Small is Beautiful – 10 of the world’s tiniest countries and territories with direct links to Manchester Airport
When Ryanair launched the first flights from Manchester to the Italian city of Rimini earlier this month, they also established a direct link between our region and one of the world’s smallest countries.
If you’re wondering which one, Rimini Airport’s official name – ‘Rimini & San Marino Federico Fellini International Airport’ – gives the game away.
The tiny nation of San Marino, the world’s fifth smallest independent state, is just 45 minutes away via a regular direct bus service. With around 35,000 inhabitants, you could fit the entire country into Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium twice over, with room to spare. Despite its modest size, it has had an outsized impact on history and having been founded in AD301, it is the world’s oldest surviving independent state.
Tourism is one of the main industries in San Marino, with quaint medieval streets, historic museums, and stunning vistas from the 11th century fortress on Monte Titano. You can even get a novelty passport stamp in the country’s tourist information centre for a fee of five Euros. Your Ryanair flight could set you back as little as £50pp return.*
San Marino is far from the only microstate with a direct link to Manchester Airport, however. For intrepid travellers who like to collect rare stamps in their passports, there are many options – from tropical islands to mountain ski resorts and ancient citadels.
Andorra
Fly to Toulouse with Ryanair from £54pp return*
A direct bus from Toulouse Airport in southern France will take you high into the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, and into the independent principality of Andorra. Less than 100,000 people live here but the tiny country boasts some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery and in recent years has made its name as a ski destination. It’s beautiful in summer, too – and popular with mountain bikers. While you’re here, dine in a traditional borda, a converted rustic stone storehouse. These atmospheric eateries nestled on the mountainsides specialize in rich, grilled meats and game.
Luxembourg
Fly to Luxembourg with Luxair from £132pp return*
One of the larger nations in this list – but still less than half the size of Greater Manchester by population – Luxembourg is the richest country in the world by GDP. Its powerhouse banking and investment sectors mean that many international visitors are here for business, but it’s well worth a visit as a tourist too. The city of Luxembourg gave its name to the country, and its Old Quarter and Holy Ghost Citadel are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luxair launched direct flights to the country from Manchester for the first time in 2024, with three-times-weekly flights still operating today.
Liechtenstein
Fly to Zurich with easyJet from £85pp return*
Liechtenstein is a tiny Alpine nation that shares borders with Switzerland and Austria. Just over 41,000 people live in the country, which is less than eight miles across. On August 15th, its national holiday, the reigning Prince famously invites all residents of the principality to a beer reception at Vaduz Castle, one of the country’s top tourist sites. The Prince also has a personal winery, which is open for tours. Liechtenstein is just over an hour’s drive from the Swiss city of Zurich, with direct flights from Manchester.
Vatican City
Fly to Rome with Ryanair from £48pp return*
The smallest independent nation of them all, Vatican City is the seat of the Catholic Church, and the Pope is the head of state. It occupies just under half a square kilometre in the middle of Rome and is the remnant of a much bigger Papal State that held large swathes of central Italy in the medieval period. Despite its small size, there’s a lot packed in for visitors to see – including Michelangelo's Pieta, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the iconic frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.
Monaco
Fly to Nice with easyJet from £59pp return*
Monaco is the second-smallest sovereign state in the world (after the Vatican) and also the most densely populated, with nearly 40,000 residents living in mostly high-rise luxury apartments clinging to a cliffside overlooking the Mediterranean.
The city is less than three miles across and just a quarter of a mile deep, but its winding streets are famous as the home of Formula 1’s most iconic race, and it also plays host to AS Monaco, one of the most successful clubs in French football. Monte Carlo, at the eastern edge of the territory, has a world-famous casino that has served as a James Bond backdrop.
You can reach Monaco by flying into Nice and then travelling about 20 miles by road or rail along the Cote d’Azur.
Gibraltar
Fly to Gibraltar with easyJet from £95pp return*
Not strictly speaking a country – but a place that very much has its own identity – Gibraltar has been a British Overseas Territory since 1713. It’s dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, a towering limestone mountain that juts into the Mediterranean from the southern tip of Spain. The Rock is home to a nature reserve populated by Barbary Macaques – Europe’s only wild monkeys – and a network of natural caves and man-made tunnels that sheltered Allied troops in World War II. A glass floored skywalk, suspended over 1,000ft above sea level at the top of the mountain, is not for the faint-hearted.
easyJet flies directly from Manchester to Gibraltar’s airport – where a road famously intersects the runway, and in the past had to be closed for aircraft movements before a tunnel opened in 2023.
Malta
Fly to Malta with Ryanair from £81pp return*
A chain of five islands in the Mediterranean – just three of which are inhabited – Malta is only 122 square miles in size but is home to more than half a million people. Valletta, its capital, is the smallest capital city in the European Union. Its jagged coastline boasts stunning beaches – including the Blue Lagoon – and striking sea caverns. The megalithic temples at Hagar Qim date back more than 5,000 years – older than the Pyramids of Giza – and are some of the world’s oldest surviving freestanding man-made structures.
Singapore
Fly to Singapore with Singapore Airlines from £757pp return*
Singapore has more than six million residents, but they’re packed into a modern metropolis city-state, with a land area less than a third the size of Cheshire. Sights beloved by tourists include the Gardens by the Bay - a massive, futuristic urban nature park famed for its ‘Supertree Grove’ of vertical botanical gardens – and the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark, an observation deck perched across the rooftops of three skyscrapers at a height of almost 700ft, with stunning views across the bay.
Singapore Airlines flies between Manchester Airport and Singapore five times per week and celebrated its 40th anniversary at Manchester earlier this year.
Barbados
Fly to Bridgetown with Virgin Atlantic from £749pp return*
The island nation of Barbados has a degree of public recognition that outstrips its size – all rooted in its long-standing status as a magnet for winter sun seekers, with some of the Caribbean’s best beaches. The island only has a population of around 280,000 people – about the same as Stoke-on-Trent – and a land area of just 166 square miles. That said, it boasts the world’s oldest rum distillery (Barbadians also lay claim to having invented the tipple), a UNESCO World Heritage-listed capital city, and it’s the birthplace of pop star Rihanna.
TUI and Virgin Atlantic both fly to Barbados from Manchester throughout the winter.
Stephen Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re proud to connect the people of the North with more than 200 destinations across the globe, in more than 60 countries. That includes some of the world’s most famous sites and iconic cities – but it speaks to the strength of our route network that you can quickly and easily reach places like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and now San Marino from Manchester as well.
“Some travellers like to visit globally renowned landmarks, some like to explore new cultures and some like to put their feet up on the beach – but we know many adventurous travellers like to fill their passports with as many stamps as they can, and I think people would be surprised at just how many countries are within easy reach when you fly from Manchester.”
*Prices quoted are the cheapest available between now and 31 December 2026 when booking directly through the airline’s website from Manchester to the destination specified, and are accurate at the time of publication. Optional extras like hold luggage and seat selection may not be included.