Short Haul
Short-Haul Holidays, Easy to Enjoy
Short-haul holidays are the easy escapes: a few hours on a plane and you are somewhere warm, beautiful or simply different. Less time travelling means more time away, whether you have a long weekend or a fortnight.
Within about four or five hours of the UK there are beaches, islands, mountains, lakes and many of the world’s great cities. With so much within reach, the hardest part is choosing.
Where a short flight can take you
- Beach holidays
- Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Italy for sunshine and sea from late spring to autumn.
- Islands
- The Balearics, the Greek islands, Sicily, Sardinia, Malta and Madeira each have their own character.
- City breaks
- Two or three nights in a city such as Barcelona, Rome, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam or Prague.
- Lakes and mountains
- The Italian lakes, the Alps and the Dolomites for scenery, walking and fresh air in summer.
- Winter sun
- The Canary Islands and Madeira offer warmth when the UK is at its coldest, with Egypt’s Red Sea coast a little further on.
- Festive breaks
- Christmas markets in Germany and Austria, or a few days in Lapland in search of Father Christmas.
Close to home, a world away
A short flight can deliver a complete change of scene. You can have breakfast at home and be eating lunch beside the Mediterranean, or leave work on a Friday and spend the weekend exploring a city you have never visited.
Short haul is also easy to repeat. Many people take one main summer holiday and add a city break in spring or some winter sun, spreading their time away across the year.
City breaks
A city break packs a lot into a few days: galleries and museums, markets, restaurants and simply wandering. Barcelona, Rome, Lisbon, Paris and Amsterdam are perennial favourites, while cities such as Porto, Seville, Kraków and Budapest are well suited to a long weekend.
Location matters more than anything else. A hotel within walking distance of the sights saves time and taxi fares, and flight times that give you a full first and last day make a short trip feel longer. Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam can also be reached by train from London.
Good to know
A little planning makes a short trip smoother.
- Flying from your local airport
- Many short-haul routes operate from regional airports, which can save a long drive before you fly.
- Luggage
- Hand-luggage and hold-bag allowances differ between airlines and fares, so check what yours includes.
- Passports
- Most European countries apply rules on when a passport was issued and how long it remains valid. Check the GOV.UK foreign travel advice for the country you are visiting.
- When to travel
- Spring and early autumn are often ideal for cities and quieter beaches, with comfortable temperatures and fewer crowds.
How Auria can help
Short-haul holidays may be simple to reach, but the choice is vast. It helps to know how long you have, which airport you would rather fly from and what kind of break you are after; our travel professionals can do the narrowing down from there. For a week in the sun, a ready-made holiday is often the easiest answer. For a city break we can choose the flights and the hotel ourselves, so the times and the location are the ones that suit you.
We look after the booking and are there to answer questions before you travel.
Current Short-Haul Offers
Below is a selection of current short-haul holidays from Auria. It is not every holiday we can arrange, so if you have a particular destination, city or date in mind, tell us and we will help you find something suitable.
Looking for an easy escape?
Tell us what you have in mind, even if it is only a rough idea, and one of our travel professionals will talk it through with you.
