Although it’s becoming easier and cheaper to get to Poland by air, it’s not the only way to visit one of central Europe’s most popular countries.

To really see the country up close and personal, coach holidays are proving to be one of the best ways to get to know Poland, its cities and wonderful countryside.

Escorted trips that take in Krakow, Warsaw and many stops along the way are on offer from a number of tour operators based in the UK including Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours.

Giving holidaymakers the chance to see much more of the country than on offer with a flight to a major city, the operators offer a range of tours that combine Poland with trips to the Baltic states as well as eastern, bohemian and ‘new’ Europe.

Acting Director of the Polish National Tourist Office Bogdan Becla said: “Escorted coach tours are an ever-popular way to see Poland and some of our neighbouring countries. They’re a great way to see out-of-the-way places you probably wouldn’t visit if you just flew in to Krakow or Warsaw for a short break.

“Poland is a wonderfully diverse country with some beautiful countryside and impressive landscapes, as well as exciting cities. I’d encourage people who are thinking of visiting us to consider a coach trip before they start looking for flights.”

• For further information contact Ewa Binkin on 020 8991 7074 or ewa.binkin@poland.travel

Award-winning travel company Robert Broad Travel are offering a unique short break to watch Andrea Bocelli in  Stockholm this April. The 3 night package costs £699 per person and includes flights, concert tickets, walking  tour and 4* accommodation.

Marketing Manager Oliver Broad comments “The Tuscany packages to see Andrea Bocelli perform in his home town sold  out so quickly, we are pleased to be able to now offer this excellent alternative and at great value for money!”

This is a fantastic opportunity to see Andrea Bocelli perform live at Stockholm’s impressive Dome arena. He has  never performed in Sweden before so the concerts are bound to generate a fantastic atmosphere with superb  musicianship from the Stockholm Concert Orchestra.

Stockholm itself is a beautiful and stylish city with a wealth of sights, and spring is a lovely time to visit.
Accommodation is at the stylish and contemporary Clarion Hotel (recommended by Kirsty in our office), well located  for the concert and to explore the city. 2nd category tickets are included in the package price with the option to  upgrade to first category seats at a supplement.

Despite being many miles from the ocean waves, Krakow will host its 29th International Festival of Sea Shanties this month.

Between 25th and 28th February, Poland’s capital of culture will welcome music groups and performers from across the world to pay homage to the big blue and the world of old ships.

After relatively humble beginnings in 1981, the festival is now one of the biggest shanty celebrations not only in Poland but also in Europe. Every year people from all over the country – and from further afield – drop anchor in Krakow to sing about sea adventures and voyages.

Acting Director of the Polish National Tourist Office Bogdan Becla said: “Krakow’s shanty festival is always a popular and event and it is certainly a festival with a difference.

“In a way it shows how diverse Krakow is as a city, because it can host one of Europe’s most popular events dedicated to songs of the seas when it lies so far away from the coast.”

The four-day festival will welcome almost eleven thousand people who will take part in a number of shows, concerts and performances. In past years, the festival has proved to be a launching pad for some of the most popular shanty groups and artists including Stare Dzwony, Packet, Rycz?ce Dwudziestki, and Mechanicy Shanty.

This month sees the return of popular Swedish detective Wallander back to our screens, as the BBC broadcasts the much-awaited second series. The BAFTA award winning drama starring Kenneth Branagh gathered a strong following when the last series aired in late 2008 and the detective has now returned for three new feature-length investigations.

The first in the trilogy, Faceless Killers, aired on Sunday 3 January and two further programmes are due to be shown this Sunday 10th and next weekend on Sunday 17th January. Why not follow in Branagh’s footsteps and explore the region where the series was filmed with a mini break to Skåne in southern Sweden?

Wallander fans can take guided tours of the old town of Ystad, showing them where the characters of the books are based. Alternatively, a Wallander Break including accommodation, dinner and refreshments in well-known Wallander settings costs from SEK 810 (approximately £68) per person, per night. Check into one of the Wallander hotels in Ystad; Hotel Sekelgården, Hotel Continental, Hotel Ystads Saltsjöbad or an apartment on Mariagatan; enjoy good food at the restaurants and cafés frequented by Wallander, then visit Cineteket, an interactive film museum with artefacts from the series.

St Andrews

St Andrews B&B Association has been awarded funding in a new marketing push to target both the UK and European visitors.

The group of around forty high quality bed and breakfast establishments based in the historic town have been awarded more than £8000 from VisitScotland’s growth fund that will be used for joint marketing purposes.

St Andrews Bed & Breakfast Association are targeting people with high level income, living in the UK including mature golfing couples and those with outdoor interests such as walking. They are also tapping into key European markets such as  Sweden. People visiting the area to attend events will also be targeted.

The group’s aim is to provide first class, quality accommodation in a warm, friendly and consistent environment for visitors to the St Andrews area and as a key part of this all members will be required to be graded by VisitScotland’s quality assurance scheme.

The cash will be used for a branding exercise that will give visitors a clear understanding of quality accommodation available in the town, website modernisation with better integration into VisitScotland’s online booking facility and other e-marketing methods including social networking sites.

St Andrews B&B Association, Chairman, James Yule said;

“No doubt about it, obtaining a Growth Fund  Grant is crucial to our association of small B&BS embracing and using new technology in order to attract additional visitors to St Andrews.”

Richard Pinn, Regional Director of VisitScotland, said;

“We’re delighted to award St Andrews Bed & Breakfast Association with VisitScotland’s Growth Fund. Growing tourism is critical to the future of Fife.

“ In the current economic climate it’s crucial we work together to get tourism growth back on track and VisitScotland’s growth fund encourages businesses to seek out joint opportunities where they can maximise on their marketing efforts.”

Norwegian is starting up a series of new routes from Scandinavia to popular holiday destinations in Europe next spring. A new domestic route in Norway is also being established between Bergen and Tromsø from March 2010. All of the new routes will go on sale tomorrow, Friday, 16 October.

Malta will be a new destination both from Oslo and Copenhagen. Norwegian is also opening new routes from Copenhagen to Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Sardinia, in addition to Malta. The flights will commence at the beginning of May. Norwegian is establishing new routes from Stockholm to Athens and Palermo which will start up at the end of March/beginning of April.

The route between Bergen and Tromsø was requested by many of Norwegian’s customers, both business travellers but also holiday and leisure travellers.

“Both Northern Norway and Western Norway are strong tourism areas, and a direct route here will strengthen tourist traffic in both regions. We are also experiencing a strong expansion in the holiday and leisure market in the whole of Scandinavia, and it is completely natural that our Danish and Swedish customers should also enjoy Norwegian’s expanded choice of routes. The new direct routes from Stockholm and Copenhagen are newcomers next summer, and we believe that these destinations shall be just as well received in Sweden and Denmark as in Norway, where many of these holiday destinations are already part of the route programme”, says Daniel Skjeldam, Commercial Director at Norwegian.

“We are focused on listening to the customer. All of our new destinations from Scandinavia are a result of the demand we have experienced. We have established popular destinations at reasonable prices, also in line with the strong increase in passengers which Norwegian has had since last year”, says Skjeldam.

The introductory price between Tromsø and Bergen and between Oslo and Malta starts at NOK 499,- one-way, including taxes and charges. The introductory prices in Denmark and Sweden are DKK 428, and SEK 499 respectively.