Please note: I received a complimentary travel hamper from Jet2.com and Jet2holidays in return for this blog post.
With travel restrictions now having eased, have you booked your next overseas holiday? Here in Bristol, we’re lucky to have an airport on our doorstep – and there’s now even more choice than ever when it comes to booking a getaway from the city.
This summer, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have announced Bristol Airport as their 10th and newest base in the UK, with the company now able to send travellers on quarantine-free holidays to over 40 destinations from our local airport. Whether you’re looking for city breaks or relaxing seaside holidays, they’ve got all sorts of different destinations on offer – from Alicante to Antalya, and Salzburg to Santorini.
To make travelling abroad even easier in the age of COVID-19, they’ve even set up a new webpage that shows which Green and Amber list destinations you can travel to with Jet2.com from Bristol Airport, based on your age and vaccination status – and which also details where self-isolation is likely to be needed based on the details you put in.
You can see a map of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays destinations from Bristol Airport here – which would be your first choice?
My top foodie destinations from Bristol with Jet2.com
From a food and drink point of view, these are the destinations I’d pick first when flying with Jet2.com from Bristol Airport…
Larnaca
Located on the south coast – the Greek side – of Cyprus, Larnaca is a destination I’ve flown to a few times in the past. My granddad was from Northern Cyprus (the Turkish side), and one of the most affordable ways to get there is to fly to Larnaca, hire a car and drive up to the north.
On both sides of the island you’ll find plenty of halloumi, as well as grilled meat kebabs, olives, pitta breads and other delicious foods. If you ever head up to Kyrenia in the north, make sure you visit Niazi’s: a restaurant that’s been present on the island since 1949 (but which has changed location a few times). We’re big fans of their “full kebab”: a seemingly endless delivery to your table of mezes, hot appetisers, grilled meats and rice. Go hungry.
Salzburg
A few years ago I spent a long weekend in Fuschl am See, with a full day of that spent in the city of Salzburg. Of course, the city is best known for being the birthplace of Mozart, but there’s plenty to get excited about from a food and drink point of view, too. The breaded veal dish known as schnitzel is a must-try – and you should definitely have a slice or two of strudel (which can be filled with anything from apple to cherry to cheese) while you’re there.
Our most exciting discovery in Salzburg was Mozartkugeln: small chocolate balls, a couple of centimetres in diameter, filled with layers of nougat, marzipan and pistachio. I’ve seen them in Lidl a few times in recent years, but if anyone has a reliable UK source of them that they can share, let me know!
Sicily
Sicily is somewhere I’ve never visited, but it’s high on the list of European destinations I’m keen to see! As you’d expect, a great deal of Sicilian food has Italian roots, but it’s a Mediterranean island whose cuisine takes its influences from plenty of other nations too.
Snacking on the deep-fried rice balls known as arancini, demolishing a bowl of pasta alla Norma (with aubergines, tomatoes, salted ricotta, garlic and basil), their version of pizza – sfincione – which is more like focaccia with toppings, pasta with fresh sardines and salted anchovies (pasta con le sarde) – there are plenty of savoury dishes that I’d be excited about working my way through.
Don’t forget the sweets either – from cannoli (deep fried pastry tubes stuffed with sweet ricotta) to cassata (a type of sponge cake with ricotta and candied fruit), I have a feeling I could quite happily spend a week eating my way around the island…
Which of the Jet2.com destinations from Bristol Airport would be top of your foodie must-visit list?