‘Estadio Algarve’ (‘Algarve Stadium’) is a reputed soccer stadium on the Algarve. It was constructed so that it can be used for the Football Championship (European) of 2004. Its capacity is above 30,000 spectators. In addition to its use for sporting events, it also hosts Portugal Rally, music festivals and concerts. It has a distinct architecture with a couple of arched roofs which resemble a ship’s sails.

‘Serra de Monchique’ mountain range is to the west of Algarve. It is 56 miles (i.e. 90 km) far from Faro. There are buses that ply regularly to it. In addition to offering many hiking trails, its other attractions are ‘Caldas de Monchique’-spa town and Monchique-market town.

Silves is 39 miles (i.e. 62 km) from Faro. Every year, many go for an excursion to it since it has a ‘Fortaleza’ (Moorish castle). The castle has governor’s palace, towers and sandstone façade. The Gothic cathedral- ‘Sé Catedral de Silves’ is quite impressive. It was built in the fifteenth century. Other must see places are ‘Fabrica de Ingles’, ‘Igreja da Misericordia’ and Museum of Archaeology (‘Museu Arqueolgia’). Silver Beer Festival is held here in July of each year.

Even Spanish cities like Seville and Huelva are near Faro airport. Alte village is at Faro’s north-west direction and 34 miles (i.e. 55 km) away from it. It is 19 miles (i.e. 30 km) away from Albufeira. This village is a peaceful region that is still unspoilt.  Its main attractions are cobblestone alleyways, local springs like “Fonte Pequena” and “Fonte Grande” and whitewashed houses.

Lagos, a famous town, is at Faro’s west about 55 miles (i.e. 89km) away. By road, it takes an hour to reach there. It is a historical area and has walls of 14^th century surrounding it. It is near River Ribeira de Bensafrim. It was once a sleepy town. But from the ‘60s, it has become a busy place due to tourism. Tourists throng the near by beaches which are known to be better than the other beaches. Some other favourite spots are the caves, ‘Ponta da Piedade’ lighthouse, ‘Barragem de Bravura’ reservoir, harbour and the Lagos Zoo.

To rent a car in Faro, find reputed companies in Portugal that offer cars for cheap rates and have a range of cars from which you can choose. There is also an option of combining car hire at Faro airport with the booking of air tickets (fly drive). There should not be hidden costs associated when you book these rental cars at the airport. Most car rental companies in Portugal provide unlimited mileage.

Funchal city is rich due to several aspects. You need more than a day for exploring it, but a rental car in Funchal is not stricly necessary. There are many places of interest here and it covers built and natural heritage. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it was a “sugar town” just gaining popularity. Buildings of those times are present even today. Such built heritage is found primarily at the middle of Funchal. The 3 historically important areas are “Sé”,”São Pedro” and “Santa Maria”.

The beaches of this island are characterised by pleasant weather, clear water and good overall standards. You will find golden sand at Machico and Calheta since it was imported here. Many of its beaches pebbled too. Great pools and sandy beaches can be found on Madeira. Car hire is recommended as many beaches are secluded and difficult to reach with public transport.

Porto Santo’s golden beach stretches 9 kilometres. It is part of the Madeira archipelago and it is a tranquil place. It was discovered in 1418 and its name was actually “Holy Port” since it offered shelter during stormy season. After this island was discovered, it paved way for other discoveries – west of African coast, Cape Good Hope, Japan and East Indies. Its area is 42 sq km. The northern part is covered by calcareous matter. Its highest peak is “Pico do Facho”. It has an airport and facilities to play volleyball and tennis. Island tours and windsurfing are also possible, but you can also explore the island yourself. This is not a typical cheap holiday destination and Porto Santo car hire is usally a bit more expensive than renting a car on Madeira, but it is certainly worthwhile.

