Prebook cheap car hire in England and the UK with easyCar at low low prices!

From the large international airports in the south east of England to the popular and bustling airports of the north, airport car hire in England is easy to book with easyCar and cheap…

Around England’s capital city, London, there is London Gatwick Airport, London Heathrow, Stansted and Luton, as well as London City Airport.  City Airport is the only airport actually in London, but the others have excellent road links into the city centre.

Gatwick Airport has two terminals, North and South, and is located on the M23 and close to junction 7 of the M25; a superb choice if you’re flying into London and then travelling onto Brighton, Sussex, Kent or Surrey.  Heathrow Airport has five terminals: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Terminal 5 is closest to junction 14 of the M25 motorway with Terminal 1 and 3 closest to the M4 junction 4. Terminal 4 is located close to the A30 whilst Terminal 2 is currently closed.

London Luton Airport is 34 miles north west of Central London and 25 miles from Milton Keynes. This one terminal airport is off junction 10 of the M1 motorway. London Stansted is 42 miles north east of Central London and is just off the M11, either using exit junction 8a from London or 8 from Cambridge.

Cheap UK airport car hire in England can also be booked for collection at Southampton Airport, Bristol, Newquay, Gloucester and Exeter airports too.

There are flights from Birmingham Airport to destinations all over the world including the Canary Islands, Barbados, Sydney, Tokyo, Tunisia and Miami. Collect low cost car hire from Birmingham Airport and the nearest motorway is the M42, junction 6. West Midlands county and Warwickshire are beautiful and scenic, full of history and quaint towns and villages. Coventry Airport and East Midlands Airport are close alternatives to Birmingham.

UK airport car hire at bargain prices can be booked through easyCar collecting at Blackpool Airport in north west England, Isle of Man, Humberside and Teeside Airports.

Manchester Airport has three terminals each with car rental desks. Between junction 6 and 5 of the M56 motorway, Manchester Airport.

Book and pay in advance or book and pay on car hire collection – you’ll find the best prices with easyCar!

The London Congestion Charge of £10 per day has to be paid for most vehicles travelling into central London from Monday to Friday and between 7am and 6pm; however no charge is made on English bank holidays, there are discounts for regular travellers and certain vehicles that are exempt.

At the beginning of 2011, the Mayor, Boris Johnson, removed the Western Extension of the charging zone so reducing the area in London where the congestion charge is applicable.

In brief, the Congestion Charging Zone covers all of Soho, Clerkenwell, Barbican, Waterloo and the City of London, and much of Finsbury, Marylebone, Southwark, Newington, Borough, Mayfair, Westminster and Lambeth.

Green Park and St James Park next to Buckingham Palace are covered within this London charge, but Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, are not. Victoria, Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross stations can be accessed without crossing into the charge zone but London Bridge, Fenchurch Street, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Liverpool Street stations, cannot.

Paying the London Congestion Charge is simple and the charge is made on hire cars driven in London as well as privately owned cars.  The charge can be made up to three weeks in advance and all that is needed is the registration number of the vehicle, the date the charge is to cover and debit or credit card details. A Fast Track Card can also be registered for which helps payments in the future take less time. Both can be done online.  The Congestion Charge in London can also be paid by text, in some shops, car parks and petrol stations, by post and by telephone.

Provided the charge is paid for by midnight on the day of travel, the cost should not exceed £10; however if the charge is paid by midnight the following charging day it increases to £12 (travel on Friday, pay by Monday midnight) and penalty charges will be made if the charge is not made after this time. The vehicle can travel through the Congestion Charge Zone an unlimited amount of times during the charging period.

Greece’s mainland is often forgotten by UK explorers, so why not hire a car from Athens, the Greek capital, and discover the wonderful ancient sites, stunning beaches and extraordinary scenery of this fascinating country?

Athens International Airport is located just 12 miles east of the heart of the city. Whilst Athens Airport has one Main Terminal, there is also a Satellite Terminal which is accessed by people moving walkways.  Car hire desks at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos are situated in the Arrivals area of the Main Terminal Building. By prebooking cheap car hire in Greece with easyCar your rental car will be ready for you when you arrive and your summer holiday can start in earnest!

Many will choose to Greek island hop, driving to the port of Piraeus from Athens, a journey of around an hour by taking Route 6/E94 and Route 1/E75.  From Piraeus port, boats and ferries sail to almost all the Greek islands, with favourites being Santorini, Naxos, Mykonos, Rhodes and Skiathos.

However, stick to the Greek mainland and for a classical driving tour of Greece; why not drive your hire car to Corinth, the theatre at Epidaurus, the tomb of Agamemnon in Mycenae and Olympia? Then you could travel over the Corinthian Bay bridge and stay in Delphi. Meteora, the “suspended rocks”, should be the next stop and travel through the mountains where you will see the most stunning monasteries perched high in the rocks and cliffs.

