Craiova? Pardubice? Sulaymaniyah? 17 obscure cities you can fly to direct from Britain

We are a fortunate nation of travellers here in Britain.

With Heathrow as an obvious hub - and further key international airports elsewhere in London and across the country - the globe is our metaphorical oyster. Departure boards click and whirr with the names of cities and destinations we can reach by direct flight - a constellation of superstar places which demand to be photographed, adored and Instagrammed.

But for every New York, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Moscow, the runways are also packed with planes heading directly to distant outposts that you definitely haven't heard of.

Definitely? Well, almost certainly. If you know of any of the locations in the feature below, you can consider yourself a master of geography. And if you've actually been to any of them, then we bow to your travel credentials, o wanderer of worlds...

1. Ahmedabad (India)

Lost in the shadow of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Bengalaru and just about every other Indian metropolis you could name, Ahmedabad is, of course, the sixth largest city in the country, and the capital of the north-westerly state of Gujarat. Come here for Old Ahmadabad, the historic core of the city - it earned Unesco status this year.

Flight: Air India (Heathrow; airindia.in)

2. Ashgabat (Turkmenistan)

You could argue that Ashgabat should be better known. It is - of course, of course - the capital of Turkmenistan. Perhaps its anonymity is due to the fact that it was known as "Poltoratsk" between 1919 and 1927 - but either way, Ashgabat is the gateway to an intriguing country, and the dust of the Karakum Desert which spreads beyond the city.

Flights: Turkmenistan Airlines (Birmingham, Heathrow; flyturkmenistanairlines.eu)

3. Bacau (Romania)

High up in the north-east of the country, far beyond the orbit of the capital Bucharest and its niche appeal for a weekend break, Bacau is not even close to being a major European metropolis - it is only the 15th largest city in Romania. But it enjoys a pretty setting, standing a short drive from both the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania.

Flights: Blue Air (Luton, Liverpool; blueairweb.com)

4. Burgas (Bulgaria)

Workhorse of the European skies that it is, Wizz Air offers a web of connections to cities in the eastern half of our home continent. One of them is Burgas, Bulgaria's fourth largest city. It sits on the edge of the Black Sea. And while it is mainly a hive of shipping and industry, it also proffers hotel possibilities for alternative seaside breaks.

Flight: Wizz Air (Luton; wizzair.com)

5. Bydgoszcz (Poland)

What? Where? Poland is certainly no longer the mystery package it was for British travellers, but the name of Bydgoszcz is still unlikely to have passed many lips. Set some 200 miles north-west of Warsaw, it is the eighth largest city in the country, and another pretty package - nestling at the confluence of the the Brda and Vistula rivers.

Flights: Ryanair (Birmingham, Luton, Stansted; ryanair.com) 

6. Craiova (Romania)

Another hidden dot on the map of Romania, Craiova perches in the south-west of the country. A historically significant city in the Oltenia region, it wears its importance with grandeur. The pedestrian suspension bridge that hangs over the paths of Nicolae Romanescu Park is hugely striking, while the River Jiu provides calm running waters.

Flight: Wizz Air (Luton; wizzair.com)

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7. Kigali (Rwanda)

The appeal of this central African country as a place to see gorillas in their own wild context has rarely been in question, but getting to Rwanda has always been a trickier prospect. Or, at least, it was until May of this year, when the national airline RwandAir launched a direct service between Gatwick and the national capital Kigali.

Flight: RwandAir (Gatwick; rwandair.com)

8. Kutaisi (Georgia)

This eastern corner of the European continent has come a little more into focus of late - but not to the extent that Georgia's third largest city is a name on everybody's lips. Still, Kutaisi may yet become a subject of travel fascination - its Gelati Monastery, a fine relic of the 12th century, appears on the 2017 list of new Unesco World Heritage sites.

Flight: Wizz Air (Luton; wizzair.com)

9. Lamezia Terme (Italy)

The country which dangles a languid leg into the Mediterranean is dotted with famous cities, from Rome to Milan and Naples to Florence. Lamezia Terme is not one of them - although, cocooned in the southerly region of Calabria, it is certainly worth visiting for its ruined hilltop castle and its 16th century Bastion of the Knights of Malta.

Flight: Ryanair (Stansted; ryanair.com) 

10. Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki (Poland)

A huge number of flights land in this small town of just 42,000 people. Why? The clue is in the location. It sits 25 miles north of the Polish capital, and is thus home to Warsaw Modlin Airport - a hub for low-cost carriers used extensively by Ryanair. If you want to hang around, the town has some lovely 18th century wooden architecture.

Flights: Ryanair (Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle; ryanair.com) 

11. Ohrid (Macedonia)

The eighth largest city in Macedonia might not sound an obvious candidate for a long weekend away, but Ohrid is spectacularly beautiful, set on the shore of Lake Ohrid - which wears the reflection of the clustered buildings like a painting. For this reason, the city has been on Unesco's Cultural and Natural World Heritage lists since 1980.

Flight: Wizz Air (Luton; wizzair.com)

12. Oradea (Romania)

Romania? Again? Why yes. Oradea is a different beast to Bacau and Craiova, set high up on the north-west flank of the country (so much so that lies just six miles from the Hungarian border). Sites include the Episcopal Palace, an 18th century baroque wonder that has 365 windows, and the thermal spas in the nearby town of B?ile Felix.

Flight: Ryanair (Stansted; ryanair.com)

13. Pardubice (Czech Republic)

Pitched some 60 miles east of Prague, Pardubice's biggest claim to fame is, perhaps, that it is home to the Synthesia chemical factory, where the plastic explosive Semtex is made. There is, though, reason to stick around. The city is perched on the banks of the River Elbe, has a lovely medieval core, and is known for its production of gingerbread.

Flight: Ryanair (Stansted; ryanair.com)

14. Raleigh (USA)

Planning an American road trip which starts in North Carolina. Why not? The good news is that you can fly directly to not one but two cities in this less-visited portion of the USA. American Airlines operates from Heathrow to the biggest city Charlotte - and also to the state capital Raleigh, where the capitol building is a Greek Revival joy.

Flight: American Airlines (Heathrow; americanairlines.co.uk)

15. Sulaymaniyah (Iraq)

Tucked away in the north-east of Iraq, in Iraqi Kurdistan, Sulaymaniyah probably isn't on too many travel to-do lists - it sits only 175 miles south-east of Mosul, the Iraqi city ravaged by Islamic State. Still, if you're feeling (very) adventurous, it is home to the Slemani Museum, an archaeological institution home to ancient Persian artefacts.

Flight: Iraqi Airways (Gatwick, Manchester; iraqiairways.co.uk)

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16. Sylhet (Bangladesh)

Squished into the north-east of Bangladesh, 150 miles from the capital Dhaka, Sylhet (also known as Jalalabad) is an important city of religious devotion - home to a clutch of dargahs (saintly tombs) which attract thousands of pilgrims a year. It has strong ties to Britain - a large proportion of the UK's Bangladeshi community hails from the city.

Flight: Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Heathrow; biman-airlines.com) 

17. Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Not to be confused with Tulsa in Oklahoma - although if you are confusing a city in the heartland of the USA with one in the Balkans, you've definitely caught the wrong flight - Tuzla is a picturesque presence in north-eastern Bosnia; a university enclave which, remarkably, is home to Europe's only salt lake (found inside its central park). 

Flight: Wizz Air (Luton; wizzair.com)

At a glance | Amazing places you can't fly direct to from Britain