Day trip from London to what other European city?
 

We will be in London for just over a week in the beginning of April and then spending a few days in Paris. I was noticing that the airfares from London to other European cities are so cheap! We thought it would be fun to fly out early in the morning and see another city and fly home the same evening. We have 2 teenage boys and we're wondering what everyone thought? I was hoping to find somewhere that is maybe 2 hours or less in flying time and the airport not too far from the city center? Maybe Copenhagen? Dublin? We enjoy walking around, eating, shopping. I think that the boys would probably like to go on some type of hop-on- hop- off tour or even ride bikes. What cities does everyone think would be fun for the day?

Easy - Amsterdam.
It's so easy and quick from Schipol into the city on the train and once there it's very different to both London and Paris.
Take a boat trip along the canals (asuming you'll have already done a bus tour in London), hire some bikes and just enjoy a wonderfully compact and welcoming city where you'll have no language issues at all (since the Dutch are incredibly good in English (and German & French too)).

Easy decision, no brainer.

Paris, but go by train...much easier!

Those air fares are hard to resist but just getting to the London airports is very time consuming. You could fly into Nice with Westjet. The airport is only approx 4 miles from the city centre but you should stay at least one night.

I should learn to read more carefully! Sorry...

Dr_DoGood: I like the idea of Amsterdam and doing a boat trip along the canals! Sounds like that would be fun. Having never been there, it is OK for teenagers? I am sure there are areas we should steer away from?

alihutch: We are going by train from London to Paris at the end of our trip and spending a few days there already.

Sorry that's Easyjet to Nice.

Amsterdam is very safe for teenagers. You would really have to go out of your way to end up somewhere you wouldn't want them to be.
Personally I would do a day trip out of London within the UK, rather than drag out to an airport which offers cheap flights and go through all the hassle involved in flying nowadays. Quite apart from the environmental aspects of it all.
Or add Amsterdam to the trip and go by train and stay the night there.

I would agree with staying in the UK. It can take 1.5+ hours to get from Central London to Heathrow, Stansted etc on public transport and you need to be at the airport 1-2 hours before the flight on both legs plus transit to the city centre on the other side plus flight time. So even a 1 hour flight takes likely close to 4 hours each way.

There are lots of interesting day trips in the UK that are easy to do from London on the trains: Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Dover, York, Salisbury/Stonehenge...

Echoing everything jamikins said about flights.

Have you considered the Eurostar to Brussels or Lille? That might eat up slightly less transit time - perhaps someone who's done it can advise?

York, U.K.?

Agree that flying out of the UK makes little sense - you would spend 6 to 8 hours RT just getting to/fro airports, checking in, security etc. Either do a day trip in the UK - or do a train trip on TVG from Paris - when you will waste much less time getting anywhere.

Totally agree with what everyone says about the added time in flying, but I endorse what others have said about the Eurostar - makes for a VERY easy daytrip to somewhere like Brussels.

Or if you really fancy flying somewhere, try limiting it to flights within a one hour radius - I often used to have business meetings in Edinburgh - I'd get a 7am flight from Heathrow and be in a meeting in Edinburgh by 9.30am, so that's very doable. Internal flights (including Dublin, which operates an open border with the UK) also have much shorter check in times.

Take on board travel to the the various airports:
To Stansted from liverpool Street (which itself is in the City, so not central) 50 mins
To Heathrow from Paddington: 15 mins but expensive
To Gatwick from Victoria: 30 mins

You could also look into flights from City Airport.

I would ONLY ever consider it if I flew out of London City airport. It is easy to reach and is a small efficient airport so doesn't require hours of transit/security/etc.

Flying from any other airport is crazy because your 2 hour flights will end up eating 8-9 hours w/ transit/security/flights.

But even from LCY it would be a bit of a hassle for a day trip. Why not go somewhere else in the UK - York or Bath are two obvious options by train. Edinburgh by train or plane (or even the sleeper train one way that gets you a full day in the city by giving up one night in London.)

I agree that it's difficult to get to London airports. You can get to Brussels in one hour by the Eurostar, and you can get to Paris and Lille quickly that way as well. It's really really easy. You just need to get to Kings Cross and then get the train... Otherwise, Edinburgh is a beautiful city. It really is. You can look at the Castle, Holyrood, and the Museum on Chambers Street (with an amazing clock)... When you're in the centre of Edinburgh, it's really easy to find your way around, and the places worth visiting are usually within walking distance of each other. Glasgow is nice as well. It's much bigger than Edinburgh and as a result has bigger shops.

LCY doesn't offer cheap flights so isn't an option.

You don't say when you are visiting but why not look into doing something with your teenagers in the UK - sailing, pony trekking, cycling, a day where you can all let off steam and enjoy something of the English countryside?

"<i>You can get to Brussels in one hour by the Eurostar,</i>"

one hour to Brussels? Uh uh . . . (and it is St Pancras station)

No idea why such non issues are raised for trips that business people do the whole time ie day trips to cities in other countries without <<eating 8-9 hours w/ transit/security/flights>> There are plenty of cities where it is possible, as already mentioned Amsterdam is perfect as the train from the airport to the centre is a short trip - Copenhagen is similar, Brussels another good option, plenty of options in Switzerland, Vienna, Lyon (I'd go just for lunch), Jersey or Guernsey (done that many times in a day trip)and many other destinations.

With online check in and no luggage, can't see the issue and I do this type of travel very regularly.

Amsterdam would be great, but have you already planned on going to Bath? It is a very enteresting city. Also, Oxford and Cambridge. The kids could have fun on one of the rivers with those boats they use a pole for manuvering. I haven't done it, but everybody looks like they are having a blast. I saw them in Cambridge, and think they also have them in Oxford.

Why not cut your London stay one night short, fly somewhere on the Continent, stay one night there, and then train from their to Paris?