Glastonbury may be regarded as one of the planet's great festivals, but its high cost puts many off from even considering it. Luckily, however, there are alternatives further afield.

Eastern Europe is fast becoming a more affordable way to get your festival fixes, with a wide range of gatherings both large and small. And all can be reached in your own car from the UK.

Here are a few of this year's Eastern European festival highlights that you might consider.

Meadows in the Mountains, Bulgaria

Meadows in the Mountains is a very small festival in Bulgaria organised by two brothers from the UK. This year it attracted 600 attendees – having grown from just 50 four years ago. The picturesque mountain valleys around the event location are frequently laced with mist as the sunrises, making it a perfect setting for a dawn-till-dusk dance.

Drive time: 27 hours.

Gdynia, Poland

Set near the city of the same name, Gdynia is Poland's largest open air music gathering, attracting over 185,000 people annually. A very Indie focussed festival.

Drive time: 15 hours.

Garden, Croatia

Set on the bucolic Dalmation coast, Garden lays claim to being Croatia's first electronic festival. A friendly gathering with plenty of sunshine and outdoor beauty to enjoy – together with lots and lots of great music. This year Soul Clap and Eats Everything are appearing – over no less than seven days!

Drive time: 18 hours

Many other high profile Eastern European festivals are on offer too, including Exit in Serbia and Unknown in Rovinj, Croatia.

If you're planning to enjoy the freedom of a road trip en route to one of these (or one of the many other) festivals in Eastern Europe, don't forget to take out short term European cover first.

Why not get a quote from startrescue.co.uk today?