Budget Car Rental

Now that the World Cup has ended and all the football fans are gradually trickling away from their temporary surrogate homes across Germany, the country can begin to get back to normality, and the usual business of tourism can take hold once again.

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany with a population of about 1.7 million people, and given its industrial past, is a lively and surprisingly green harbour city. Much of the city is occupied by parks, protected countryside, lakes or tree-lined canals, giving this huge city a refreshing rural feel. The western part of Hamburg is particularly well renowned for its many beautiful parks, beautiful promenades along the river Elbe, and the surrounding fashionable suburbs.

With many operators offering flights to Hamburg taking just two hours from most of the UK airports, it is easy to travel to this exciting city. Once there traveling around is also simple. The Airport is only 5 miles to the north of the city, with taxi and bus services in to town readily available, or car rental through Avis, Budget, easyCar, Europcar, Hertz, National and Six, at the airport. You can even rent a limousine if you really want to.

The centre of the city is filled with an abundance of new and old arcades linked together creating a great shopping experience especially for those looking for the latest in designer wear, with some of the best shops located in Rathaus Square, along with the impressively grand city hall which stands supported by dozens of pillars. For music lovers there is always the acclaimed State Opera or the river-side Hafentheater, which is home to contemporary musicals. For dance music fans there are many clubs around the city, and it remains host to the 5 day Full Moon Fever Festival in July.

If a bit of quiet peaceful scenery is needed, then there is always the option of a trip to the farming areas of Altes Land, where unspoilt countryside and quaintly decorated farmers houses can be found.

As well as culture, Hamburg is a city for fun high on the list of most visitors’ things to do is to make time to enjoy some of the fantastic beer halls. It is also worthwhile finding Hamburg’s 300 year old Altona fish market located south of the Reeperbahn every Sunday morning, which now sells fruit, sausages and livestock and clothes, along with the odd fish or two. A trip along the many canals and waterways is also worth a go, as it is not called the “Venice of the North” for nothing.

For those whose idea of a great holiday is lively nightlife, then there is always the historic and infamous, Reeperbahn, where the Beatle used to regularly play. This area runs 600m along the entire length of the red-light district of St. Pauli between Millerntor and Nobistor. While still being fairly racey at night, things have changed in recent years, so that today the previous forms of entertainment have been replaced by copious trendy bars, clubs, restaurants, theatres and even the odd museum. Although the atmosphere has now become safe and fairly unthreatening, with the police station located in the centre of the area, a broad minded attitude may still be required for some areas.

Culture, history, shopping, nightlife, parks, scenery, whatever you want Hamburg can provide it. Hamburg is a great city for any tourist to visit all year round.

Submitted by:
Michael Hanna

About Michael
Michael is a keen writer, and internet marketer living in Scotland:

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Foreigners and locals return time and again to this wonderland of colour. The miracle of a parched landscape slowly evolving through the seasons into a huge carpet of wild flowers is breathtaking. The best time to view this unique floral display is from mid-August to October.

To do Namaqualand properly, one would take a leisurely drive through the fields of flowers, stopping off at the nature reserves and charming towns along the way. Bear in mind that accommodation in the region is often booked out a year in advance as more foreigners hear of these wildflowers, which are unparalleled anywhere.

To view all the different species of flowers in the region, get The Botanical Society of South Africa guides to Nieuwoudtville SA Wild Flower Guide and Namaqualand SA Wild Flower Guide 1. There’s also Freeman Patterson’s Garden of the Gods and Fynbos by Richard Cowling.

Towns Along The Way

Kamieskroon
The locals in this area are as impressive as their colourful surroundings. They are helpful and offer advice on where the best flowers are. The reasonably priced Kamieskroon Hotel, the town B&B’s and the neighbouring farms all offer splendid accommodation. Contact the Namaqualand Tourism Centre for your pick of places to stay. Roads leading out from Kamieskroon go up into the hills to the town of Leliefontein where you will find an enchanting old mission station. It’s worth travelling further afield to the rugged west coast of stormy seas and rocky outcrops at Hondeklip Bay and Groenriviermond.

The 50 000 hectare Namaqua National Park is a botanical and ecological conservancy whose friendly conservationists will gladly answer questions on the flora and fauna of the area. The reserve stretches roughly from the town of Garies northwards to the towns of Springbok and Steinkopf. The areas most visited are around the towns of Springbok and Nababeep. The Spektakel (spectacle) ridge is a must see with its profusion of flowers. The further north you travel from Kamieskroon to Springbok, the more spectacular the display of species in a good season.

Nieuwoudtville
The town of Nieuwoudtville is a geological treasure situated on the Bokkeveld escarpment. Within the surrounds of just 20 kilometres the plant life changes from fynbos, to renosterveld, to karoo. It has the richest bulb (geophyte) variety in the world. Species include the famous spring daisies, the forget-me-not family, pelargonium (with its bizarre shapes), heliophila (sun lover), vygies (little figs), and the iris and rose family.

The town has its own wild flower reserve; there is also nearby Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve, a giant plain of wilderness rock formation and rock art. You can view a 90-metre high waterfall in an ancient Gondwanaland geological fault. Visiting the nearby ’secret’ forest with its kokerbome - strangely shaped trees with weird arms coming out of their trunk - makes you feel like you’re inside ‘Lord of the Rings’ territory. The private farms in the area are open to the public and often have the most spectacular array of flowers. There are a couple of farms that manage to combine commercial farming with the cultivation of floral wealth.

Tips on planning your Flower Escapade
Flowers are best viewed from 11:00 to 15:00 on a sunny day

A cool box is essential for informal, off-road picnics

Don’t forget comfortable walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen, binoculars and insect repellent

Most of the flowers are so tiny that you won’t be able to see and appreciate them from a moving vehicle. It’s perfectly safe to get out the car and view close-up

Take your flower guides, so you are up-to-date with the names of flowers you are viewing

Self-drive holidays are so popular because driving in South Africa is easy, safe and exposes you to some of the greatest attractions that you would never see on a package tour. iDrive, Southern Africa car hire, has developed a range of self-drive, travel products from our many years of travel experience in South Africa and its neighbouring countries.

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Are you in need of a rental car? Have you shopped around and gotten the best possible deal. If you have rented cars in the past and have had lots of practice searching out the best deal then you have more than likely done quite well. The purpose of this article is to help the first time and novice car renters with advice on how to search out the best car rental deal.

If you have never rented a car before then you need some practice in searching out the best car rental deal. Shopping around for car rental is not unlike shopping for other products. When buying something you don’t just choose the first item you find. You shop around and try to get the most value for your money. The same is true when you rent a car. You should definitely make a list of all of the companies you contact and what they charge. When you’ve found the cheapest or best offer you need to contact them and see if possibly they can do even better.

Another thing you should do is ask questions. Remember, if you don’t ask you don’t get. Many times you can get special rates if you ask nicely. One thing you can try is to ask for the weekly rate. Sometimes if you’re renting for 4 or more days rental companies will switch you to the weekly rate. This can result in substantial savings of 30-40%.

If you’re renting a car over the weekend you should ask if they have the weekend rate available. Again, weekend rates can sometimes result in substantial savings and generally, you get the car from Friday noon until Monday morning.

A final way to get the best car rental deal is to look online. Again, booking online with a credit card can result in substantial savings. Many companies give discounts of 10-20 percent when making your booking online.

Getting the best car rental deal is not as difficult as it sounds. By doing careful research and asking questions you can be assured that you will get the best rate possible.

For more information on Car Rentals visit http://www.allcarrentals.info.

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