Tired of Trondheim… bored of Berlin… vexed by Venice… numbed by Nuremberg? Maybe your travel pallet needs enlivening. Perhaps it’s time to take a novel look at some old favourites and what better to do that than with special events across Europe?
Here are six picks for 2024 that’ll reinvigorate even the most jaded traveller. We’ve also included some ideas about how to enjoy them without breaking the bank – even the posh ones!
So, if you want to find out how to soak up the glitz and glamour of the Venice Biennale without running up huge debts, then this is the blog post for you.
Go to the cinema in Berlin
February in Berlin – it’ll be cold and probably wet, but don’t let that get you downhearted: book some tickets for the Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale. It runs from 15-25 February and attracts filmmakers, actors and audiences from around the world.
Hosted in historic film theatres and modern cinema complexes, it’s a must for movie buffs.
This year’s event features an exhibition of film posters at the Kunstbibliothek. On display will be 300 iconic posters from its archives, ranging from the early days of cinema up to the present.
The good news is that easyJet has regular flights to Berlin and accommodation isn’t expensive. There’s a great public transport system so it’s actually perfectly feasible to stay in the suburbs. Potsdam, for example, offers plenty to do and is just 30 minutes away from the action.
The Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is one of the world’s most celebrated music and performing arts festivals, held annually in Salzburg, Austria, surprisingly enough. This year it runs from 24 March – 10 April.
It features a wide range of performances, including opera, theatre, classical concerts and dance, and attracts the best performers from the four corners of the earth. The festival takes places in a variety of venues across the city, including the Salzburg Cathedral and Festspielhaus.
Once again, there are plenty of easyJet cheap flights from Gatwick and if you’re wallet won’t quite stretch to a central hotel there are cheaper options around the airport or in Buchach, which are both well-served by public transport.
Go glam in Venice
Fancy being one of the “in crowd”? Then the Venice Biennale is right up your street. It’s one of the most prestigious and sophisticated art events on the social calendar, which this year runs 20 May to 26 November.
The biennial showcases the latest trends and innovations in contemporary art, so they claim, so you clearly need to be there.
But Venice is so expensive! How could you afford to slum it in style? That’s easy… don’t stay on the island.
During my last visit I found a very reasonably priced hotel right opposite the Venice Mestre railway station, which is a great location as you can jump on the train and be out amongst the gondolas and canals in a matter of minutes.
Better still, take a packed lunch and you’ll save even more money.
Flights? It’s easyJet again…
Quenching your thirst for travel
If all this gadding about is making you thirsty, how about a trip to the Copenhagen Beer Week? It runs from 5-7 July and apparently for that period the city “overflows with tastings, talks, tours to Danish breweries and tasteful dinners with complimenting beer pairings”.
To judge by the photos you can also combine a cold, refreshing ale with some exercise… although it’s hard to imagine that this can end well.
Whatever the case, Copenhagen is easily accessed. Norwegian Air and easyJet are probably your best bets for getting there.
Viking marauders
If high art isn’t quite what you’re after, how about some Viking raiders? Those fearsome Norsemen get quite a bad rap – in part justified – but they were also great diplomats. Bluetooth is named after Harald Bluetooth, a Viking monarch who was especially gifted with communication skills. So it wasn’t all longboats and sharp blades.
Want to know more about the famed swordsmen and sailors? Then make your way to the annual Trøndersk Viking and History Festival, in Lensvik, Norway. It starts on Friday, 18 August, runs for three days and takes place at the Agdenes Viking Park, near Trondheim, Norway’s medieval capital.
The event’s sessions are in Norwegian but the locals will be fluent in English and axe throwing needs little in the way of language skills. I’m sure the blood of your victims will flow irrespective of how you pronounce your battle cry.
It’s up the coast, amongst the fjords, and a ferry ride from Trondheim, itself a city well worth a visit. You can get a flight from Gatwick with Norwegian Air.
Bringing 2024 to an end in style
We know… the year’s barely started and here we are looking at the best ways to bring it to an end, but it’s always good to plan ahead. And this year we’re recommending the Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg.
Why? Well, this centuries-old market is famed for its traditional wooden stalls, handcrafted ornaments and Lebkuchen gingerbread, which is meant to be especially tasty. Surely that’s enough reason!
The city is midway between Munich and Frankfurt so there are lots of travel options – you could even arrive by river. However you get there, pack some thick socks as it’ll be chilly.
