.

e-mail

e-mail

Ο ΚΑΙΡΟΣ ΣΤΟ ΔΟΞΑΤΟ

Παρασκευή 11 Ιανουαρίου 2013

10 of the best bargain city breaks in 2013 - Sparta, Greece


10 of the best bargain city breaks in 2013

New low-cost flights to Moscow and Dubai, the fast track to Barcelona and Slovakia's European capital of culture 2013

EasyJet is starting flights to Moscow
EasyJet is starting flights to Moscow. Photograph: Alamy

Košice, Slovakia

This year's other European capital of culture is this little-known city in eastern Slovakia (kosice2013.sk). There are events to celebrate its new status throughout the year, with the opening ceremony on 19-20 January. Meanwhile, wider Slovakia is celebrating 20 years as an independent nation. Several budget airlines (including Ryanair) fly to the capital, Bratislava, however Budapest in Hungary is closer to Košice – Jet2 (jet2.com) has return flights from £125.

Sparta, Greece

EasyJet's (easyjet.com) Gatwick-Kalamata route launches in July and offers good access to Sparta, just an hour's drive away. There may not be much that resembles Zack Snyder's wild visions in the movie 300, but a series of excellent museums (odysseus.culture.gr) detail Sparta's fascinating history. Doubles at the Maniatis Hotel (maniatishotel.gr) in the modern city of Sparti cost from £73.

Barcelona, Spain

With the opening of a new stretch of high-speed line next week, between Figueres and Barcelona, it will soon be possible to take the train from London in the morning, connect in Paris then get to the Catalan capital in plenty of time for dinner. Prices start from £98 one way (renfe.com) and by April it is expected that more track improvements will have cut journey times still further. That should make it possible to get to Madrid in a single day. See the ever-excellent Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com) for news of the latest developments.

Dubai

A new route from Turkish airline Pegasus (flypgs.com) now offers return flights to Dubai, via Istanbul, from £270. Meanwhile, in the Emirate itself, the metro system, which is slowly approaching completion, has made getting around cheaper than ever before, while hotels continue to offer discounts in the hopes of tourist numbers rebounding. The newly opened five-star Meliã hotel (melia-dubai.com) has rooms from less than £100 a night.

Antwerp, Belgium

Sleeping Around, Antwerp
This is living in a box, but not a cardboard box: the Sleeping Around (sleepingaround.eu) pop-up concept hotel is currently causing a stir in Antwerp. A night in one of the luxurious bedrooms created in each of its four 20ft sea containers starts from £121. The locations change throughout the year, so keep an eye on the website. It takes a little over two hours to get to Brussels from St Pancras on Eurostar (connecting to Antwerp) with return tickets from £79.

Moscow, Russia

EasyJet launches the first low-cost flights to Moscow from Manchester this spring. With fares from £125 return, this will bring the notoriously expensive city within reach of budget travellers.To make your roubles go further, stay in the bright dorms of the city's newest hostel, the Safari (hostelbookers.com), or check out airbnb.co.uk, which offers studios and apartments in the centre from £63 a night. If you can put your visit off until September you will be able to watch an enormous re-enactment of the Battle of Borodino (which ultimately led to the end of Napoleon's invasion of Russia) held just outside the city. As many as 100,000 people watched last year's free show.

Reykjavik, Iceland

With several budget carriers now offering services to the Icelandic capital, visiting the Reykjavik Arts Festival (listahatid.is) has rarely been more affordable. Held from 17 May-2 June , the event takes over virtually all the city's museums, galleries and performances spaces to present an eclectic mix of art forms. Iceland Express (icelandexpress.com) has return flights from £176.

Istanbul, Turkey

The Istanbul Biennial (bienal.iksv.org/en), the region's largest contemporary art event, returns for its 13th instalment from 14 September until 10 November. Having previously looked after the Turkish pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Fulya Erdemci has been charged with curating this entire event – full programme details will be announced next week. Pegasus Airlines flies from Stansted to Istanbul from £101 return.

Campania, Italy

Campania, the region that's home to the Amalfi coast and the city of Naples, has been named a top 2013 destination by Lonely Planet, particularly for the boost its arts scene will get as it hosts the UN'sUniversal Forum of Cultures from April-July. In May, the Maggio dei Monumenti in Naples sees private collections and monuments open to the public. Homeaway.co.uk has around 2,500 properties in Campania.

New York

If you're prepared to brave the cold, New York is a bargain in January and February. Not only are airlines offering cheap deals (STA Travel, 0800 988 0390, is selling Virgin Atlantic flights from London Heathrow to New York for £383 for travel until 24 March), there is also a range of promotions that will save you money once you get there. The Sample NYC Winter Sale gives discounts on hotel accommodation, while the annual NYC Restaurant Week (14 Jan-8 Feb) has three course prix-fixe menus at hundreds of restaurants, and two-for-one tickets for shows and plays are available during Broadway Week (22 Jan- 7 Feb), and Off Broadway Week (28 Jan-10 Feb). Restaurant week bookings and theatre tickets will go on sale on 7 January.
ΠΗΓΗ: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/jan/04/10-best-bargain-city-breaks-2013?INTCMP=SRCH

Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια: