If you’re in need of a sunny escape but are looking to keep things within your budget as much as possible, the current summer sale on flights at Manchester Airport should get your attention.
Best of all, not only can you make the most of this opportunity right now and whisk yourself away pronto, but the deals for a complete return trip.
And when we say this is an offer you can’t refuse, you really will have a tough time resisting the urge on this occasion, because some of the flights in question will set you back less than £80.
We reckon it’s time you book in some annual leave, don’t you?…
Flight deals from Manchester Airport – Summer 2025
So, you’re obviously wondering, ‘Where can I fly to? And for how much?’ Well, let’s not waste any more time. Here’s what is on offer.
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1. Majorca – Balearic Islands
Monika Guzikowska via Unsplash (supplied)
First up is Majorca, where you can fly via Ryanair on Wednesday, 9 July and return a week later on 16 July from just £28pp return. With more than 90,000 making the trip to the regular Spanish destination last month alone, its reputation speaks for itself.
Whether you want to be at the heart of the party scene in Magaluf, popular parts like Palma or Cala Millor, or more family-friendly areas like Puerto Pollensa and Alcudia, there’s something for everyone.
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2. Naples – Italy
How about visiting the home of the now four-time Italian football champions and the land where pizza itself was invented? Napoli is on many people’s travel bucket lists, and now you fly there with Ryanair on Saturday, 12 July and return on 25 July from just £49pp return.
Tom Podmore via Unsplash (supplied)
It’s the gateway to the Amalfi Coast and the isle of Capri, where fresh gelato, ice cream and Aperol flow like the Sarno River, not to mention it has some of the best street food in the world. With Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii also looming over the city, the place needs little advertisement.
3. Brindisi – Italy
Sticking with Italy, why not consider a trip to the Puglia region, which you can fly to (once again with Ryanair) from just £49pp return.
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This particular part promises some of the country’s best sandy beaches and a balmy Mediterranean climate, as well as plenty of wine, olive oil and fresh-baked focaccia. It was even the home of Ernest Hemingway for a time, with the city even naming a beach after him.
How about visiting a French region that’s not only known for centuries of fine wine, a stunning coast with top-notch seafood and popular resorts like Valras and Cap d’Agde, but is also twinned with… Stockport?
That’s right, located in the southwest of the country, this underrated destination already has connections to Greater Manchester, not to mention famous water parks, white beaches and an archaeological site named Ensérune, located just outside the city. Return flights start from £56pp.
Pixabay (supplied)
5. Jerez – Spain
Jet2.com are up next are they’re offering you return travel to Jerez from just £77pp,departing on 12 July and returning on 26 July.
Southern Spain is usually as pretty busy in the summer, but Jerez’s position on the country’s Atlantic coast – between southern Portugal and the Strait of Gibraltar, rather than on the Med – means it’s not too crowded, plus it’s well worth a visit to nearby Cadiz.
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Jordi Vich Navarro via Unsplash (supplied)
6. Pula – Croatia
Over to Croatia now, and you get to one of the best value-for-money parts of the country compared to tourist traps like Dubrovnik or the Dalmatian coast, starting from as little as £59 per person, flying with Jet2 on Thursday, 10 July and coming back on 24 July.
Two weeks on the Istrian peninsula may not be as well-trodden as its counterparts, but the view across the Adriatic and some of the world’s best preserved Roman arenas should at least be considered.
Pixabay (supplied)
7. Rhodes – Greece
From ancient Greece to ancient Rome, Rhodes is known as one of the greatest cities that ever was, and besides the heaps of history to be soaked up, there are also 300 days of sunshine, plus plenty of shopping in the Old Town, stunning classical architecture, not mention the famous ‘Butterly Valley‘.
Once again with Jet2, return flights are going for £58pp and upwards.
Pixabay (supplied)
8. Paphos – Cyprus
Last but not least, we’ve got more gorgeous Grecian territory for you in the form of Paphos in neighbouring Cyprus, which still remains one of the most affordable holiday destinations going – and that’s even before the summer sale on flights from Manchester Airport.
