Nature and hiking
Cliffs, national parks, lakes and mountain trails for a day outside the city, with what you can do without a car and what needs a tour.
From Paris
All day trips from Paris
Worth half a dayGiverny
Claude Monet's house and the water-lily garden he painted, 46 minutes by train from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny, then a shuttle bus to the village.
Worth a full dayFontainebleau
A royal and imperial château with Napoleon's apartments, free gardens and a forest around it, reached by suburban train from Gare de Lyon plus a short bus ride.
From London
All day trips from London
Only with a tourStonehenge
A 5,000-year-old stone circle on Salisbury Plain, about 85 minutes by train from London Waterloo plus a 35-minute bus from Salisbury station.
Better to sleep thereThe Cotswolds
A rural area of limestone villages north-west of Oxford, about 1 hour 35 minutes by train from Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh, then local buses.
From Rome
All day trips from Rome
Worth half a dayCastel Gandolfo
A small town on the rim of Lake Albano with the popes' summer palace, 41 minutes from Roma Termini by direct regional train.
Only with a tourTivoli
A hill town 30 km east of Rome with two UNESCO sites: the fountain gardens of Villa d'Este and the ruins of Hadrian's Villa, a few kilometres apart.
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
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 dayMontserrat
A Benedictine monastery and pilgrimage basilica set high on a serrated mountain, about 1.5 hours from Barcelona by FGC train and rack railway.
Better to sleep thereAndorra
A small Pyrenean country between Spain and France. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is about 3 hours from Barcelona Sants by direct coach.
From Florence
All day trips from Florence
Only with a tourChianti
The wine hills between Florence and Siena, where estates are spread along country roads and the market town of Greve is an hour away by bus.
Better to sleep thereCinque Terre
Five coastal villages in Liguria linked by a short train line and footpaths, about 150 km north-west of Florence and 2.5 hours away by train.
Only with a tourVal d'Orcia
A valley of hill towns and cypress-lined farm roads south of Siena, where Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino sit too far apart to link by public transport.
From Amsterdam
All day trips from Amsterdam
Worth half a dayKeukenhof
A spring flower park in Lisse planted with 7 million bulbs, open about eight weeks a year, 35 minutes by direct bus from Amsterdam RAI.
Only with a tourGiethoorn
A village of canals, footbridges and thatched farmhouses in the north-east of the Netherlands, about two hours from Amsterdam by coach.
From Dublin
All day trips from 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 dayGlendalough
A 6th-century monastic settlement with a round tower and two lakes in the Wicklow Mountains, 1 h 20 south of Dublin by bus.
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 a full daySintra
A hill town of royal palaces and forest parks, 40 minutes by suburban train from Rossio station in central Lisbon.
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.
From Madrid
All day trips from Madrid
Worth half a dayAranjuez
A Bourbon royal palace with large formal gardens along the Tagus, about 48 minutes south of Atocha by Cercanías train.
Worth a full dayCuenca
A walled old town on a rock spur between two river gorges, known for its hanging houses and Gothic cathedral, about 1 hour from Madrid by AVE.
From Prague
All day trips from Prague
Worth half a dayKonopiště Castle
A castle outside Benešov tied to Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, visited on timed tour routes, 41 minutes from Prague by the fastest train plus a 2.4 km walk.
Only with a tourBohemian Switzerland
A national park on the German border with the Pravčická brána rock arch and river gorges, reached via Děčín, 1 h 16 min from Prague by train.
From Athens
All day trips from Athens
Worth a full dayDelphi
The ancient oracle site on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, with a museum next door, about 3 hours north-west of Athens by coach.
Better to sleep thereMeteora
Six working Orthodox monasteries built on sandstone pillars above Kalambaka in Thessaly, roughly 4 hours north of Athens by coach.
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.
Only with a tourLoch Lomond
The largest loch in Britain by surface area, north-west of Glasgow, reached by train to Balloch in about 1 hour 42 minutes with one change.
Only with a tourLoch Ness and the Highlands
Scotland's best-known loch, 113 rail miles north of Edinburgh near Inverness, usually combined with Glencoe and Fort William on a one-day coach loop.
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.