BUDGET airline Ryanair has launched a new route from Belfast to Kaunas in Lithuania.

Last year, the budget carrier started operating from Belfast Airport following a 17-month hiatus.

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Following on from its success, the no-frills airline has added a new winter service to Kaunas.

The twice-weekly service will operate every Wednesday and Sunday throughout the winter.

Wednesday afternoon flights will depart at 4pm before touching down in Lithuania at 8.55pm.

Return flights will then leave Kaunas at 9.25pm, landing back in the UK at 10.30pm.

Sunday afternoon flights will leave the UK five minutes later at 4.05pm, landing at 9pm local time.

The Sunday return flight will operate at the same time as the Wednesday service.

Sun Online Travel have found return fares for £45.81 in November, with flights operating from October 27, 2024.

Located in southern Lithuania, Kaunas has an old town with charming streets and a 14th century castle.

Kaunas Castle was built to defend the city against crusaders, making it one of the oldest stone castles in the country.

The city is also home to Kaunas Christmas Market, which dates back to the 16th century.

Nowadays, the market is a maze of wooden stalls selling homemade souvenirs and gifts.

Local delicacies like kūčiukai (small sweet pastries) and Cepelinai (potato dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese) will also be sold at the Christmas Market.

The Christmas market runs from the end of November until Christmas Eve.

It’s been praised by visitors online with one person writing: “It’s a winter wonderland with a beautiful old town and even more magical town square just in time for Christmas!”

Kaunas is just over an hour away from Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

Lithuania’s capital city is a real winter wonderland and one of the most affordable Christmas market destinations in Europe, with flights from as little as £15 and mugs of mulled wine for less than £3.50.

The no-thrills airline also added additional winter flights to Alicante, Krakow and London.

Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said: “Since reopening Ryanair’s base in 2023, we have grown and invested heavily in the region with two based aircraft and support of over 850 local jobs, as well as driving important inbound tourism year-round. 

“Through our ongoing investment, we have grown our Belfast operation by 64 per cent verses pre-Covid levels, and we will continue to grow at Belfast, have recently switched over 50,000 winter seats from Dublin due to the 2007 traffic cap rendering Dublin airport closed for business.”

Other new Ryanair routes include Newcastle to Marrakech in October.

Earlier this year, Jet2 confirmed that a new route will operate between Manchester Airport and Porto.

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LONDON is one of the best cities in the world for theatre – but every now and again a show comes along that blows you out of the water. 

For me this year, that’s Come Alive! The new musical circus spectacular inspired by The Greatest Showman. 

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The performance takes part in a big top, following a young girl called Max who discovers her potential as a showman. 

But while the plot is pretty weak, the big budget song and dance spectacles and the circus exhibitions that go alongside them are truly brilliant.

You’ve never seen a circus show like this before – the big songs, recognisable from the blockbuster movie that inspired it – feel like Hollywood-style performances. 

And the acts are top tier. We watched strongmen bounce each other into the sky, an acrobat spin 40ft high by her hair and an incredible fire display that saw a woman set fire to her body… on purpose. 

This is Cirque Du Soleil in a sparkly jumpsuit with a megawatt smile. 

But what made it extra special was the walk-through at the start. 

While this is far from London’s West End – in a large venue close to West Brompton tube station in the west of the capital, the space this buys mean the creators dreamt up an extra pre-show experience.

The venue opens an hour before the show, for guests to walk through “The Empress Museum”.

This is an attraction that truly deserves the “immersive” tag that seems to accompany everything these days. 

Gypsy caravans and mini-showtents line the path, as well as jugglers and other performers. 

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We were encouraged to duck into the various tents, where we witnessed everything from spoon bending and incredible bubble-blowing, to fortune telling and trampolining acrobats. 

There was also fast food available, along with a decent range of drinks that included posh cocktails like margaritas and bloody marys. 

Yes, the show isn’t cheap – tickets start from £45 but the pre-show is an event in itself and given the snug size of the main circus tent, all of the seats are decent. 

Rare for any kind of show to achieve,  my 5 year old and I both enjoyed the performance in equal measure, and the 70 year old I sat next to seemed to be loving it just as much.  

Tickets for Come Alive start at £45. To find out more, head to comealiveshow.com

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A UK train station was once the world’s largest has opened a new lounge for parents to take the kids.

York Railway Station confirmed the second family-friendly zone will open next month, after the success of the one at London Kings Cross. which opened in 2022.

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The new family lounge is being built by rail operator LNER, with works already staring.

Inside is a children’s play area that’s based on the city’s historic walls with a fake castle.

There will also be beach huts with tabletop games, wall games, soft flooring and crawl spaces.

A series of specially designed murals focusing on York’s famous landmarks will decorate the walls inside the lounge.

Other features are set to include a breastfeeding area for new mums as well as ample seating for the entire family.

The family lounge is due to open in mid-December, giving families travelling for Christmas an additional space to unwind at the Victorian train station.

Colette Casey, LNER’s Customer Experience Director, said: “As a parent, I’m delighted that LNER is introducing Family Lounges with a new space in York our latest addition.

“York is a major hub station for us with millions of customers starting or ending their journeys here each year.

“We constantly strive to deliver improved experiences for all our customers as they travel with us and providing these new facilities is bound to aid that.”