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You’ve got beach resorts and some of the best Mediterranean cuisine at your fingertips. Fly with Jet2.com this July and return from just £58 per person too.
We all need a break sometimes, and with prices like these and the weather across Europe looking great this season, no one could begrudge you getting away from it all for a bit.
Meanwhile, these aren’t the only destinations that might tickle your fancy this summer, especially if you’re prone to those lazy lounging on a beach type holidays.
Featured Images — Supplied/Alex Liivet (via Flickr)
Travel & Tourism
New Year’s Eve fireworks and special Albert Square party confirmed for Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Council have confirmed that a special firework and lights display will be held right in the centre of town this New Year’s Eve.
Better still, the festivities will be continuing over on Albert Square, as the recently restored ancestral home of the Manchester Christmas Markets will be hosting a celebration of its own.
Yes, for the first time ever, we’re being given the choice of two different NYE events at two of the most stunning central points in the city – the other being the Central Library.
Hosted by former presenter at The Manc, Joe McGrath, as well as DJ Jimmy the Gent, there’ll be tunes and plenty of family-friendly fun from St Peter’s Square right up until the big countdown, when the stunning light display will go off and ring in the New Year.
Credit: Manchester City Council (supplied)
The all-ages, alcohol-free event kicks off at 10pm with entry into the square through security-controlled entry points around the square and bag searches in operation.
Of course, hot drinks and food will be available as the MCR Christmas Markets proper wrap up for 2025, and the fireworks and light displays themselves will be launching right off the top of the library roof.
It’s going to be fantastic.
As for over on the other side of the Town Hall, the Markets will still be in full swing, with bratwurst, beers and cheer aplenty, and so will the truly massive Ferris Wheel – the biggest mobile wheel in the country, in case you hadn’t heard.
That’s right: in case you hadn’t put two and together quite yet, if you’re lucky enough and you don’t mind heights, you might just get to watch the NYE 2025 fireworks going off all over Greater Manchester from the top of the wheel. How magical would that be?
Honestly, it’s been so great seeing Albert Square looking back to its stunning and buzzing best.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas and New Year spokesperson for Manchester City Council, said of the plans: “We all know how much Mancunians of all ages love to get together and party, which is why we’re thrilled this year to give them not one but two celebrations to take their pick of this New Year’s Eve.
“Whether you’re a Ferris Wheel fanatic with a head for heights, or a music-loving feet-on-the-ground firework fan, it promises to be a brilliant night out. So get yourselves ready to have some fun and dance the night away – wrap up warm, grab your family and your friends and come down and join us!”
Promising to work closely with local councillors and therefore businesses and residents in turn, they’re promising to keep any inconveniences and nuisances to a minimum; they want everyone to be able to enjoy the night as much as possible.
You can find out more information, including timings, accessibility, road closures and parking suspensions in the full Council statement right HERE.
Featured Images — Manchester City Council (supplied)/Anna Louise (via Pexels)
Travel & Tourism
Manchester has been ranked one of the ‘most influential cities’ in Europe
Danny Jones
As per a development that we’d consider so obvious it’s barely worth writing about (even though we are), Manchester has been ranked one of the most influential cities in Europe.
In other news, water is still very much wet.
While there’s plenty of it here in Greater Manchester, given our standard rainy forecasts, when it comes to anything besides the weather, we deliver in spades.
Let’s be honest: we know it, you do too, and apparently so do plenty of other folks – and there’s some concrete statistics to back it up.
Case in point – First Chanel, now Vogue… (Credit: The Manc Group)
You’ll find all manner of surveys, polls and studies diving into how Manchester ranks across various categories, but knowing we boast nods such as ‘the original industrial city’, the place that helped split the atom and the place that the first modern computer was born, we know all about our global impact.
With that in mind, when we saw that Sixt had recently named us as one of the most influential cities in all of Europe, we couldn’t ignore the well-deserved pat on the back.
