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August: Rail Madrid - try the express from Valencia
Where to go, what to do in 2011
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Independent/UK
The destination
Use the new high-speed Spanish rail link to have a beach and city
break. This year's new Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) train links
Madrid and Valencia in just an hour-and-a-half. From 120 (£102)
return. spain.info
The route
One to look out for this month is the intriguing possibility of
Ryanair (ryanair.com) flying to Georgia. The airline declined to
confirm whether this is the case, but Georgia's minister for economic
and sustainable development is insistent that Ryanair will offer
flights to Kutaisi, the second city, from Europe in the summer of
2011.
The opening of the new Music Hall in Helsinki (musiikkitalo.fi) takes
place on 31 August followed by two concerts on 1 and 2 September. The
programme will not be announced until March, but is bound to include
generous helpings of Sibelius. The Music Hall will replace Alvar
Aalto's visually stunning - but acoustically dodgy - Finlandia Hall.
The great outdoors
Russia is expected to designate the Russian Arctic National Park this
month, in time for travellers to explore as the sea ice melts in late
summer. The park will cover much of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in
the Arctic Ocean - home to enormous colonies of birds, walruses and
polar bears. arctic.ru/ tourism-recreation/arctic-russia
The family holiday
Calling all waterbabies. Acorn Family Holidays
(acornfamilyholidays.co.uk) has a new beachside destination for the
big school break. Cala Llevado activity camp on the Costa Brava,
Spain, has a new water sports centre and offers everything from
sailing to kayaking. From £649 per adult, £599 per child.
The adventure
Regent Holidays (regent-holidays.co.uk) is offering intrepid
travellers the chance to visit the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which
was born out of the former Soviet territories of Azerbaijan and
Armenia. The new eight-day tour will depart in late August, taking in
the highlights of Nagorno-Karabakh and sites in Armenia on the journey
to and from Yerevan. From £1,085.
The British day out
The £72m Museum of Liverpool - the largest newly built national museum
in more than a century - will open this month on the waterfront
(visitliverpool.com). The museum will focus on social history,
highlighting the city's contribution to the world, while also
showcasing popular culture.
All prices are per person, based on two sharing, unless otherwise
stated. Hotel room prices are per room per night, unless otherwise
stated
From: A. Papazian
Where to go, what to do in 2011
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Independent/UK
The destination
Use the new high-speed Spanish rail link to have a beach and city
break. This year's new Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) train links
Madrid and Valencia in just an hour-and-a-half. From 120 (£102)
return. spain.info
The route
One to look out for this month is the intriguing possibility of
Ryanair (ryanair.com) flying to Georgia. The airline declined to
confirm whether this is the case, but Georgia's minister for economic
and sustainable development is insistent that Ryanair will offer
flights to Kutaisi, the second city, from Europe in the summer of
2011.
The opening of the new Music Hall in Helsinki (musiikkitalo.fi) takes
place on 31 August followed by two concerts on 1 and 2 September. The
programme will not be announced until March, but is bound to include
generous helpings of Sibelius. The Music Hall will replace Alvar
Aalto's visually stunning - but acoustically dodgy - Finlandia Hall.
The great outdoors
Russia is expected to designate the Russian Arctic National Park this
month, in time for travellers to explore as the sea ice melts in late
summer. The park will cover much of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in
the Arctic Ocean - home to enormous colonies of birds, walruses and
polar bears. arctic.ru/ tourism-recreation/arctic-russia
The family holiday
Calling all waterbabies. Acorn Family Holidays
(acornfamilyholidays.co.uk) has a new beachside destination for the
big school break. Cala Llevado activity camp on the Costa Brava,
Spain, has a new water sports centre and offers everything from
sailing to kayaking. From £649 per adult, £599 per child.
The adventure
Regent Holidays (regent-holidays.co.uk) is offering intrepid
travellers the chance to visit the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which
was born out of the former Soviet territories of Azerbaijan and
Armenia. The new eight-day tour will depart in late August, taking in
the highlights of Nagorno-Karabakh and sites in Armenia on the journey
to and from Yerevan. From £1,085.
The British day out
The £72m Museum of Liverpool - the largest newly built national museum
in more than a century - will open this month on the waterfront
(visitliverpool.com). The museum will focus on social history,
highlighting the city's contribution to the world, while also
showcasing popular culture.
All prices are per person, based on two sharing, unless otherwise
stated. Hotel room prices are per room per night, unless otherwise
stated
From: A. Papazian