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Travel guides from London
24 step-by-step travel guides from London, each comparing flights, trains, coaches and driving door to door. Direct flights leave from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City, and the Eurostar runs from St Pancras to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Quick comparison
The usual best option, the fastest door-to-door time and the flight-free choice for each trip. Open a guide for full details and booking links.
| Destination | Best for most | Fastest | Flight-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Eurostar from St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal | 4½–5½h | Eurostar from St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal |
| Barcelona | Fly from Heathrow or Gatwick | 4½–5½h | Eurostar to Paris |
| Basel | Fly to Basel-Mulhouse | 4–5h | Eurostar to Paris |
| Bath | GWR train from Paddington to Bath Spa | 2–2h 30m | GWR train from Paddington to Bath Spa |
| Berlin | Fly to Berlin BER | 4–5h | Eurostar to Brussels |
| Bruges | Eurostar to Brussels | 3h 30m–4h 30m | Eurostar to Brussels |
| Brussels | Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels-Midi | 3–3h 30m | Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels-Midi |
| Budapest | Fly from Heathrow to Budapest | 5–6h | Eurostar and Nightjet sleeper via Vienna |
| Cologne | Eurostar to Brussels | 4–5h | Eurostar to Brussels |
| Copenhagen | Fly from Heathrow or Gatwick | 4–5h | Eurostar to Brussels |
| Edinburgh | Train from King's Cross with LNER or Lumo | 3h 30m–4h 30m | Train from King's Cross with LNER or Lumo |
| Manchester | Avanti West Coast from Euston | 2h 30m–3h | Avanti West Coast from Euston |
| Nuremberg | Fly direct to Nuremberg | 4–5h | Train via Brussels and Frankfurt |
| Prague | Fly to Prague | 3h 30m–4h 30m | Eurostar to Brussels |
| Strasbourg | Eurostar to Paris | 4h 30m–5h 30m | Eurostar to Paris |
| Tallinn | Fly Stansted to Tallinn | 5–6h | – |
| Vienna | Fly from Heathrow to Vienna | 4–5h | Eurostar to Brussels |
| Chamonix | Fly to Geneva | 5–6h | Train via Paris and the Mont-Blanc Express |
| Val Thorens | Fly to Geneva | 5–6h | Eurostar ski train to Moûtiers |
| Gran Canaria | Fly to Gran Canaria | 6–7h | Trains to Huelva |
| Lanzarote | Fly to Lanzarote | 5–7h | Trains to Cádiz |
| Madeira | Fly direct to Madeira | 5h 30m–6h 30m | – |
| Marrakech | Fly direct | 5h 30m–6h 30m | Trains through France and Spain |
| Tenerife | Fly to Tenerife South | 6–7h | Trains to southern Spain |
City breaks
London to Amsterdam: Eurostar vs Flights
Amsterdam is one of the easiest city breaks from London, and it's one of the few where the train really competes with the plane. Here's every way to…
Best for most: Eurostar from St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal · 5–5½h
Read the guideLondon to Barcelona: Flights, Trains & More
Barcelona is one of the easiest sunny city breaks from London, with direct flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. This guide compares…
Best for most: Fly from Heathrow or Gatwick · 4½–5½h
Read the guideChristmas markets
London to Basel Christmas Market
Basel's Christmas market is one of Switzerland's biggest, spread over two old-town squares by the Rhine. This guide covers direct flights to…
Best for most: Fly to Basel-Mulhouse · 4–5h
Read the guideLondon to Bath Christmas Market
Bath's Christmas market fills the Georgian streets around the Abbey, and it's less than 1h 30m from London by train. This guide covers every way to…
Best for most: GWR train from Paddington to Bath Spa · 2–2h 30m
Read the guideLondon to Berlin Christmas Markets
Berlin has dozens of Christmas markets, from palace courtyards to the square under the TV Tower, and it's under two hours' flight from London. This…
Best for most: Fly to Berlin BER · 4–5h
Read the guideLondon to Bruges Christmas Market
Bruges is one of the easiest Christmas market trips from London, with no flight needed, and its medieval squares look their best in December. This…
Best for most: Eurostar to Brussels · 3h 30m–4h 30m
Read the guideLondon to Brussels Christmas Market
Brussels is the easiest big Christmas market to reach from London: the Eurostar gets you from St Pancras to the city centre in about two hours, with…
Best for most: Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels-Midi · 3–3h 30m
