Escape Bristol for the long weekend — 6 key destinations

April is the perfect month to disappear. It’s not hot yet, not crowded, and tickets cost half as much as in two months. And Bristol in this sense is a city that is lucky: Bristol Airport serves more than 120 destinations in 34 countries of the world, and a significant part of them opens in the spring with new flights and schedules. Add to that the ferry service to Wales and the relative proximity to the south — and it’s clear the Bristolian has no excuses for sitting at home over the Easter weekend.

For those who are already eyeing the routes: below — six places from where to really fly or leave Bristol this spring. Each of them works out the weekend with interest.

And if you’re planning Ireland — Dublin and Galway just an hour and a half away, then InsideIreland, a navigator and a good mood will be a good help.

Seville — oranges, flamenco and Feria de Abril
From May 2026, easyJet will launch a new direct route from Bristol to Seville — twice a week. That means one of Europe’s best April cities is now available directly, nonstop in Madrid or Malaga.

Why April? Because it is at this time that Sevilla turns into itself — the real one. The Feria de Abril in 2026 runs from April 21 to 26: it’s six days of live flamenco, horse processions, private marquees-casetas with sherry and friendly madness that can’t be replicated in any tourist show. In parallel, orange trees bloom throughout the historic centre — the smell stands on the whole city.

Weekend route: Alcazar (book two weeks in advance, admission €14.50), Santa Cruz quarter with its bleached lanes, Triana market across the river — for local ceramics and tapas in the morning. Dinner — at Bodeguita Casablanca on Adolfo Rodríguez Jurado, where rabo de toro (braised bull tail) is done as it should be done. Flight from Bristol — from £45 one way with early booking.

Lisbon — seven hills, fado and April events
April in Lisbon is April 25th, Freedom Day: parades, flags, live music in the streets in honor of the 1974 Carnation Revolution. To get into the city on this day means to see Lisbon not as a tourist, but as your own.

Near the Belen area is the Pastéis de Belém bakery — the keeper of the secret recipe for custom tart for almost two centuries. There is almost always a queue, but it moves quickly. Farther out are Belem Tower on the banks of the Tagus, Jerónimos Monastery (UNESCO) and tram number 28, which slowly trudges through Alfama past anything worth seeing.

In April 2026, the city hosted an Italian film festival with the opening of the Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino — for those who like to combine culture with travel. In the evening — fado in a small hall in Alfama, not in a tourist restaurant, but in the present: Tasca do Chico on Rua do Diário de Notícias. The nightlife of the Bairro Alto district is hundreds of bars a few blocks away, with cheap drinks and people outside until dawn. Flight from Bristol — from £50, time in the air — about two hours.

Bari is a new direction that few people know about
Bari appeared on the Bristol Airport schedule as a completely new route in 2026: Ryanair launched flights from March 31, easyJet added its own from April 18. This means that April is your chance to get there before this direction becomes obvious.

Bari is the gateway to Puglia: the region where Italy’s best burrata, orecchiette pasta and olive oil are made. The old town with the Basilica of San Nicola, the Lungomare promenade and the local cuisine is Bari in concentrated form. From there — day trips to Alberobello with trullo houses (UNESCO), Ostuni — the “white city” on the hill, or Lecce with its baroque architecture, which is called the “Florentine baroque of the south.” Apulia in April: +18-20 °C, no summer crowds, peasant markets, Primitivo white wine in open osteria. Restaurant Biancofiore in the historic center of Bari — for the first dinner.

Dublin and Galway — Ireland without tourist season
April in Ireland is before the season. The fields are already green, the coast is Atlantic, and there are no tourist buses at Rock Moher yet. Flight from Bristol to Dublin — from £35 with Ryanair or Aer Lingus, about an hour in the air.

Dublin for the weekend: morning in the Liberties area with coffee at 3fe on Cumberland Street (one of the best roasters on the island), in the afternoon — Kilmainham Gaol, the prison through which the leaders of the Easter Uprising of 1916 passed, and Trinity College with the Book of Kells VIII century. In the evening — Hang Dai on Camden Street: a neon-dark Chinese restaurant with high-end food and a hidden cocktail bar on the second floor. Or — Loose Canon on Drury Street, a wine bar with natural wines and Irish cheeses, where they go “for one glass” and stay for the evening.

Galway — 2.5 hours by train from Dublin or a separate flight from Bristol. Oscars Seafood Bistro on Dominick Street — oysters from Clarinbridge, a daily changing menu depending on catch, and an oyster gin martini that the bartender cooks right in front of you. Aniar Restaurant is Galway’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, with a daily changing 18-course menu inspired exclusively by West Irish produce. Pubs: Tigh Coili and The Crane Bar are the best places in town for live traditional music, no stage, no schedule, just a session that starts on its own.

In April, the Japanese Film Festival is held in Galway — the 16th in a row, with a selected program at the EYE Cinema. For those who need a cultural context beyond pubs and seafood.

Porto — port and the most beautiful bookstore in the world
Porto is three hours by train from Lisbon, but completely different in nature: dramatic views from cliffs, cellars with port in Vila Nova de Gaia and one of the most beautiful baroque squares in Europe.

Livraria Lello is a 1906 bookstore with a carved wooden staircase, which is called one of the most beautiful in the world (entry €5, counted towards buying a book). Church of Santo Ildefonso with a facade of 20,000 tiles. Bolhan Market — for local lunchtime cuisine. In the evening — tasting in the cellars of Graham’s or Taylor Fladgate overlooking the Douro River. Flight from Bristol — from £40 with easyJet.

Amsterdam — tulips, King’s Day and the most orange day of the year
Amsterdam in April works for two reasons: Kökenhof and April 27. There are 120 routes from Bristol to 34 countries, including regular flights to Amsterdam with several airlines — an air time of about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Kökenhof is open from March to May: 32 hectares of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths 40 minutes from the city center. But the main thing is King’s Day on April 27: all of Amsterdam takes to the streets in orange, the canals are filled with boats with music and beer, flea markets open right on the sidewalks. It’s not a travel show — it’s how the Netherlands celebrates the monarch’s birthday, and it works. Restaurant De Kas — in a former municipal greenhouse, a menu from what grew up in the garden this week.

Practical: What you need to know before booking
Bristol Airport is just 8 miles (about 13km) south of the city centre. The Airport Flyer Express bus is the most convenient — it runs every 10 minutes and takes you directly to Bristol Temple Meads station.

The important point is that in April 2026 there will be a long Easter weekend (Good Friday — April 3, Easter Monday — April 6). On these dates, flights are dismantled very quickly.
Therefore, it is better to book tickets right now — while there is a good choice. If you postpone for a month, you have to take what remains.

Main image by pexels-photo