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Destination #4 - Tours, Loire Valley

Direct flights -£18rtn STF - TUF (Ryanair) 3* Hotel - €25pppn (Appart'hôtel Odalys)

The old town of tours is like walking through a medieval fairytale; the architecture is astounding! The food we tried was beautiful albeit more expensive than in other French cities. Approx €20pp for a meal with a drink.

From the airport to the city centre there is a very well connected tram line which costs €1.50per journey. You do have to walk a way from the airport along a main road to find it but once on it, the journey is very smooth.

Despite the centres charm and the great transport links through the city, Tours is not a place I would necessarily recommend visiting. The outer city and suburbs do not have that quintessential Frenchness that you may look for whilst on holiday or travelling. If you’re driving through Tours then by all means have lunch in the city centre but don’t feel bad for only spending a few hours there!

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The food in the south of France is unsurprisingly amazing! Duck is a speciality and it is cooked in so many ways, it is also coincidentally my favourite food so I really couldn’t complain! 

WINE - The local wine is so drinkable I would always recommend asking for a pichet (Carafe) with your dinner, whats more its definitely not going to break the bank! (4Euro 1/2ltr)

Tip: ENJOY the bread and olives...They’re FREE! 

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Destination #3 - Carcassonne (Southern France)

Perhaps not the most thought of destination in the south of France, but arguably one of the most beautiful, Carcassonne is a year round destinations for tourists wanting to explore the inside this medieval fortified city. Based on two locations, La cité (the medieval part) and centre du ville (new part). Carcassonne has so much to offer for everyone; we spent only 2 days and 1 night in this amazing city, thanks to direct flights from London Stansted for only £26rtn, and there were still places we wished we had visited. There are also cheap flights available to neighbouring Toulouse; to find the best deals, head to http://www.statravel.co.uk/ or direct at https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/. 

Tip: its pretty inexpensive and efficient to get a taxi to your hotel of hostel direct from the airport, simply call +33(0)4 68 71 50 50 and it shouldn’t be anymore than 15Euro. 

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This is perhaps the maddest and cutest restaurant in the Ukraine; it feels like you’re in a fairytale and the food is pretty magical as well! The reviews online speak for themselves and the homemade wine goes down a treat!

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Destination #2 - LVIV When in Ukraine, it's really worth visiting the city of Lviv! Nicknamed the Paris of the Ukraine, it's hard not to notice the predominantly European rather than Slavic architecture and culture. From very good coffee shops to opera houses and art galleries, Lviv has it all and makes the perfect day trip location. Warning: you don't need anymore than 2 days in Lviv to do pretty much everything and then some. We spent a full day, 6am to 11pm there, taking night trains there and back from Kiev which was a brilliant idea if you haven't much time to spare. Trains also run from neighbouring Poland and this is perhaps the quickest route between the Ukraine and the EU, it's also a huge cigarette smuggling route so expect long delays if you attempt driving across!

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When in Kiev there are so many things to do that aren't museums! Although spending an afternoon walking between galleries and quant museums is indeed a favourite activity for me on holiday, we also visited so many great places to spend some time. First is the hydropark; an island in the middle of the Dnipro river, which has sandy banks all around making it perfect for sunbathing and swimming in the river. There is also a make-shift gym of industrial proportion where the locals go to work out and meet friends. The Hydropark is easily accessible by metro (see map). What's more, a trip to the Opera and/or Ballet is a must whilst in the Ukraine. These art forms are made accessible to the masses with tickets to see some performances selling for under £1! In fact the top seats rarely surpass £15 for performances such as Swan Lake, which was spectacular to watch this June. Buy tickets online at: http://www.opera.com.ua/en Lastly, don't forget to sample as much of the local cuisine as possible! The food and drink is almost always fantastic and best of yet, cheap as chips. Throughout our time in the Kiev our favourite restaurant was called "Мiсто лева" near the Chernobyl museum. Check it out!!

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One of the best things to do whilst in the Ukraine is visit another city other than Kiev. We chose Lviv which is arguably the cultural capital of the country. Don't bother flying there as the flights tend to be at really inconvenient hours if you're only making a day of it, instead take the overnight train. For under £10 each way, you have a bed for the night and transport to your next destination. We travelled in 2nd class - the most popular - where you sleep in cabins of 4. Our nerves disappeared as soon as we met out cabin buddies who were really accommodating and held a great conversation about life in Ukraine and what to do in Lviv.

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Entire shopping bill = £9.

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Getting around Kiev couldn't be easier! The metro is fast, efficient and very cheap (4UAH per journey). There are only three lines and stations are numbered according to what line they're on. There are only three places where you can change line, these stations have passages between each other similarly to stations such as Bank and Monument on the London Underground. Tip: to avoid taxi touts at the airport, either prearrange a transfer or take the bus from the airport to Vokzalna (60UAH), there you can jump on the metro to your final destination.

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The Kiev Pechersk Lavra (a huge monastery) is where we began our sightseeing adventure. This is the main tourist destination and inside its walls are museums, exhibitions and of course orthodox churches. To enter the site is free, and so to is a visit to the caves where the bodies of old monks and priests are preserved, however you pay for all the exhibitions. Beware: when you buy a ticket it'll often only cover part of the monastery and most of the sites you actually want to visit, like the tower, you'll have to pay extra! Tip: when you get tired, head outside the monastery and head south. There you'll find a very quaint café which serves excellent food and drink and very reasonable prices.

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Our hotel in Kiev was probably the best location you could dream of; located right in the centre literally on top of Independence square we were able to get around so quickly to all the sights, not to mention the views were amazing!!! Double room price for one night £34, perfect if you want to treat'yo'self when you arrive. Hotel Ukraine - http://www.ukraine-hotel.kiev.ua

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Destination #1 - Kiev

Kiev must be one of the best kept secrets of Europe! Although tourism is slowly growing, it truly is a city unparalleled by its western counterparts. I was so shocked how accessible it is and the best part, how CHEAP it was! If you want a few examples Small bottle of Vodka - £0.80 Beer in a nice restaurant - £0.50-£1.20 Coffee - £1 20pack of cigarettes - £0.33-£0.60 This time of year (June) the weather is as hot as the any city in Southern Europe! If you plan on getting a flight to the Ukraine there are only 2 airlines that fly direct, British airways (LHR) and Ukraine International Airlines (LGW). There are pretty decent rail connections to Kiev from other European cities as well! For a good place to get flights try STAtravel who can often book your flight with just a deposit! Equally they can help if you plan on making Kiev one of your interrail stops.