Read the guideLondon to Budapest Christmas Markets
Budapest pairs two big Christmas markets with steaming outdoor thermal baths, and it's about two and a half hours' flight from London. This guide…
Best for most: Fly from Heathrow to Budapest · 5–6h
Read the guideLondon to Cologne Christmas Markets
Cologne packs several big Christmas markets into a walkable centre, and the cathedral market sits right outside the main station. This guide covers…
Best for most: Eurostar to Brussels · 5–6h
Read the guideLondon to Copenhagen Christmas Markets
Copenhagen at Christmas means Tivoli Gardens lit up after dark, stalls along Strøget and mulled wine (gløgg) by the canals. This guide covers direct…
Best for most: Fly from Heathrow or Gatwick · 4–5h
Read the guideLondon to Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Edinburgh's Christmas fills Princes Street Gardens beneath the castle, right next to Waverley station. This guide compares every way to get there…
Best for most: Train from King's Cross with LNER or Lumo · 4h 30m–5h 30m
Read the guideLondon to Manchester by Train (and the Christmas Markets)
Trains from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly take about 2 hours 15 minutes, with the fastest around 2 hours, and Avanti West Coast runs several…
Best for most: Avanti West Coast from Euston · 2h 30m–3h
Read the guideLondon to Nuremberg Christmas Market
Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is one of Germany's oldest and best-known Christmas markets, and there are more direct flights from London this winter…
Best for most: Fly direct to Nuremberg · 4–5h
Read the guideLondon to Prague Christmas Markets
Prague's Old Town Square market, with its huge tree and Gothic spires, is one of the most atmospheric in Europe, and it's only about 2 hours' flight…
Best for most: Fly to Prague · 4–5h
Read the guideLondon to Strasbourg Christmas Market
Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik is one of Europe's oldest Christmas markets, and you can reach it from London by train in an afternoon. This guide…
Best for most: Eurostar to Paris · 5h 30m–6h 30m
Read the guideLondon to Tallinn Christmas Market
Tallinn's Christmas market fills the medieval Town Hall Square in the Old Town, often under snow. This guide covers the direct flights from London…
Best for most: Fly Stansted to Tallinn · 5–6h
Read the guideLondon to Vienna Christmas Markets
Vienna has some of Europe's most elegant Christmas markets, and it's an easy 2-hour flight from London. This guide covers every practical way to get…
Best for most: Fly from Heathrow to Vienna · 4–5h
Read the guideSki
London to Chamonix for Skiing
Chamonix sits under Mont Blanc and is one of the easiest big Alpine resorts to reach from London. This guide covers flying to Geneva, going by train…
Best for most: Fly to Geneva · 5–6h
Read the guideLondon to Val Thorens for Skiing
At 2,300m, Val Thorens is the highest resort in Les 3 Vallées and one of the most snow-sure in the Alps, with a season that runs from November to…
Best for most: Fly to Geneva · 6–8h
Read the guideWinter sun
London to Gran Canaria for Winter Sun
Gran Canaria is an easy winter sun trip from London, with daytime highs around 20–23°C from December to February and plenty of direct flights. This…
Best for most: Fly to Gran Canaria · 6–7h
Read the guideLondon to Lanzarote for Winter Sun
Lanzarote is a short-haul winter sun favourite, with winter daytime highs around 20°C, volcanic scenery and César Manrique's striking art sites. This…
Best for most: Fly to Lanzarote · 6–7h
Read the guideLondon to Madeira for Winter Sun
Madeira is a mild, green island with daytime highs of around 19–20°C in Funchal through the winter, plus some of Europe's best walking. This guide…
Best for most: Fly direct to Madeira · 6–7h
Read the guideLondon to Marrakech for Winter Sun
Marrakech has warm, sunny winter days and is under four hours from London, making it one of the most exotic short breaks you can do in a long…
Best for most: Fly direct · 5h 30m–6h 30m
Read the guideLondon to Tenerife for Winter Sun
Tenerife is one of the most reliable winter sun escapes from the UK, with daytime highs around 20–22°C on the coast from December to February. This…
Best for most: Fly to Tenerife South · 6–7h
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