Last week, our friend and colleague Eleni Skarveli, the director of the Greek National Tourism Office, announced that Greece was going to suspend taking the biometrics of all British passport holders when entering the country.
As part of the new European Entry/Exit System, the European Union and countries within the Schengen Zone (which includes Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Switzerland), must take two biometric readings – one of fingerprints and one of your face when you arrive, and a check when you leave.
As a proactive measure, Greece has announced that from April 10th it would suspend taking these biometrics on arrival (or departing) for British passport holders; however, we don’t know for certain how long it will last, and whether the EU will allow them to do it.
So, this is one way of avoiding some of the queues we have heard about over the Easter period, and here are a few more:
Cyprus
Neighbouring Cyprus, although part of Europe, isn’t part of the Schengen Zone, so isn’t included in the EES. With lots of daily flights to both Paphos and Larnaca, there’s plenty of choice – whether you’re looking for a villa, all-inclusive hotel, or boutique adult-only property. For those who like to get around, there’s an excellent bus network, and unusually (because of the British influence on the island) drive on the same side of the road as us.
Kotor, Montenegro
Montenegro
Not in the Schengen Zone, but with probably one of the shortest flights from the UK, is Montenegro. More traditionally, it would have been accessed by flying into Dubrovnik (which Croatia is within Schengen), and there are now multiple flights a week to the town of Tivat. It also happens to be close to the Bay of Kotor, a popular stop on many Adriatic cruises, as well as the beach towns south of the Fiordland. Growing in popularity though, it’s not a ‘cheap’ as one would imagine, and even has a One&Only hotel originally designed for the now absent Russian market.
Morocco
Northern Africa
Although geographically separate, I thought it easier to group the countries in Northern Africa together – Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. Morocco has such a variety on offer, whether it’s in the city in Marrakech or Fez, the Atlas Mountains, the desert, or one of the number of growing beach options on the Atlantic coast. Tunisia, although it has a number of historical sites to see, is probably more well known for it’s excellent value beach all-inclusives, which at the moment are generally the cheapest of all short-haul destinations. Egypt of course, needs no introduction – great beach hotels (with the Four Seasons, Oberoi and Chedi all having hotels on the Red Sea), the pyramids and brand new museum, and all the iconic adventures on a Nile cruise.
Cruising from the UK
No matter where you cruise to from the UK, cruises departing and arriving back to British port are exempt from the EES. I experienced this for myself on the Ambassador cruise to Bruges and Amsterdam before Christmas – we were just waved straight through the cruise port (and in Amsterdam, there was nobody there to check anyway).
The key here is it must be no-fly – so sailing in our region from either Tower Bridge, Tilbury, Portsmouth, Southampton or Dover. There’s no limit on the number of days on the cruise either. There are plenty available with the likes of Ambassador from Tilbury, or Fred Olsen, Celebrity, Cunard, and a small number with the luxury lines such as Regent, Silversea and Oceania.
Mauritius
We have always loved Mauritius, and especially for a family during the summer is remarkably great value for money. Yes, you could go to a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, for a similar amount of money as you would pay at an all-inclusive hotel in Europe.
It’s their ‘winter’ so the temperature isn’t as scorching as you would find in the Med at that time of year, which is ideal for younger children. Yes, we realise that it’s a twelve-hour direct flight to get there, but you get paid back for usually literally no queue when you arrive and a very hospitable nation that loves to look after you.
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