting regions typically ideal for car hire touring.

• Italy

From sun-scorched Sicily at its southern to to the majestic Alps in the north, Italy also offers a landscape as varied and richly colourful as its people.

• Whilst the long coastline inevitable proves a major draw for those touring by car, the sleepy villages of inland, rural Italy are just as readily accessible to those with the freedom offered by Europe car hire.
Bicycle saddle