short breaks one-off weekends destinations

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; jet 4 5 Tomato fights, midnight VENICE CARNIVAL the Norwegian city of Tromso. coincide with the finale, worth marathons, military parades and Where? Venice, Italy Thousands of runners from far suggesting to those wanting to beer-drinking extravaganzas; When? February 23 to and wide come to experience combine sports time with Parisian ler olson y

; t when it comes to festivities, March 5, 2019 the never-setting sun against explorations. s y a Europe has some corkers. Why? Venice wouldn’t be a backdrop of snow-capped Book it: Shearings offers a Paris d 2 We’ve selected 10 of the Venice without its legendary mountains and crystal-clear and the Tour de France Finale trip best to help sell short breaks masquerades, and nowhere waters, with half, 10K and mini- from £274, departing from various to everyone from hip young are these glitzy affairs more marathons organised for those pick-up points around the UK on party lovers to classical music prominent than during the 11-day less keen on the full whammy. July 27. The price includes three connoisseurs. carnival leading up to Shrove Families can also get involved nights at the three-star Ibis Styles y; newmarkety; holi Tuesday. Said to date back to the thanks to a special children’s run, Paris Bercy Hotel, a guided city LA TOMATINA 12th century, this historic festival and when the fitness fun’s over tour and a full day at the event. Where? Near – banned in the 18th century and there’s plenty more to do in the shearingsagent.com Valencia, Spain not reintroduced officially until region, from kayaking, cycling d; nicola easterb When? August 29 1970 – combines the iconic Feast and fishing to wildlife safaris and OKTOBERFEST 6 7 1Why? More than 100 tons of of the Venetians with music, fjord cruises. Where? Munich, Germany tomatoes are thrown each year dancing, processions, street Book it: Osprey Holidays offers When? September 22 to at what is the world’s biggest shows, costume competitions a three-night break during the October 7 food fight. The streets of Bunol and colourful boat parades on Midnight Sun Marathon staying Why? The world’s biggest beer

d; tourism irelan 5 one-off are coloured bright red on the the Grand Canal, alongside the B&B at the four-star Clarion Hotel festival sees more than six last Wednesday in August as iconic Flight of the Angel, when The Edge, with Norwegian flights million litres of the stuff served weekends soon as one brave soul climbs a costumed figure zips along a from London via Oslo, departing every year alongside mounds of

; visitscotlan Laura French discovers the the pole in the town centre to rope from San Marco bell tower June 15. Prices start from £789. bratwurst, pretzels, pork schnitzel reach a ham, thus kicking off the down into the square. ospreyholidays.com and other Bavarian delicacies best events and festivals festivities. Owing its origins to a Book it: Kirker Holidays offers in the Theresienwiese area in food fight that kicked off in the three nights’ B&B at the four-star Munich. Traditional costumes,

rew pickett TOUR DE FRANCE d town in 1945, it attracted up to boutique Liassidi Palace Hotel FINALE parades, live music and a giant an

/ @laurafrench121 50,000 visitors until a few years from £1,048 per person based on Where? Paris, France funfair fill the streets, marking ago, but is now a ticketed event two sharing, including BA flights When? July 29 a festival that first began as a with numbers capped at 20,000. from Gatwick, water taxi transfers 4Why? For cycling enthusiasts, wedding celebration in 1810. ; visitbritain 8 9 10 Most visitors choose to kip in and concierge services, departing nothing quite beats the Tour de Contiki, Topdeck Travel and nearby Valencia, about 25 miles February 25, 2019. France, and there’s something Busabout all offer tours – with away, where pre and post-festival kirkerholidays.com quite enthralling about witnessing the last throwing in an optional parties draw in youngsters the 200-or-so participants day trip to the fairytale-like vito arcomano / after a Spanish getaway with a MIDNIGHT SUN finish at the Champs Elysees Neuschwanstein Castle – making difference. MARATHON after their three-week, 2,200- a good option for solo travellers Book it: G Adventures offers its Where? Tromso, Norway mile race. Visitors can expect wanting to join a group with 18-to-Thirtysomethings four-day When? June 16 plenty of buzz as the 105th race walking tours and tips from trip from £299 including hostel 3Why? There are sports events, comes to its end this year with guides in the know. accommodation in Valencia, an and then there’s this – the the usual caravan of floats and Book it: Topdeck Travel’s four- orientation walk in the city, entry northernmost marathon in the celebrations – book early as hotel day Oktoberfest Braumeister to the festival and transport, world, taking place during the availability gets tight. Shearings trip costs from £315 including departing August 27. polar night nearly 250 miles Holidays and Leger Holidays will a walking tour of Munich, three

PICTURES: SHUTTERSTOCK; fototeca gadventures.co.uk north of the Arctic Circle in both be offering tours timed to breakfasts, three nights in a