Discover the beautiful beaches of the Peloponnese, particularly on Elafonissos island with its tropical looking Simos Beach, and visit the lovely town of Pylos where you can enjoy delicious fresh fish dishes and local wine, followed by a trip to Methoni and the ruins of its castle with a beach nearby or to sandy Vasilisi beach.

You could head north from Athens to the Pelion region (the land of the Centaurs), a promontory of land on the east coast; the nearest mainland to the island of Skiathos. From Athens Airport to Volos city, the drive will take about four hours but the journey will be interesting and you may wish to stop off on your way back.

From Volos, explore to your heart’s content! Many beaches on the eastern side of the Pelion are of bright white stones, with water that is crystal. There are also many sandy coves and rocky coves, and long sandy beaches perfect for lazing the day away. Tourist facilities in Pelion are minimal and a little knowledge of the Greek language will be appreciated, but if you’d like to experience some real Greece, just jump in your hire car at Athens Airport and see what you can find!

easyCar is offering fantastic car hire deals in the South of Spain.

The large autonomous Spanish region of Adalucia incorporates Costa de la Luz near the Portuguese boarder, the ever popular Costa del Sol and lesser know yet still as lovely, Costa Tropical.

Malaga car hire can be collected either from Malaga Airport, downtown Malaga or Malaga railway station. Malaga Airport opened its new Terminal 3 nearly four months ago but do expect some building work as a second runway and a new railway line is being completed over the next six to ten months. At Terminal 1 of the airport Malaga rental car desks are to the left of the sliding doors as you head to the Arrivals Hall which is where you will sign your rental agreement and collect your car hire keys. The car rental desks at Terminal 2 are accessed via a ramp in Arrivals and at Terminal 3 car hire at Malaga Airport are found in the Arrivals Hall.

Malaga Airport is the gateway to the Costa del Sol and Adalucia, but Granada, Jerez and Gibraltar may also be used. Visit Torremolinos, Marbella, Nerja and Ronda.

For the Costa de la Luz, Jerez Airport and Seville Airport are close, with Faro Airport in Portugal just across the border (check first that the car hire company will allow cross border car hire). Visit the pretty Bay of Cadiz, the Donana National Park, Isla Cristina, La Brena and Conil de la Frontera. The Costa de la Luz is the most southern point in Spain and where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet. Quieter than del Sol, Costa de la Luz boast magnificent cream sandy beaches.

Costa Tropical is east of the Costa del Sol and is less well known – sometimes referred to as Costa Granada. The coastline is picturesque with nearly 20 miles of beaches and Costa Tropical is a great region to explore the South of Spain’s history and diverse flora and fauna. Don’t miss a trip to The Alhambra, a magnificent palace and fortress near Granada, or the Caves of Nerja in Maro. Historic Almunecar is the popular beach resort in the Costa Tropical. Almeria Airport and Granada Airport are the nearest airports; however the drive from Malaga Airport to Almunecar should only take around 90 minutes.

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and Palermo is its capital.  A triangular shaped Italian island and maybe best known for the active volcano Mount Etna, Sicily is located off the “toe” of Italy, surround by many smaller islands and is the closest major European island to Malta as well as being near to Tunisia in Northern Africa.

Palermo is situated on the north western coast of Sicily and is one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean as the cultural and tourist facilities are extensive and the city simply oozes with history – not forgetting the magnificent beaches nearby!

There are two airports in Palermo, but Palermo International Airport (PMO) or Falcone Borsellino Airport is just over 20 miles north west of the Sicilian capital and is serviced by both scheduled and low cost airlines from the UK during the summer. easyCar offer fantastic Palermo Airport car hire deals bookable online.

Vibrant and colourful, there is much to see in and around Palermo. Visit the stunning Palermo Cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele and look through the heliometer, and visit San Cataldo’s Church and Chiesa della Martorana (church) on Piazza Bellini in the centre of Palermo for wonderful views. The Norman Palazzo dei Normanni (palace) is where the beautiful 11th century royal Palatine Chapel is located, and the Regional Gallery can be found in the Palazzo Abatellis. Santa Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo and the saint’s day is celebrated on 14 July each year starting with a magnificent street procession. 

Outdoor productions are shown at the Teatro Massimo (theatre) during the summer and if you are in Palermo in November don’t miss the UNESCO labelled November Festival di Morgana, where the best puppet makers and masters show their amazing works.

The nearest beach to Palermo city in northern Sicily is Mondello Lido, about 10 miles away and backed by a promenade. Watersports are available from Palermo beach and small boats may be hired.

Take the nine mile drive into the mountains and visit Monte Pellegrino where views of Palermo and the Tyrrhenian Sea can be enjoyed whilst tucking into a picnic!

If you like to scuba dive or want to escape the city, take a ferry from Palermo Harbour to the small island of Ustica, where the years of volcanic activity has formed fascinating grottos and caves under the sea.

If Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, is warning free, you can approach it from two directions on a day trip from Palermo either from the north or south side. Both drives are spectacular but if you want to trek around Etna and her craters then this may take a few days of walking with a guide or group.