With a new direct route from Cork together with the city facing its lowest tourism numbers in decades, there has never been a better time to visit the Queen of the Adriatic.
Spring also means fewer crowds; while the Venezia Biennale, often dubbed the ‘Olympics of the Art World’ starts later this month and runs until November (tickets €25).
If you’re looking to push your break back a little further, don’t forget that from this June you can also fly from Cork to Pisa if you’re seeking a Tuscan city while direct flights to Alghero is bringing Sardinia all the closer if you’re looking for a Mediterranean break with a difference.
Looking for a cruise alternative? Popular cruise company MSC is offering a seven-night Med cruise aboard its Seaview vessel departing May 13. Designed with an “ocean to the world” brief, the ship features its trademark Panorama pool where guests can relax, sip cocktails and enjoy the sweeping sea views. This cruise sets sail from Barcelona, visiting Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Taormina, and Valetta with prices including flights from €1,229pps (ex. Dublin including flights from Dublin – Barcelona return, including transfer to and from ship).
- For a quintessential Venetian hotel, check into the likes of the Hotel Galleria where you can enjoy canal views from your antique-filled room, all so fitting of this 16th-century build. Rooms start from €140 per night.
- Ryanair fly from Cork to Venice on Saturdays and Tuesdays with fares from around €75 return.
Tenerife has long been one of Cork Airport’s most popular destinations but if you’re looking for a Canary Island break beyond the main slipstream, consider journeying a little further on to the largely undiscovered island of La Gomera. The second smallest Canary Island is reachable via a one-hour ferry transfer from Los Cristianos, just south of Tenerife-South airport, and those early touchdown times from Cork means travellers have the option to make the whole trip in one day or overnight in Tenerife en route.
San Sebastian, La Gomera’s main port and historic capital (where Christopher Columbus set off from) makes a postcard base for your trip, but it’s when you venture out into the wilds of this lush, volcanic island, that you really feel the switch-off. Think black beaches, thick laurel forests, incredible mountains, lush valleys and scenes similar to a Healy Pass shrouded in cacti. All a dreamy backdrop for hiking, lounging and drinking sundowners to one of Europe’s most ultimate escapes.
- Built in the style of a traditional Canarian village, albeit with an incredible clifftop setting and a collection of panoramic swimming pools, Jardin Tecina is La Gomera’s ultimate resort oasis with rooms from €180 per night.
- Ryanair fly from Cork to Tenerife on Saturdays and Tuesdays with fares from around €250 return. Ferries to La Gomera are operated by the Fred Olsen company and are expensive — expect to pay about €170 return in summer to make the one-hour journey each way. Perhaps worth it for a ticket to what feels like the edge of the earth.
Read More: 5 great getaways from Cork Airport