Festive flights

With Eid likely to fall on August 30, the prospect of a long weekend away is no longer a mirage but a very real possibility. These locales are all close enough to make three-, four- or five-day trips worthwhile.

Austria
Flight time: 6 hours, 25 minutes (to Munich)
See some snow and culture in Austria for Eid with a four-night Tyrolean mountain break at the Grand Spa Resort A-ROSA Kitzbuhel. Emirates Holidays is offering a half-board package from Dh7,500 per person on twin-sharing basis with flights via Munich, return airport transfers in a private car, room tax and service charges. Price excludes airport and/or departure taxes and fuel surcharges.

Azerbaijan
Flight time: 2 hours, 55 minutes
For nightlife, fire-breathing rocks and one of the world's up-and-coming cities, head for Baku this Eid. FlyDubai has flights departing on Tuesday at 11.30am, arriving in Baku at 3.25pm. Prices start from Dh513 (from Dubai), and Dh666 (from Baku).

INDIA

Agra
Flight time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Head to the Taj Mahal with Emirates Holidays' three-night package with return economy-class flights, two nights' accommodation in Delhi at Taj Palace Hotel and one night's accommodation in Agra at The Gateway Hotel. Includes breakfast, room tax and service charges, tours of Old Delhi, Agra (including Taj Mahal) and Fatehpur Sikri. From Dh4,207 per person on twin-sharing basis.

Kerala
Flight time: 4 hours
Kumarakom is 14 kilometres from Kottayam. It is popularly known as the rice bowl of Kerala, full of mangrove forests, paddy fields and coconut groves alongside the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary.

The Holiday Factory has a three-night/four-day round trip via Cochin for Dh2,990 per person.

Maldives
Flight time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Splash out with a three-night all-inclusive stay in a 95-square-metre beach villa at the Diva resort with sea view, direct access to the beach and lagoon, furnished terrace and Wi-Fi, from Dh6,585 per person, with return economy-class flights, all meals and select beverages. Emirates Holidays has a combined Maldives-Sri Lanka package, taking in three nights at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, three nights at Cinnamon Grand Colombo, speedboat transfer in the Maldives and private car transfer in Colombo. From Dh7,884 per person on twin-sharing basis, including room tax and service charges; excluding airport and/or departure taxes and fuel surcharges.

Malaysia
Flight time: 7 hours, 10 minutes
With the "truly Asia" jingle ringing in your ears, head to Kuala Lumpur's Dorsett Regency Hotel or Hotel Istana with Emirates Holidays' four-night package from Dh2,977 per person including return flights, breakfast, return airport transfers on seat-in coach basis, room tax and service charges. Prices exclude airport and/or departure taxes and fuel surcharges. Dnata has a stay in a deluxe suite at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel in KL for three nights from Dh2,950 per person on a bed-and-breakfast basis, including airport transfer in KL.

Sri Lanka
Flight time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Holiday Factory has a three-night/four-day round trip to Kandy and Colombo, Dh2,830 per person.

Or try Emirates Holidays' package to Colombo, with return economy-class flights, three nights in a Deluxe Room at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo with American breakfast, return transfers in Colombo in a private vehicle, room tax and service charges. From Dh3,161 per person on twin-sharing basis. A seven-day/six-night package, with flights, accommodation and private car tour goes to Colombo, Kandy, the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya, the wildlife sanctuary in Yala and the beaches of Beruwela/Bentota. Twin-sharing prices start at Dh5,785 per person, in three- and/or four-star hotels. The offer is valid until September 4 and prices do not include departure taxes.

Dnata has an all-inclusive four-star trip to Kani Lanka, Kalutara, from Dh2,915 per person, with return economy-class flights, four nights' stay in a Superior Room, all meals, select beverages and return airport transfers.

Thailand
Flight time: 6 hours, 20 minutes
Head to Bangkok for a four-day stay in a three-star hotel for Dh3,490 per person with Holiday Factory. Dnata has a three-night stay at the four-star Radisson Suites Bangkok Sukhumvit, Thailand, from Dh2,855 per person, with flights, on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

Turkey
Flight time: 4 hours, 40 minutes
The ultimate local city break still has to be Istanbul: try the Holiday Factory's three-day stay in a three-star hotel for Dh2,380 per person.

Make the call

Emirates Holidays: 800 5252. Skywards members receive up to 20 per cent bonus miles when they book any of the Eid packages.

Dnata: 04-3166666. Eid Al Fitr offers are valid until September 15, with all tax and service charges included in the price.

Holiday Factory: 04-7014006.

Flydubai: 04-3010800.