City day-trip field notes
Best Day Trips Without a Car
Honest, practical day-trip guides from Europe's great cities, independently researched by Marco Bellini, City Day-Trip Guide.
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Marco Bellini
City Day-Trip Guide
Most-reviewed tours in our guides
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The right day trip depends first on the city you can leave from. Start there, then compare the day itself.
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Why this site exists
Three years ago, I missed a train in Bologna, paid €40 for a "quick" taxi that took 50 minutes, and arrived in Modena just in time to watch the balsamic vinegar museum close. The tour I had booked for 11am started at 2pm. The operator told me, in perfect English, that this was "not their problem." I never got my money back.
That night, on a delayed regional train back to Florence, I started a spreadsheet. Every city within two hours of a major European hub. Every train I could actually catch. Every museum that opened when I needed it to. I wanted to know, before I booked, what would actually happen.
City Day Trips exists because most day trip guides are written by people who have never taken the 7:14 from Roma Termini. They paraphrase press releases. They copy departure times from websites without checking whether those times apply on a Sunday.
How every tour is reviewed:
- I've done it or interviewed someone who has, and I disclose which
- I've priced it against self-guided and competitor alternatives
- I've timed it: the 08:37 from Paddington is not the same as the 10:15 on Sunday
I do not accept free tours, free hotels, or sponsored placements. My only revenue is affiliate commission from Viator. If something better comes along, I will tell you.