Cheap Day Trips from UK Airports

There are plenty of smaller regional airports worth checking too.

Living close to an airport can suddenly become a considerable advantage.

Where could you go for the day from the UK?

Flight schedules change according to the season, but destinations worth looking for include:

• Dublin – Ireland
  Probably one of the easiest places to try first. The flight is short, services operate from numerous UK airports and there’s more than enough to fill a day.
• Belfast – Northern Ireland
  Another excellent possibility, particularly if you can find an early flight out and late return.
• Cork – Ireland
  A compact city that’s well suited to exploring without trying to cover huge distances.
• Málaga – Spain
  A more adventurous option. With the right timetable you could swap a grey British morning for tapas and a walk beside the Mediterranean.
• Alicante – Spain
  Another destination worth watching when airlines offer a sufficiently early outbound and late return flight.
• Gdańsk – Poland
  A beautiful old city and potentially an interesting option from airports served by low-cost routes to Poland.
• Cologne – Germany
  A good city-break destination that may occasionally work as a same-day trip from Britain.

There are plenty of others. The important thing isn’t simply whether there’s a cheap flight.

It’s whether the flight times make the day worthwhile.

Dublin could be the perfect first trip

If you’ve never flown abroad just for the day, Dublin would be high on our list.  The journey from Britain is short and there are flights from airports across the UK.

Once there, don’t try to see the whole city. 

• Find a café for breakfast or coffee.
• Take a walk.
• Visit Trinity College.
• Stop somewhere interesting for lunch.
• Visit a museum or simply spend some time exploring.
• Have an early evening meal and head back to the airport.

You might be surprised how much of a holiday feeling you can get from being away for just a few hours.

Visit Dublin – Official Tourism Information⁠

How about flying somewhere warm for the day?

This is where Extreme Day Trips become particularly tempting.

Imagine Britain in February.It’s cold, grey and raining.

Meanwhile, you’ve spotted a very cheap flight to southern Spain. You leave home early in the morning and a few hours later you’re sitting outside a café in Málaga.

• Coffee in the sunshine.
• A wander through the old town.
• Tapas for lunch.
• A walk along the waterfront.
• Then back to the airport for your evening flight.

Would you want to do it every week?  Probably not.
But for an occasional adventure, it’s certainly different.

Beware of cheap flights to distant airports

Here’s something that can easily ruin a day trip.  You’ve found a return flight for £25.

Brilliant.

Then you discover that the airport is a long way from the city you thought you were visiting.

When you’re away for a week, an hour or two on an airport bus isn’t necessarily a major problem.

When you’ve only got eight hours, it matters enormously.

Always check:

• Where is the airport?
• How long does it take to reach the city centre?
• How frequently do the buses or trains run?
• How much will the return airport transfer cost?

A £35 flight into a convenient airport could be a much better bargain than a £20 flight that costs you several hours and another £30 in transfers.

Aim for at least six hours at your destination

Don’t judge a day trip simply by the departure and arrival times.

Work out your usable time. If your flight lands at 10am but you don’t reach the city until 11.30am, that’s when your day really starts.

You then need to leave enough time to get back through the airport for your return flight. We’d look for at least six useful hours at the destination.

Eight or more would be even better. And don’t turn it into an endurance competition. There isn’t much point saving £20 if you have to get out of bed at 2am and arrive home completely exhausted.

• Stop for coffee.
• Use public transport.
• Have a decent lunch.
• Sit down occasionally.

You’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.

Best websites for finding cheap day trips from UK airports

Finding these trips is much easier if you know where to look.

Extreme Day Trips⁠

This is a particularly useful starting point because the website specialises in finding trips where the outbound and return flights take place on the same day.

Google Flights⁠

Excellent for comparing different days and checking whether changing your travel date produces a much cheaper fare.

Skyscanner UK⁠

One of our favourite tricks is to enter your local airport and choose Everywhere as the destination.

Instead of deciding where you’re going, you’re asking:

“Where’s cheap?”

That’s when you can find some interesting surprises.

Kayak UK⁠

Another useful flight comparison website, particularly if your dates are flexible.

Kiwi.com⁠

Useful for exploring different routes and unusual flight combinations.

Once you’ve found a suitable flight through a comparison site, we’d also check the price directly with the airline before booking.

Check the low-cost airlines directly

Depending on your local airport, keep an eye on:

• Ryanair⁠
• easyJet⁠
• Jet2⁠
• Wizz Air⁠

Airline schedules and prices change constantly, so today’s bargain may disappear tomorrow – while another one appears.

Don’t forget the airport transfer

Before pressing the booking button, work out how you’re getting from the destination airport into town.

Rome2Rio⁠ is useful for getting an idea of available trains, buses and journey times.

Also check the destination airport’s own website and local public transport operators before travelling.

Could you have a complete day abroad for under £100?

Potentially, yes.

Suppose you find a £35 return flight.