Europe at the price of a barbecue: where to rush to May instead of summer cottages

Prepare the sleigh in the summer, and the May holidays are in April. Who often stays at airports knows how profitable it is to book tickets in advance. After waiting for the weather from the sea, you will end up paying significantly more. In short, hurry up. But first, of course, it is necessary to determine the direction. We have selected several tempting options for you.

There is an interesting life hack for traveling to Europe, which for some reason few people use. You can take a connecting flight and visit two countries at once instead of one, saving at the same time. The transfer, of course, should be long enough to have time to get from the transit airport to the city, take a walk there and return back.

Riga is good in this sense. 30 minutes by taxi — and you are at the gates of the Old Town. It's small, you can get around the whole thing in a couple of hours. The first thing to do is to look into the Riga Black Magic cafe, where the famous balm is added to coffee and desserts. With such a start, a walk through the medieval streets with their gingerbread houses will be especially pleasant. The culmination of the walk will be the Church of St. Peter with an observation deck at an altitude of 123 meters. And if there is still time, go to the majestic Riga Castle, built in the XIV century.

Or you can choose an alternative program altogether by going from the airport not to the capital, but to the west, to Jurmala. Wander along the beach there, enjoy the ship's pine trees and generally the benevolent atmosphere reigning there.

The Latvian national airline airBaltic has the richest selection of flights with a connection in Riga. In their catalog, we search for profitable offers, for example, on May 4.

Moscow — Prague, transfer duration — 6 hours 40 minutes

In the morning you fly out of Sheremetyevo and in a couple of hours you already catch a taxi in the capital of Latvia. You will arrive in the Czech Republic by seven in the evening, having spent 6390 rubles per person. You know what to do in Prague. Beer, beer and beer again with breaks for a knuckle with dumplings. The architecture in the historical part of the city is simply amazing. The brightest gems are the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square and the Gothic Cathedral of St. Vitus.

Moscow — Amsterdam, transfer duration — 5 hours

The option with a five-hour transfer in Latvia will cost 7,500 rubles. In general, for Amsterdam in May, no money is not a pity. That's where spring shines in full force. You can't take your eyes off the blooming tulip plantations in Keukenhof Park and the emerald fields with windmills in Zaanse-Schans. It will be especially great to ride to these picturesque places on the main Dutch form of transport — a bicycle. You don't need to carry your own — rental at every step.

Moscow — Paris, transfer duration — 4 hours 30 minutes

There's nothing stupider than seeing Paris and dying. After all, it is absolutely impossible to grasp all the charm of this legendary city at one time. On your first visit, of course, you cannot ignore the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre and the Sacre Coeur Basilica. And on the next dates, you can choose a program for yourself. If you want, walk along the quays of the Seine and the paths of the Tuileries Garden, if you want, have fun in the cabaret, if you want, wander through the art galleries. The plane will again cost 7,500 rubles.

Moscow — Larnaca, transfer duration — 6 hours 10 minutes

At the beginning of May, it's too early to swim in the Mediterranean Sea, but there's no better time to explore the sights of Cyprus. The tourist season will not enter the hot phase yet, so there will not be too many people. Without crowding, you will touch history in the archaeological parks of Paphos, take pictures of the castles of Limassol and the ghost town of Famagusta and, of course, taste the local wine, which is considered the oldest in the world. The cost of the flight is 9100 rubles.

Moscow — Budapest, transfer duration — 8 hours 55 minutes

The airBaltic plane (6670 rubles) will land in the Hungarian capital in the morning, that is, Riga will appear in front of you in evening attire and smoothly turn into a captivating night. As for Budapest, one can only guess why this city does not attract as many tourists as Paris. There are no less beauties: the elegant Parliament building, the Basilica of St. Stephen, the Buda Fortress and the chic baths of Szecheni as a way to restore strength after a busy day.