Coast and islands
Beaches, harbour towns and islands within a day of the city, with the ferry or train that gets you there and the months when it is worth the trip.
From Paris
All day trips from Paris
Only with a tourNormandy D-Day Beaches
The 1944 landing beaches, the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer and the German batteries, spread along the coast beyond Bayeux, 2 h 12 min from Paris by train.
Better to sleep thereMont-Saint-Michel
A medieval abbey and village on a rock in a tidal bay on the Normandy coast, about 3.5 hours from Paris by TGV and bus.
From London
All day trips from London
From Rome
All day trips from Rome
Better to sleep thereAmalfi Coast
A stretch of cliffside towns south of Naples, reached from Rome by high-speed train to Salerno and then a 35-minute ferry to Amalfi.
Better to sleep thereCapri
An island in the Bay of Naples, reached from Rome by high-speed train to Naples and then a 50-minute hydrofoil from Molo Beverello.
From Barcelona
All day trips from Barcelona
Worth half a daySitges
A seaside town south of Barcelona with a long promenade, an old quarter on a headland and two art museums, 37 minutes away by Rodalies train.
Only with a tourCosta Brava
The rocky coast north of Barcelona, from Tossa de Mar up to Cadaqués. The nearest beach town, Tossa, is about 1 hour 20 minutes away by direct bus.
Worth a full dayTarragona
A port city built on Roman Tarraco, with an amphitheatre by the sea and UNESCO-listed ruins, 1 hour 27 minutes from Barcelona by regional train.
From Florence
All day trips from Florence
From Amsterdam
All day trips from Amsterdam
Worth a full dayVolendam and Marken
Two former fishing villages on the Markermeer lake, linked by a 30-minute ferry, about 25 minutes by bus from Amsterdam Centraal.
Worth a full dayThe Hague
The seat of the Dutch government and home of the Mauritshuis, with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, 49 minutes by direct train from Amsterdam.
From Dublin
All day trips from Dublin
Worth half a dayMalahide Castle
A castle with 800 years of Talbot family history, a walled garden and a butterfly house, a 10-minute walk from Malahide village on the DART north of Dublin.
Worth half a dayHowth
A fishing harbour and headland with a cliff path on the north side of Dublin Bay, 24 minutes from Connolly on the DART.
Worth a full dayGalway
A compact harbour city on the west coast, with a pedestrian centre between Eyre Square and the Spanish Arch, about 2 h 30 from Dublin by train.
Only with a tourCliffs of Moher
Sea cliffs on the Clare coast, on the far side of Ireland from Dublin, about 4 hours away by road each way.
Better to sleep thereGiant's Causeway
About 40,000 basalt columns on the north coast of Northern Ireland, past Belfast, at the opposite end of the island from Dublin.
From Lisbon
All day trips from Lisbon
Worth half a dayCascais
A former fishing town with small beaches, a marina and a seafront walk, 40 minutes by train from Cais do Sodré station.
Only with a tourSetúbal and Arrábida
A natural park of limestone hills and small coves south of the Tagus, beside the port city of Setúbal, about 50 km from Lisbon.
Better to sleep thereNazaré
A fishing and surf town with a long beach and a clifftop quarter, about 100 km north of Lisbon, 1 hour 25 to 1 hour 50 by coach.
From Madrid
All day trips from Madrid
From Athens
All day trips from Athens
Worth a full dayAegina
The closest Saronic island to Athens, with a 5th-century BC temple on a pine hill, 40 minutes to 1 h 10 by ferry from Piraeus.
Worth a full dayHydra
A Saronic island with no cars, a stone harbour town and a coast path, 1 h 10 to 1 h 30 from Piraeus by high-speed ferry.
Worth a full daySaronic Islands
Three islands in the Saronic Gulf, seen together on an 11-hour cruise or singly by ferry from Piraeus, 1 h 10 to 1 h 55 away.
Worth half a dayCape Sounion
A 5th-century BC temple of Poseidon on the southern tip of Attica, 2 hours from Athens by public bus or 65 minutes by car.
Worth a full dayNafplio
A harbour town in the Argolid with a Venetian fortress on the hill above it, 2 h 10 from Athens by direct KTEL bus.
From Edinburgh
All day trips from Edinburgh
Worth half a dayNorth Berwick
A harbour town on the East Lothian coast with two beaches, the Scottish Seabird Centre and views of Bass Rock, 23 to 35 minutes by direct train.
Worth a full daySt Andrews
A small university town on the Fife coast with the Old Course, a ruined cathedral and a castle, about 53 minutes by train plus a 15-minute bus.
Better to sleep thereIsle of Skye
The largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the north-west coast of Scotland, joined to the mainland by a road bridge and far beyond day-trip range from Edinburgh.