York Railway Station was the largest in the world when it first opened in 1877.

The northern railway station had 13 platforms, a train shed, station buildings and a hotel.

It has undergone several renovations in its 147-year history, with the family lounge being the latest feature to open at the station.

Visitors to York Railway Station have previously raved about their time at the train station, with one person writing on TripAdvisor: “A beautiful historic railway station.”

Another person added: “This is an impressive old train station.”

Even if you aren’t in York, you can head to London Kings Cross Station to see what the lounge is like.

Located next to the Travel Centre in London Kings Cross, the family lounge is accessible for families who are booked on to trains departing from the station.

Inside are four brightly-coloured beach huts complete with tabletop toys and games.

There’s also a bespoke Hornby train set, keeping both big and little kids entertained, and a soft play area with a slide and a tiny black boulder doubling as a climbing frame.

Other features include a breastfeeding area for new mums, ample seating for the entire family and interactive screens with films.

The lounge can be used by families travelling with any rail operator, not just those who have a ticket with LNER.

Meanwhile, the world’s most beautiful train station is just one hour from the UK, and it is like “travelling back in time to golden age of rail”.

And a derelict train station dating back to 1881 could be transformed into a holiday park.

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UNIVERSAL’S Epic Universe has finally revealed its opening date – and you won’t have to wait long.

The huge new theme park, opening in Florida, was first announced in 2019.

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With five massive themed lands inside, the park confirmed that the resort is opening next year.

The official opening date of Epic Universe is May 22, 2025.

And tickets will go on sale before this, with them launching this month on October 22, 2024.

Brits will be able to choose from two pass types – The 2025 Explorer Ticket which includes 14 days at the Universal theme parks, and a one-day pass for the new Epic Universe.

Or there will be the All Parks Ticket with unlimited access for all parks, launching in 2026.

Tickets will start from £399.

The theme park will be one of the biggest in the US, stretching across 750 acres.

This will include more than 50 attractions, ranging from kids rides to terrifying rollercoasters.

The themed lands are as followed:

Celestial Park

Celestial Park will be the central land, with guests travelling to the other lands by ‘portals’.

Dual-launch rollercoaster Starfall Racers will hit speeds up to 62mph, while other rides include the wet-play area Astronomica and the Constellation Carousel.

Food options will include Chinese and Italian, with restaurants and shacks including the Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant, Victorian-themed Atlantic and The Oak & Star Tavern, along with Pizza Moon for snacks.

The main hotel will also be found at Celestial Park.

The 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel will include a private entrance into the theme park as well as a huge swimming pool and rooftop lounge.

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Super Nintendo World

Entering via the iconic green pipe, guests can enter the Mario-themed Super Nintendo World.

Similar to the one already open at Universal Studios Hollywood, the main ride will be the Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, an AR racing game

Yoshi’s Adventure, will let passengers collect eggs around the Mushroom Kingdom, where characters including Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach will be roaming.

Themed snacks will be served at Toadstool Cafe, Yoshi’s Snack Island and Turbo Boost Treats.

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How to Train Your Dragon

The  How to Train Your Dragon land is based in the Isle of Berk. 

Family coaster Hiccup’s Wing Gliders will let passengers fly through the air alongside Hiccup and Toothless, while Fyre Drill is a water cannon ride.

Other rides include Dragon Racer’s Rally, Biking Training Camp and live show The Untrainable Dragon.

Food and drink will be found at Mead Hall, Spit Fyre Grill and Grog & Gruel, while Viking Traders, Hiccups Work Shop and Toothless’ Treasures will sell merchandise.

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Dark Universe

Dark Universe will be the scariest of the Epic Universe lands, set around Frankenstein Manor.

Dark ride Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment will bethe ‘most terrifying yet’ along with rides such spinning family coaster Curse of the Werewolf.

Other activities include Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience, with food served at Das Stakehaus, The Burning Blade Tavern and De Lacey’s Cottage.

Why Epic Universe will be… epic

The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains what this new theme park means for the industry:

THE astonishing scale of  Epic Universe – with five fabulous new lands – will see Universal Resort Orlando challenging its arch rival Walt Disney World like never before.

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 I’ve always adored Universal’s quirky sense of humour and total immersion. It’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter rewrote the rule book when it came to attention to detail when it launched in 2010 with the incredible Hogsmeade.

 No one had done authentic, immersive theme park lands like them before and it saw even the likes of Disney rushing to catch up.

 And since then, they have been on a roll with a raft of exciting openings from the thrills of the Velociraptor ride in Jurassic Park to the quite brilliant Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

 With three parks – Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and now Epic Universe as well as the Volcano Bay water park and eight onsite hotels, you could spend an entire trip just exploring the wonderful worlds.

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 I can’t wait to see what astonishing new experiences they will deliver with the new park. It’s going to be Epic.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic

The main attraction at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is the Harry Potter and the Battle of Ministry, set in 1990s London.

Le Cirque Arcanus, will be a full-scale live theatre experience with aerialists, special affects and puppetry.

Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique will sell wands while food (along with butter beer) are served across stalls such as Café L’Air De La Sirène, Le Gobelet Noir, Bar Moonshine for exclusive beers and the Bièraubeurre Cart.

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