Planning to visit Italy or China? Here are six suitable alternatives to coronavirus-hit destinations - Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: 04 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PST

While the increasingly alarming reports of coronavirus's spread may be making you think that it's time to put away your passport and find a safe space, there is, as yet, no reason to stop travelling. But if you were planning a break in one of the countries or regions most specifically affected by Covid-19, it might be worth selecting an alternative destination. China and parts of Italy especially have been in the eye of the headlines, and it might be that, for now, the likes of Beijing, Shanghai, and Milan need to remain hopeful ambitions.

So where should you go instead? South America and Scandinavia have their charms – while the much-publicised coronavirus cases in Lombardy and Tenerife do not mean that you cannot enjoy a relaxing holiday in southern Italy, or elsewhere in the Canary Islands.

Swap China for India

Why avoid it: It – specifically the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province – is the point of origin for coronavirus. Many airlines have put flights to the country on hold, including British Airways – which has cancelled all services to Beijing and Shanghai until April 17. The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to the country, and all travel to Hubei.

Alternative: If you are looking for another enormous country, filled with exciting cities and a certain sense of mystery, India is hard to beat. True, it has no Great Wall, but the grand sites of the Jaipur-Delhi-Agra Golden Triangle (not least the Taj Mahal in the latter) should be more than spectacular compensation. Cox & Kings (020 3773 4503; coxandkings.co.uk) offers an eight-night trip that allies these cities to the potential tiger sightings of Ranthambore National Park – from £1,845 a head, with flights. If you want to focus more on Rajasthan, Transindus (020 8566 3739; transindus.co.uk) sells a 15-day "Royal Rajputana" tour that dissects the state in detail. From £3,850 a head – with flights.

Swap the Great Wall for the Taj Mahal Credit: GETTY

Swap Iran for Turkey

Why avoid it: Iran is one of the centres of the outbreak. The Foreign Office currently advises British citizens against all but essential travel to the country – due to the health situation, as well as to ongoing political and military tensions.

Alternative: You probably weren't considering a getaway to Iran anyway, but if you are dreaming of a Middle Eastern country with a deep historical and cultural back-story, its neighbour Turkey fits the bill. Martin Randall Travel (020 87423355; martinrandall.com) still has space on a 10-day "Classical Turkey" group tour that will peer at the Greek and Roman heritage of Anatolia between March 30 and April 8, from £4,070 per person, with flights. Exodus Travels (020 3553 5290; exodus.co.uk) runs a regular eight-day "Walking in Cappadocia" group holiday – from £1,005 a head, with flights. Next departure May 23.

Turkey offers a fine alternative to Iran Credit: getty

Swap Northern Italy for the South

Why avoid it: Italy is the European country worst hit by the virus. The FCO is currently warning against all but essential travel to 10 towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto, while the latest medical advice is to self-isolate if you've returned from northern Italy (defined as "north of Pisa") since February 19 – and are now experiencing coronavirus symptoms.

Alternatives: Italy is a wonderful destination – but, to be on the safe side at present, go south, swapping Milan and Venice (the respective capitals of Lombardy and Veneto) for substitutes in Puglia or Sicily. Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; kirkerholidays.com) covers the former, offering three-night escapes to the four-star Hotel La Fiermontina in Lecce (a small city with a lovely Roman amphitheatre) from £849 per person, including flights. And Citalia (01293 832 416; citalia.com) will take you to the island at the end of the Italian boot – via an eight-day "Syracuse and Taormina" package which splits its time between said two idyllic towns, on the east coast – from £1,699 per person (flights extra).

Taormina Credit: getty

Swap Tenerife for La Palma

Why avoid it: There is no formal reason to avoid the largest of the Canary Islands, but if you are worried about the widely publicised ongoing case of coronavirus at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel, on the south-west coast (where guests are have been in quarantine), there are myriad options elsewhere in the archipelago and the wider Atlantic.

Alternatives: Away to the west, and a little removed from its fellow Canaries, La Palma offers calm and quiet. A seven-night stay at the Hotel Hacienda de Abajo (a former sugar-plantation house on the west coast at Tazacorte), flying from Gatwick on March 14, starts at £1,258 per person, via Prestige Holidays (01425 480 400; prestigeholidays.co.uk). You could also go further afield, to Portugal's Atlantic archipelago, the Azores. A week-long break at the four-star Marina Atlantico Hotel, in Ponta Delgada on the main island Sao Miguel, starts at £714 per person, with flights – via Sunvil (020 8758 4722; sunvil.co.uk).

La Palma Credit: getty

Swap South-East Asia for South America

Why avoid them: As with Northern Italy, the government is currently advising that "you should stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people immediately" if you have returned to the UK from either Vietnam or Cambodia (or their regional colleagues Laos and Myanmar), since February 19 and are now exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus.

Alternative: The Far East is likely to remain a tricky area for travel in the coming weeks – there are also cases of coronavirus in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Thailand. So forget the region for now and look west to South America, which provides a similar mix of epic coast and thrilling journeys. Colombia might be a stand-in for Vietnam, offering swathes of jungle and exotic cities galore. Last Frontiers (01296 653 000; lastfrontiers.com) sells a 14-day "Cultural Colombia" tour that ticks off Cartagena, Bogota and the mysterious pre-Spanish-conquest tombs of San Agustin – from £4,995 per person, including flights. Journey Latin America (020 3131 7624; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) visits Medellin in its wide-ranging 18-day "Undiscovered Colombia" break. From £5,641 a head, flights extra.

Cartagena, Colombia Credit: getty

Swap Japan for Sweden

Why avoid it: The FCO is not currently advising against travel to Japan, but the country is taking the coronavirus outbreak very seriously. A state of emergency has been declared on the northern island of Hokkaido, which is currently due to run until March 19 – residents have been asked to refrain from going out (not least at weekends) in this period.

Alternative: As already discussed, it may be simplest to remove the Far East from your travel to-do list until the situation stabilises. And if you want the country's fabled mix of clean-living and rustic beauty, you can find the same splicing much closer to home – in Sweden. Discover The World (01737 888 172; discover-the-world.com) serves up a one-week fly-drive tour of the west of the country that explores Gothenburg, and the genteel Koster Islands near the border with Norway. From £851 a head, including flights and car.

Search This Blog

BC Tourism