If you’re considering booking a short-haul break but you’re tired of the same old budget flight options, one of Ryanair’s new Malta routes might be just the ticket you’re looking for, as Helen Raine discovers.
If you’ve got a spot of island fever, Ryanair has the solution. The budget airline recently added seven new routes from Malta.
You might not have even heard of some of them, but that just means that their quirky attractions aren’t already saturated with tourists.
To keep your trip stress-free, make sure you follow Ryanair’s stringent rules about hold baggage, hand baggage and printing your boarding pass in advance; you don’t want a panic at the airport when you try to check a bag you haven’t paid for, or have to fit two hand bags into one at the gate.
Here is some information on six of them – we’ve left London Stansted off the list because we expect you know a bit about London already!
Bournemouth, UK
Bournemouth is shaking off its image as a retirement town.
As soon as the sun appears weakly from behind the clouds, the beach fills up with beautiful young things and the clubs are getting ever more hip and happening.
If you’ve got the kids in tow, try the Oceanarium to meet Scarface the Honeycomb Moray Eel whose wonky jaw is the result of a punch-up, or Obama the Puffer Fish.
Bournemouth is also the gateway to the glories of Dorset, the rolling English countryside liberally dotted with sheep and rustic country pubs.
The Isle of Wight and the New Forest are also on your doorstep here, perfect for hiking.
Ryanair flights from Malta start on March 26.
Kaunas, Lithuania
You won’t be alone if you need to look Kaunas up on the map. To save you the trouble, it’s just east of Vilnius and is jockeying for position as a rival tourist attraction with the capital.
The town was the seat of resistance during various occupations and there’s a strong sense of national identity here that comes out in the traditional buildings and Lithuanian cuisine and music.
To orientate yourself, stroll along the timeless tree-lined ‘Laisves Aleja’ (Liberty Boulevard), which, in the best European tradition, is bordered by cafes where you can sit and watch the world go by.
The boulevard will bring you eventually into the lovely cobbled heart of the old town and the ancient castle.
Try the Devil Museum for an interesting counterpoint to all the baroque churches; it houses the largest collection of Beelzebubs in the world.
For a longer stay, Kaunas is also relatively close to the unspoilt beauty of the delightfully cheap Lithuanian coast.
Ryanair flights from Malta start on May 3.
Malmö, Sweden
Malmö is so close to Copenhagen, you need only cross the (fairly long) Oresund Bridge to get there.
As you would expect of the country that spawned Ikea, design is a key feature in the city and the buildings echo this with modern, cutting-edge architecture abounding.
Check out the ‘Turning Torso’ building in the West Harbour and the Form Design Centre in Lilla Torg.
There’s some really great shopping here, and with 800 shops and seven shopping centres in the city, you’re somewhat spoilt for choice. Möllevången is a relaxed place to buy from smaller original boutiques.
If you want to blend in with the locals, whip off your clothes in the sauna at the Ribersborg Kallbadhaus. You can even dive into the waters of the Oresund in the buff if the mood takes you, and if you’re going all-out native, you should dig a hole in the ice to swim in winter.
Having worked up an appetite in the frozen waters, you could try traditional delicacies including fried goose and smoked eel.
Sweden has undergone a gastronomic revolution though, and there are some superb modern restaurants in Malmo.
Try Torso Twisted at the bottom of the Turning Torso tower for a ‘black and white’ menu. On the black page, you ‘visit the dark side’ and allow your food to be decided by the server.
If that makes you nervous, you could be a spoilsport and flip to the white side to choose the food yourself.
Ryanair flights start from Malta on May 4.
Oslo, Norway
If you decide to hit Oslo in the winter, then it will be hard to resist the Korketrekkeren. It’s a toboggan run which hurtles downhill for 10 minutes, ending at the Midtstuen Metro Station.
If you feel like another run, just jump on a train back to the starting point of Frognerseteren. Sleds can be rented next to the restaurant there.
There’s also cross country or downhill skiing and ice skating to warm you up, as well as winter walking in the forests.
‘The Hidden Park – Soul of the Stone’ is also worth checking out. It’s an interactive adventure game, the first in the world to combine fantasy animation with GPS points in the real world. The game is designed for ages six upwards and can be downloaded from the app store.
For an odd art experience, visit the Emanuel Vigeland museum. The painter and sculptor constructed the building, then walled up the windows so that it would serve as his tomb. His ashes sit below intricate gold frescoes showing human life from birth to death.
Afterwards, you can throw off the aura of death with an invigorating cruise on one of the fjords.
Ryanair flights start from Malta on May 2.
Turin, Italy
There’s more to Turin than the Shroud, but if you do want to see it, make sure you check the schedule first; it’s only on display every 10 years and the last time it appeared was in 2010. The shroud museum is open every day, however.
Once you’ve nourished your spiritual side here, you can find corporeal sustenance with some of Turin’s amazing local produce.
Over 160 different types of cheese originate here, and chocolate in bar form was invented here.
The Porta Palatina market at the old city gate is foodie heaven; follow up with perfectly brewed espresso at the palatial Caffe Torino.
Ryanair flights start from Malta on May 5.
Wroclaw, Poland
The ‘Venice of Poland’ is the largest city in south-western Poland and is pronounced ‘Vrots-waf’ (that might help when you are booking).
It’s a maze of canals, islands and bridges topped with lovingly restored traditional buildings over the River Odra.
Start out at Rynek, the central square. It’s enormous, second in size in Europe only to Krakow’s market square.
The central portion is filled with shops, restaurants and bars, a great place to sample Polish beer.
The town was flattened in World War II so the elegant houses around the square are all faithful reconstructions of the original cheerful mishmash of architecture.
You can then decamp to the peaceful Ostrow Tumski (Cathedral Island). A stroll over the cobbles is pretty much a requirement before you take a lift up one of the twin cathedral spires for obligatory city views.
The Wroclaw Fountain is also worth a visit even if you normally avoid ‘sound and light shows’; 300 spouts create a screen of water for a clever animation and light spectacle.
Ryanair flights start from Malta on March 27.