Some of the churches that you can pay a visit to are: Colégio Church, English Church, ‘Convento de Santa Clara’, ‘Igreja do Carmo’, ‘Santiago Menor Church’, ‘Capela da Boa Viagem’, ‘Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte’, ‘Capela dos Milagres’ and ‘Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedade’.

There are many supermarkets and shopping centres. Regional markets sell flowers, food items, fruits, clothes, toys, beverages etc. Some established markets are at ‘Santo da Serr’, ‘Ponta Delgada’ and ‘Santa (Porto Moniz)’. Visit the traditional markets for local goods. ‘Mercado dos Lavradores’ is at Old town and is closed on Sundays.

Keep your license and credit card ready if you want to book Madeira car hire in the city of Funchal or at Madeira airport. Remember that cheaper is not always better: get information on the insurances that the quote of your car rental will have like 3^rd partly liability insurance, theft protection insurance and damage waiver insurance. While hiring a cheap rental vehicle, it is normal to have questions which the trained customer care personnel of the car hire companies on the island will gladly answer. There are several global and local suppliers for car rental at Madeira, just shop around, compare prices and make your decision.

Lisbon’s average annual sunshine hours are about 2900 to 3300. It has an overall mild climate compared to other places of Europe. The Average summer day temperature is 27 degrees and in the winter it is 11 degrees. Sometimes the temperature reaches 36 degrees C in summer and even 2 degrees C during winter. The yearly rainfall amount is about 1110 mm.

Numerous satellite cities surround it. Nearly a million people travel to Lisbon from its outskirts. For good night life, people visit Estoril and Cascais. Travellers often rent a car in Lisbon to visit different places since they get good deals with rental vehicles these days. Mafra and Sintra have historical sites, landscapes and palaces. Some well-known museums of Lisbon are - National Museum of Ancient Art (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga), Museum of Tile Mosaics - Portuguese-style (Museu do Azulejo), Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Museu Calouste Gulbenkian)-it has modern and ancient arts. Oceanário de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanarium) is the second largest throughout the world.

Bairro Alto is in central Lisbon. It is an entertainment, shopping and residential area and can easily be reached by car. Lisbon’s youth enjoy their night life here. It is home to dedicated bars and clubs for Reggae, Hip Hop, Goth, Metal etc. It is also home to writers and artists. It has several international and local restaurants. Fashion shops that are located here are open even in the night. If you want to visit the famous garden terrace offering a good view of the city, first locate the principal commercial streets like Rua da Atalaia or Rua do Norte since it is easy to find it from these streets.

Chiado has many theatres and it is near Bairro Alto. It also has bookshops and non-modern cafes. It is one of the world’s famous places according to a company which conducted a study. It scores high in the customer service quality that if offers and its charm. There are boutiques and interior design shops too in this area.

Lisbon is spread across the hills that face River Tagus. At the tops of these hills are ‘miradouros’ (viewpoints). There you can find places for just sitting and enjoying the view or ordering snacks. One such miradouro is St. George’s castle. St. George’s castle is visible from all parts of the city. It has its origins in the sixth century. Moors, Visigoths and Romans have fortified it. It housed the Moorish royals till Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal captured it. Later, it was dedicated to the saint. King Afonso’s statue is found near the gate. It houses a restaurant and a multimedia exhibit called Olissiponia. Most of it got destroyed over time but 18 towers and wall extensions remain. From the towers, the view of the city is enthralling.

You will find valuable information on the websites of European firms that offer cheap car hire in Lisbon if you’re considering to book car rental in Lisbon.

Since it is a well-placed port and is close to the lagoon of Ria Formosa, it became well-known during the times of the Roman Empire. In summer, tourist boats and buses connect the resorts and beaches. Nightlife too, is vibrant here. Faros information centre for tourists is located at the end of Jardim Manual Bivar adjacent to Arco de Vila and Bishop’s Palace. The regional information centre is at the east of Old City.

Arco de Vila belongs to the 18th century. It stands near the local tourist centre. It marks the entrance of Cidade Velha (old city). It leads to Sé cathedral and Rua do Municipio.

This city attracts tourists due to its sea-side attractions and beaches like Praia de Faro. There are pricey yachts and waterfront cafes at the harbour front. Centro Historico or Old City overlooks the harbour. This is where Faros historical buildings are found. Many important buildings of Faro have been destructed by 1755s Great Earthquake. 13th centurys Faro Cathedral, also known as Sé appears simple and orange trees line the entrance. There was a mosque in its site before. After the earthquake, most part of the Cathedral was re-modelled and built again; its tower and a couple of chapels retain their original structure. Its architecture is a combination of Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque styles. Near it are some palaces like the palace of a former Bishop.

Some of the 20th century landmarks are Estadio Algarve (Algarve Stadium), Largo de Sao Francisco (St. Francis Fountain) and University of Algarve. Estadio Algarve or Algarve Stadium is a newer landmark. Many seasonal events are held here. University of Algarve is a prominent educational landmark. It is a public University and has about 10000 students. It was founded in the late 70s and has improved in stature and size since then. It is well-known for oceanography and marine biology. It is spread within 2 campuses.

Largo de Sao Francisco, a fascinating fountain is to the south of Cidade Velha. In October, it hosts Feira de Santa Iria that includes live entertainment, market stalls and fairground rides. At other times, it acts as a car park.

There are few good museums like Museu Municipal de Faro (The Municipal Museum of Archaeology), Museu Maritimo (Maritime Museum) and Museu Regional Do Algarve (Regional Museum of the Algarve). Alte is a village that is a short distance away from Faro. It has beaches and mountains of Serra de Monchique which offer many scenic hiking. Lisbon is less than 3 hours away from Faro.

For car hire from Faro airport, there are car hire companies that operate from the airport itself. They offer reliable service and can be contacted anytime by dialling a toll-free phone number for cheap car hire in Faro. Using these rental cars, travellers can reach hotels, golf courses and other locations. If you cancel the rental vehicle, there is no fee.

“We sat down and said ‘let’s question it’,” says bus operations manager Kearnan McGrane. “We had never questioned it; we were never flexible before.”

A small team comprising drivers and managers soon discovered that it would make sense to replace large buses that circled the then four terminals with smaller buses that would serve just one or two terminals each. “You can either go around all the terminals in an orderly fashion or you can split the routes and halve the journey times,” adds regional manager Gustaf Isaksson.

Falling demand in the car hire industry
For Michel Taride, president of Hertz Europe, the restructuring of the bus service at the Heathrow branch is an example of the “speed and depth of the transformation” Hertz is going through. We will buy fewer cars this year than we did last year, perhaps by as much as 40%

“We are proud to have done a lot of what car hire companies are now forced to do while we were in good shape,” he says, explaining that staff members are being urged to get involved in planning and improving how work at the car hire company is being done.

These days, the car rentals sector, including global leader Hertz, is in trouble, having seen a sharp decline in both holiday and business travel since the onset of the recession.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has pointed to how Hertz and its rivals have been hit by a sharp reduction in the number of flights taken and raised concerns about their ability to raise finance in the future.

Hertz’s share price has plunged from a peak of $14.50 last spring and now trades at about $2.40.

Source: BBC News

Like existing car-sharing companies, Hertz Global Holdings is placing cars in a variety of locations that members of the sharing program, called “Connect by Hertz,” can reserve online. Rentals are charged hourly; the annual membership fee includes insurance, gas, roadside assistance, maintenance and use of a universal key card.

Hertz is entering the car-sharing market as the rental industry faces a series of challenges: Airlines have reduced flights, consumers have cut leisure spending and business travel has dropped, all of which have cut sharply into rental revenue and profits.

Even so, Mark Frissora, the company’s chairman and chief executive, said in an interview that the company’s timing for launching Connect by Hertz could not be better. Starting small, Hertz hopes to capitalize on both consumer demand for alternatives to car ownership and the current weakness of its rivals.