64 travelweekly.co.uk 1 February 2018 1 February 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 65 short breaks one-off weekends destinations

hostel, return coach transport to five-day tour for clients wanting Oktoberfest grounds, trip leader to combine it with a journey on and driver (flights extra). the West Highland Line, a cruise topdeck.travel on Loch Linnhe and a visit to Glasgow. Alternatively, for those EDINBURGH TATTOO wanting to base themselves in Where? Edinburgh, the city on a shorter trip, look Scotland to Super Break, which offers a When? August 3-25 three-day package focused on 6Why? Drummers, singers, the event. dancers, pipe players and other Book it: Two nights’ B&B at the military performers from across three-star Old Waverley Hotel the globe come together in with Super Break costs from their droves in this annual, £340 based on a departure family-friendly extravaganza, on August 10 and including a set against the rather magical ticket to the event on Saturday, Edinburgh Castle and luring an August 11. audience of more than 200,000. superbreak.com/agents This year the RAF, which will be ringing in its centenary, is MALTA INTERNATIONAL Left: Edinburgh Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle leading the celebrations with 24 MUSIC FESTIVAL performances themed around Where? Valletta, Malta above: St Patrick’s Day in Dublin everything from the history of When? April 15 to May 1 manned flight to human potential 7Why? The opulent, walled city of below: A collection of Terracotta Warriors under the title ‘The Sky’s the Valletta is a music lover’s dream will be on display in Liverpool Limit’, ending with the annual, year-round with a host of events moving tune of the Lone Piper taking place among its baroque on the castle ramparts. palaces and ancient ramparts, “It’s an amazing spectacle and and with its European Capital of enjoying it live is incomparable, Culture status this year, there’s features a series of concerts from an extra helping of culture. party sees the streets of Dublin life to streets across the city, Christmas markets – it’s also with the pipes and drums of the never been a better time to visit. globally acclaimed musicians and Book it: Newmarket Holidays’ coloured a sea of green for while Sunday afternoon sees when the iconic light festival Scottish regiments resonating Suggest fans of the classical type opera singers held in a historic, Drummers, singers three-day China’s First Emperor four days of festivities – and families fill Merrion Square for descends on the city, illuminating from the castle’s elevated head there in April for the annual 16th-century building overlooking and the Terracotta Warriors continuously flowing Guinness. performances, workshops, magic its already romantic canals with setting,” says Julian Appleyard, Malta International Music Festival. the Grand Harbour. A string of and pipe players tour costs from £199, including At the heart of it all is the shows and more. a series of artsy installations on commercial director at Great Rail Hosted in collaboration with the art exhibitions, festivals and come together in this admission, a guided coach tour of Friday parade – the day before For younger clients looking the water and beyond. Previous Journeys. Suggest the operator’s Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, it other events will be taking place annual, family-friendly Liverpool, B&B accommodation, St Patrick’s Day itself – which is a to live it up and combine it with years have seen chandeliers throughout the rest of the year, so extravaganza a tour manager and coach travel vibrant spectacle of flamboyant some cultural musings, suggest hanging over a canal, an use the 2018 status as a hook to throughout, with departures from costumes, marching bands, Contiki, which offers a four-day illuminated figure of a man doing sell the city described by Unesco March to October. colourful floats and exuberant tour with sightseeing around the the long jump along a bridge as “one of the most concentrated newmarketholidays.co.uk dancers. Then there’s Temple city alongside entry to the iconic and various other sculptures lit historic areas in the world.” Bar, where punters donning Guinness Storehouse, and an up to magical, twinkling effect. Book it: Jet2holidays offers four ST PATRICK’S DAY leprechaun hats flock en masse optional evening of live music at This year promises a similarly nights’ B&B at the Grand Hotel in the world. Now visitors can Where? Dublin, Ireland on the big day, March 17. Visitors The Merry Ploughboy Pub. enchanting spectacle with boat Excelsior, Valletta from £499 get a glimpse of them without When? March 17 will find Irish songs, Gaelic sports Book it: Contiki’s St Patrick’s Day trips enabling visitors to see it all based on two sharing, including having to fly to Xi’an thanks to a Why? Ireland’s biggest and traditional jigs bringing trip costs from £665 including from the water. flights departing from Stansted special exhibition being held at 9 hotel accommodation, coach Leger Holidays offers a tour on April 21 with transfers. the World Museum in Liverpool. transport from London, services with an optional canal cruise, trade.jet2holidays.com Displaying nearly 200 excavated of a trip manager and daily Irish and adds in a trip to the artefacts never before shown in breakfast, departing March 16. traditional fishing village of THE TERRACOTTA the UK, it promises to shed light contiki.com Volendam for a stroll through WARRIORS EXHIBITION on the China of more than two streets that feel distinctly Where? Liverpool, UK millennia ago while exploring the AMSTERDAM yesteryear, making for an idyllic When? February 9 to emperor’s life and beliefs with LIGHT FESTIVAL short break away in the lead-up 8October 28 several of the life-sized figures Where? to Christmas. Why? Buried underground for on display. Amsterdam, the Book it: Leger’s four-day more than 2,000 years to guard Shearings and Newmarket Netherlands10 Amsterdam Festive Season & the tomb of China’s first emperor, Holidays are among the When? November 29, 2018, Light Festival costs from £319 the rows upon rows of terracotta operators offering tours to to January 20, 2019 including three nights’ B&B and warriors, built to depict his explore the exhibition. The latter Why? December in Amsterdam return Silver Service coach from left: armies, are one of the most also throws in visits to historic doesn’t just mean lashings a regional joining point in the UK. Oktoberfest mysterious and impressive sights Chester and quaint Bakewell for of mulled wine and quaint leger.co.uk

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