Extreme
Dublin 🇮🇪
10h 25m in Dublin
- £95 flights
- 06:15 out · 21:10 back
- 30 min transfer
- Dublin Express
- £189 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 20m flight
- 3h 40m total travel
9/10Plan this trip
From London
Day trips from London. Abroad by lunch, home by bedtime.
These are European cities you can realistically fly to and back from a London airport in one day. For each one we work out your actual time on the ground — after the airport transfer, and leaving 90 minutes at the airport plus a 20-minute buffer before your flight home.
10 day trips from Heathrow
Sorted by most time in the city. Example date: 2026-10-10. Prices are estimates, not live fares.
Extreme
Amsterdam 🇳🇱
9h 25m in Amsterdam
- £130 flights
- 06:25 out · 20:45 back
- 15 min transfer
- NS Intercity
- £209 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 10m flight
- 3h total travel
8/10Plan this trip
Extreme
Geneva 🇨🇭
9h 25m in Geneva
- £136 flights
- 06:35 out · 21:00 back
- 7 min transfer
- SBB train (free ticket)
- £185 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 40m flight
- 3h 39m total travel
8/10Plan this trip
Extreme
Copenhagen 🇩🇰
9h 15m in Copenhagen
- £129 flights
- 06:30 out · 21:15 back
- 15 min transfer
- Metro M2
- £205 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 50m flight
- 4h 15m total travel
8/10Plan this trip
Comfortable
Lisbon 🇵🇹
8h 50m in Lisbon
- £165 flights
- 06:50 out · 21:40 back
- 25 min transfer
- Metro (red line)
- £226 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 2h 50m flight
- 6h 25m total travel
5/10Plan this trip
Extreme
Paris 🇫🇷
8h 30m in Paris
- £141 flights
- 06:20 out · 20:35 back
- 35 min transfer
- RER B
- £215 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 15m flight
- 3h 45m total travel
8/10Plan this trip
Extreme
Brussels 🇧🇪
8h 30m in Brussels
- £121 flights
- 06:35 out · 20:10 back
- 20 min transfer
- Airport Express train
- £182 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 10m flight
- 3h 05m total travel
7/10Plan this trip
Adventurous
Luxembourg 🇱🇺
8h in Luxembourg
- £113 flights
- 06:40 out · 20:00 back
- 30 min transfer
- Tram T1 (free)
- £157 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 1h 15m flight
- 3h 30m total travel
7/10Plan this trip
Extreme
Milan 🇮🇹
7h 20m in Milan
- £141 flights
- 06:45 out · 21:05 back
- 50 min transfer
- Malpensa Express
- £224 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 2h flight
- 5h 45m total travel
9/10Plan this trip
Extreme
Barcelona 🇪🇸
6h 45m in Barcelona
- £141 flights
- 06:40 out · 20:05 back
- 35 min transfer
- Aerobús A1/A2
- £213 est. total
- incl. food & transport
- 2h 15m flight
- 5h 45m total travel
9/10Plan this trip
Which London airport is best for a day trip?
It depends on where you live and where you're going. Heathrow and Gatwick have the widest choice of early departures; Stansted and Luton often have the cheapest; London City is quickest to get through if you're near the centre. Switch airport above to compare.
Is a day trip abroad actually doable?
Usually, yes — with an early start. Each trip is rated Comfortable (6+ hours in the city), Adventurous (4.5+ hours) or Extreme, so you can see what you're signing up for.
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