{"id":555261,"date":"2026-07-18T00:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T00:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/555261\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T00:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T00:39:10","slug":"departure-lounge-take-off-to-shanghai-on-irelands-longest-direct-route","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/555261\/","title":{"rendered":"Departure Lounge: Take off to Shanghai on Ireland’s longest direct route"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fasten your seatbelts: The longest direct route from Ireland takes off next week with China Eastern\u2019s debut flight from Dublin to the epic metropolis of Shanghai. The three-times-a-week service to Pudong International Airport will take just over 12 hours flying east (add an extra hour for the return leg). Beyond the city\u2019s infinite urban delights, the appeal of regional attractions \u2014 from the tea plantations of Hangzhou to the scenic town of Suzhou, dubbed the Venice of the East \u2014 will herald a new wave of Irish travel east.<\/p>\n

Return fares available from \u20ac800 via ceair.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Uzbekistan on the Up<\/p>\n

\"UzbekistanUzbekistan is a booming tourist destination according to the UNWTO<\/p>\n

The latest global tourism report from the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) revealed some fascinating tourism trends, not least the booming visitor numbers to one country in particular: Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n

Thanks to recent visa-free travel reforms for dozens of countries (including Ireland), the once-elusive nation has seen its year-on-year tourism figures boom by a whopping 37%. Enjoy a nine-day tour of the country, from the Unesco World Heritage-listed town of Bukhara to sleeping in a yurt under thousands of stars in the Kyzylkum Desert.<\/p>\n

Midsummer Macroom<\/p>\n

One of my favourite hotel stays of the year is the family-run Castle Hotel in Macroom, not least for its fine value.<\/p>\n

From \u20ac385 per couple this summer, you can book a two-night stay at the four-star property, which includes an artisanal breakfast on both mornings and a three-course dinner in the wonderful Dan Buckley\u2019s Bar on a night of your choice. While there, check out West Cork\u2019s inland highlights, including hiking in Gougane Barra, birdwatching at the Gearagh or, for a real hidden gem, the public swimming spot at Ch\u00fail Aodha, a heavenly place for a heatwave cool-down.<\/p>\n

Wholesome Canada<\/p>\n

\"TheThe forest and lakes of Algonquin Park in Canada<\/p>\n

Wholesome, unplugged travel has never been more in demand, and could there be a more wholesome destination than Canada?<\/p>\n

Lazy beach days on the Toronto Islands or a scenic road trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake are all on brand for 2026, but for the ultimate unplugged adventure, why not rent some bargain camping gear and join the locals on a wilderness trip to Ontario\u2019s Algonquin Provincial Park?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s fantastic long-haul value with Aer Lingus this summer, with return flights to Toronto this August from \u20ac550, dropping a further \u20ac100 if you can travel in September.<\/p>\n

Deal of the Week<\/p>\n

\"BeautifulBeautiful sunset cityscape landscape view illuminated city lights Town of Oia at night in Santorini Island<\/p>\n

While visiting Santorini in summer may feel like being packed into a Greek sardine can, escaping to the postcard island in the off-season is a far more inviting affair.<\/p>\n

Travalue.ie is offering a seven-night stay in the Aegean from \u20ac845 per person, based on a stay in the three-star Merovigliosso Apartments in the clifftop village of Imerovigli. The price includes return flights from Dublin, with sea and sunset views as standard thanks to the deluxe apartments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fasten your seatbelts: The longest direct route from Ireland takes off next week with China Eastern\u2019s debut flight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[26973,26971,26972,26970,15940,61,60,43,26208],"class_list":["post-555261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-airbnb-thomas-breathnach","tag-bbs","tag-camping","tag-flights","tag-hotels","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-staycation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}