New European destinations

Normandy without the kerfuffle of a ferry crossing. Caen's proximity to the 1944 D-Day beaches lends it historical significance - the lush, green countryside is littered with Second World War cemeteries - but the Battle of Normandy also destroyed much of the city.

The view from its ruined medieval castle ramparts is of pedestrian precincts and modern housing. Best viewed as a gateway to the Normandy coastline.

Hang around for ... Caen Memorial Museum (0033 231 06 06 45), which mingles engrossing documentary material with bilingual tours of the D-Day beaches, including Omaha's German bunkers and cliffs tattered by shell holes. Morning trip £52.60; afternoons £64.80.

Head off for ... the coast. Scoop up local Camembert and Calvados at medieval Bayeux's Saturday market, then proceed to the well-preserved port of Honfleur, where a double room overlooking the quay at the three-star Hotel du Cheval Blanc (0033 231 81 6500) costs £150 a night. A seafood supper at the Michelin-starred Assiette Gourmande (0033 231 89 2488) next door costs from £20.

Flight price check ... Buzz (0870 240 7070; www.buzzaway.com) flies Stansted to Caen. Web returns from £60; weekend return 21-23 June, £93.30; 26-28 July, £103.30.

NEW ROUTE 2: Friedrichshafen, Germany

Perched on Lake Constance (Bodensee to the Germans), its 200-mile-long forested shoreline washing on to the Swiss and Austrian borders, Friedrichshafen is a perfect base for a weekend on the water.

The town delights in its role as the home of the Zeppelin aircraft. Inventor Graf von Zeppelin's birthplace, now the Steigenberger Inselhotel (00 49 75 31 12 50; doubles from £179) on a tiny island by Konstanz, is a handy hideaway.

Hang around for ... the Zeppelin Museum's walk-in reconstruction of luxurious doomed airship the Hindenberg (entry £6.15). If that tantalises rather than terrifies, an hour's flight in a modern Zeppelin costs £370 (00 49 700 9377 2001; now booking for September).

Head off for ... a jaunt around the lake. White Fleet Ferries cruise the waters, with each journey costing £1.40; possible ports of call include Mainau island complete with castle and exotic butterfly house and shopping for knickenknacken in the cobbled streets of Konstanz.

Flight price check ... Ryanair (08701 569569; www.ryanair.com) flies daily from Stansted to Friedrichshafen. Web returns from £60; weekend return 21-23 June £82.53; 26-28 July £102.53.

NEW ROUTE 3: Eindhoven, the Netherlands

You can't fault Ryanair's honesty. Eindhoven, the Netherlands' fifth largest and southernmost city, is, they say "mainly noted as a centre of the electronics industry, not as a holiday destination".

Philips is the main player - apart from soccer superclub PSV Eindhoven, where the high-tech stadium promises action in an otherwise sedate metropolis.

Hang around for ... With the Picasso and Mondrian-packed Van Abbe modern art museum closed for redevelopment, there's little reason to linger. After a feast of pork and potatoes - "there are no local specialities," says the Tourist Board - at market square restaurant De Gelegnheid (e50 for two), it'd be a long night toying with the trouser press at five-star business hotel Dorint Cocagne (00 31 40 23 26 111), where a double costs £111 per night.

Head off for ... In 10 minutes you could be cycling in the "flat, green"; countryside outside town; an hour's drive sees you studying compost production at the National Asparagus and Mushroom Museum north of Lindburg; a 90-minute, £15 train journey gets you to Amsterdam, where, just maybe, you should have gone in the first place.

Flight price check ... Ryanair (08701 569569; www.ryanair.com) flies daily from Stansted to Eindhoven; web returns from £30; weekend return 21-23 June £46.52; 26-28 July £61.52.weekend).

NEW ROUTE 4: Klagenfurt, Austria

From 27 June, the Klagenfurt route will, hopes Ryanair, establish the "Austrian Riviera" as a weekend destination. Close to the Italian and Slovenian borders, this lovely 12th century lakeside town is dripping with Renaissance architecture, with a walkable Old Town filled with restaurants and art galleries.

Hang around for ... washing down apple strudel with gingery Almdudler at the Old Town's Cafe Segafredo; swimming and waterskiing in pristine, warm lake Worth, which, three times a week in summer, lights up with a late-night laser show.

Kitsch, kiddy-friendly Minimundus - miniature landmarks of the world, including a space shuttle that blasts off over Big Ben and the Taj Mahal - is worth a visit.

Stay at the central four-star Arcotel Moser Verdino (00 43 463 57 878), where a double room costs e90 per night.

Head off for ... canoeing, rafting and windsurfing in surrounding Carinthia - 200 lakes set in Alpine scenery (00 43 463 53 72 23). Or make the 15km pilgrimage to the Mayr Health Spa (00 43 427 32 51 10) where the famously strict-but-successful detox and purification fast involves Epsom salts and endless chewing, and costs £2,850 for a two-week stay.

Flight price check ... Ryanair (08701 569569; www.ryanair.com) flies daily from Stansted to Klagenfurt from 27 June; web returns from £60; weekend return 19-21 July £69.41 (NB not flying first weekend).