It’s been an exciting few weeks for new air routes, with a host of regional and London departures.
Low-cost airline Wizz Air launches its new route from Luton to Tel Aviv, flying four times a week from June 24.
Meanwhile Ryanair has plans for flights between Glasgow and Frankfurt, Madrid and Krakow, in its winter schedule.
In Birmingham, bmi regional has started the only direct flights from the UK to Austria’s second city, Graz, a Unesco World Heritage site, as well as Stansted to City of Derry Airport from May 2.
And looking further afield, there’s a new route to the Caribbean from December, with the first direct flight between Heathrow and Barbados with Virgin Atlantic.
The cruise circus
The drama of the big top is coming to two new ships from Norwegian Cruise Lines from May, as the company expands its Cirque Dream & Dinner experience to Norwegian Breakaway and Epic, along with Getaway.
Featuring new gourmet menus, the show starts with dinner before the 45-minute acrobatic spectacle begins, inspired by the original Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy Broadway show.
Croatia's city hotspot
Europe’s newest capital is shaping up to be one of this year’s most popular city breaks. Over one million people visited Zagreb in 2016 — a similar number to the Croatian capital’s official population — and with two new flights from Monarch, this looks like only the beginning.
The airline is launching a route from Manchester on April 29, the first time the North West has had a direction connection to the city, while there are also new flights from Gatwick starting on April 28. British Airways and Croatia Airlines both fly directly from Heathrow to Zagreb as well.
Don’t miss the vast Museum of Contemporary Art, with over 1,500 exhibits currently including The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, until May 8.
Switzerland underwater
Europe’s largest freshwater aquarium is opening in Switzerland this July, attached to the Aquatis Hotel in the lakeside city of Lausanne.
With 50 separate tanks containing two million litres of water, visitors will be able to spot species from five continents, from crocodiles and piranhas to plants, as well as raising awareness of protecting the world’s fresh water.
All visitors to the city’s hotels also get a free transport card to explore its attractions and Lake Geneva, known locally as Lac Leman, without paying an extra franc.