That’s right, although you might not associate the car rental company with this sort of stuff, as part of their new exclusive ‘Sixt Ride’ offering (think a posh taxi service), they looked into which cities have the most luxuries, tourist attractions and other cultural bonuses to their name.
Per their recent research, Manchester city centre didn’t just break into the top 100 but found itself among the 30 most influential cities in Europe.
You can see the full rankings table down below.
#
City
Country
*Fortune 500 Companies
Fashion weeks
Film Festivals
International Airports
5-Star Hotels
High End/Luxury Shopping areas
Michelin Restaurants
1
Paris
France
10
6
77
2
122
11
134
2
London
United Kingdom
12
3
241
3
182
5
81
3
Milan
Italy
1
4
52
3
29
5
22
4
Rome
Italy
2
0
97
2
65
4
21
5
Stockholm
Sweden
0
3
14
2
12
2
13
6
Madrid
Spain
5
0
38
1
42
2
29
7
Zurich
Switzerland
6
0
10
1
12
4
18
8
Munich
Germany
5
0
10
1
16
4
17
9
Berlin
Germany
1
1
76
1
40
2
21
10
Hamburg
Germany
1
0
16
2
17
3
16
11
Amsterdam
Netherlands
4
0
24
1
29
1
30
12
Copenhagen
Denmark
1
2
12
1
12
2
20
13
Barcelona
Spain
0
0
45
1
47
1
31
14
Lisbon
Portugal
1
0
38
1
49
1
20
15
Athens
Greece
0
0
41
1
52
2
12
16
Vienna
Austria
1
0
24
1
24
3
14
17
Bucharest
Romania
0
0
22
2
12
2
0
18
Warsaw
Poland
0
0
22
2
17
1
3
19
Glasgow
United Kingdom
0
0
17
2
4
2
2
20
Lyon
France
0
0
9
2
7
0
16
21
Prague
Czechia
0
0
16
1
60
1
2
22
Brussels
Belgium
0
0
18
1
14
1
29
23
Oslo
Norway
0
1
8
1
6
1
11
24
Manchester
United Kingdom
0
0
20
1
7
3
2
25
Budapest
Hungary
0
0
16
1
24
1
7
26
Dublin
Ireland
2
0
16
1
11
0
6
27
Naples
Italy
0
0
34
1
5
0
22
28
Porto
Portugal
0
0
8
1
28
0
10
29
Turin
Italy
1
0
21
1
4
0
10
30
Sofia
Bulgaria
0
0
22
1
14
1
0
31
Helsinki
Finland
0
0
5
1
10
1
5
32
Belgrade
Serbia
0
0
32
1
9
0
1
33
Marseille
France
0
0
5
1
4
0
12
34
Birmingham
United Kingdom
0
0
12
1
4
0
6
35
Minsk
Belarus
0
0
11
1
0
0
0
Read it and weep; we Mancs landed 24th on the leaderboard, just behind Norway’s capital, Oslo, and ever so slightly ahead of Budapest in Hungary.
As you can see, to identify the ‘most influential European cities’, they broke down how the 35 most populous cities on the continent and here UK (barring Russia and Ukraine) and what noteworthy cultural touchstones they possess.
For instance, did you hear that our very own Warehouse Project recently found itself breaking into the top half of the best nightclubs on the entire planet?
Going on to analyse everything from the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, their connections to film, fashion, fine-dining and more, they found that Paris, London and Milan were the most influential (no surprises there), but we’re glad to be keeping such good company.
After all, in the last couple of years alone, Manchester city centre has welcomed the Metiers D’art fashion show, opened one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, and still takes eternal credit for giving the world Oasis and, therefore, the Live ’25 reunion. Again, you’re welcome.
What do you make of Sixt’s study, and do you agree with their findings on the whole?
It goes without saying that we’d probably put ourselves higher on the list if anything, but then again, maybe we’re getting too used to being told how brilliant it is to live in this region.
Danny Jones -
4th July 2025 