“People can’t buy cars today,” Frissora said in an interview, referring to the current lack of consumer credit.

Rivals Avis Budget Group and Dollar Thrifty Automotive also are struggling. In December, Avis has announced a management salary freeze, downsized its planned fleet and cut more than 2,200 jobs as part of a drive to reduce annual costs in the face of dropping demand. Dollar Thrifty, meanwhile, reported a hefty fourth-quarter loss.

Other traditional rental companies already have tiptoed into the car-sharing market. Privately owned Enterprise Rent-A-Car expanded its WeCar sharing program, officially launched in St. Louis last year, to roughly half a dozen universities and businesses. And U-Haul International, also privately held, started a car-sharing program in Berkeley, Madison, Wis., and Portland, Ore., that it now plans to expand into Portland, Maine, and College Station, Texas.

Connect by Hertz is still dwarfed by other car-sharing operations. In New York, Hertz is starting with 10 locations in Manhattan, while Zipcar has 300 locations in greater New York.

Frissora said Park Ridge, N.J.-based Hertz plans to add 20 cities in North America and Europe next year, as well as universities and corporate locations. “We will grow it as rapidly as demand is there for it,” he said. “We have no limits on capacity.”

New York users will pay a $50 annual membership fee plus hourly rates starting at $10. Frequent users can choose a monthly rate instead. Zipcar’s annual fee in New York is also $50, and hourly rates start at $11. It also has a comparable monthly plan for heavy users.

Frissora said Hertz plans to lure members with accessories generally not available in its other rental cars, such as Bluetooth hands-free cell phone tools, an iPod connection and a hands-free audio kit for requesting customer service. “You press a button and you’re instantly connected to our reservation center,” Frissora said.

Hertz is also touting the “greenness” of its sharing fleet, which meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for high-quality environmental performance.

Source: Associated Press

http://identi.ca/carhire

The technology company says its entire network of agencies can now use e-vouchers, first launched in December 2006, giving access to 24 global car rental companies in 36,000 rental locations worldwide.

Marcos Isaac, director of the travel services business group at Amadeus, said: “With the complete withdrawal of paper vouchers, Amadeus takes the lead as the technology partner for the car hire industry. Just as we did when we launched Amadeus Cars e-Voucher, we are providing the technology to bring benefits to travellers, travel agents and car rental providers.”

Elaine Cottrell, distribution systems manager at Avis Europe, added: “Avis Europe is delighted to have implemented Amadeus Cars e-Voucher globally. This functionality is a great benefit for travel agents as it provides them with the ability to pay for their reservation without having to produce a voucher at the rental counter.”

Looking at monthly figures, the association also said sales flopped by 49.9 percent to 72,377 in December, compared to 144,441 sold in the same month of 2007.

Spain, one of Europe’s best-performing economies over the last decade, is in a sharp downturn because of the international financial crisis, which has exacerbated a collapse in its key construction industry. Automakers such as Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen have all announced job and production cuts in Spain in recent months. Not even the car hire industry in Spain will be able to stop this. Due to the financial crisis many car hire companies in Spain will also suffer severe problems in renewing their fleet of rental cars. Car hire in Spain still is a cheap option against the use of public transport in many travel destinations like Alicante, Malaga or Palma de Mallorca where there is a large offer of cheap car hire.

Source: Associated Press

Spain is the most popular destination for British tourists with around 12 million holidays taken there each year. Around seven million holidays are taken in France with more than two million in the US and Italy. Around 1.3 million are currently taken in Turkey.

The travel industry claims the demand for holidays in the 16 countries which have adopted the euro is unlikely to suffer any dramatic fall. However a spokesman from ABTA says a lot of British people have established ties: “I still believe Spain will be way up there in terms of our favourite destinations. A lot of people have second homes over there for instance.”

Source: Associated Press