Route guides

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

London 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

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

London 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

London 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

Birmingham to Bolzano Christmas Market

How to get from Birmingham to Bolzano's Christmas market: flights to Verona or Innsbruck, trains, driving and flight-free routes, plus dates and…

London 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

London 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

London 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

London 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

Edinburgh to Copenhagen Christmas Markets

Copenhagen at Christmas means Tivoli Gardens lit up with thousands of lights, mulled wine by the Nyhavn canal and an easy hop over the bridge to…

Best for most: Fly Edinburgh to Copenhagen · 4–5h

London 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

London 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

Manchester to Gdańsk Christmas Market

Gdańsk's Christmas market fills Targ Węglowy beside the Golden Gate, with the rebuilt merchants' houses of the Old Town all around. This guide covers…

Best for most: Fly Manchester to Gdańsk · 4–5h

Manchester to Kraków Christmas Market

Kraków's Christmas market fills one of Europe's biggest medieval squares, and it's under three hours from Manchester by direct flight. This guide…

Best for most: Fly Manchester to Kraków · 4–5h

London 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

Birmingham to Munich Christmas Markets

Munich's Christmas markets fill the old town around Marienplatz, and there's a direct flight from Birmingham every day. This guide covers the direct…

Best for most: Direct flight from Birmingham · 4–5h

London 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

London 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

Birmingham to Salzburg Christmas Markets

Salzburg's Christmas markets sit in front of the cathedral with the fortress above and the Alps behind. This guide covers direct flights from…

Best for most: Fly direct from Birmingham to Salzburg · 4–5h

London 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

London 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

London 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

Manchester to Vienna Christmas Markets

Vienna has some of Europe's most elegant Christmas markets, and there are direct flights from Manchester all winter. This guide covers which airlines…

Best for most: Fly direct from Manchester · 5–6h

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

Birmingham to Innsbruck for Skiing

Innsbruck has one of the shortest airport transfers in the Alps, with a dozen ski areas within an hour, and you can fly there direct from Birmingham.…

Best for most: Fly direct from Birmingham to Innsbruck · 4–5h

Birmingham to Val Gardena

How to get from Birmingham to the Val Gardena ski area in the Dolomites: flights to Innsbruck or Verona, transfers, train and bus, and driving.

London 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

Edinburgh to Reykjavík for the Northern Lights

Reykjavík is one of the quickest aurora trips from Scotland: a direct flight of about two and a half hours and no time difference in winter. This…

Best for most: Fly direct to Keflavík · 4h 30m–5h 30m

Manchester to Tromsø for the Northern Lights

Tromsø sits under the auroral oval, well inside the Arctic Circle, and there are direct winter flights from Manchester. This guide covers flights,…

Best for most: Fly direct from Manchester · 5h 30m–6h 30m

Manchester to Levi, Lapland

Levi is Finland's biggest ski resort and a good base for husky rides, reindeer farms, Santa visits and the Northern Lights, and you can fly there…

Best for most: Fly direct from Manchester to Kittilä · 5–6h

Birmingham to Rovaniemi, Lapland

Rovaniemi is the easiest way to give the kids a real Lapland Christmas, and from this winter you can fly there direct from Birmingham. This guide…

Best for most: Fly direct from Birmingham to Rovaniemi · 5–6h

Birmingham to Cyprus for Winter Sun

Cyprus is one of the warmest places in Europe in winter, with mild days, quiet ancient sites and easy driving on the left. This guide covers winter…

Best for most: Fly direct to Paphos · 7–8h

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

Manchester to Hurghada for Winter Sun

Hurghada on Egypt's Red Sea coast gives you warm, dry winter days, a sea that's still around 22–23°C and some of the easiest snorkelling you can get…

Best for most: Fly direct from Manchester · 7–8h

London 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

London 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

Manchester to Malta for Winter Sun

Malta is an easy winter break from Manchester: short direct flights, English widely spoken, and mild days for exploring Valletta, Mdina and Gozo.…

Best for most: Fly direct · 5h 30m–6h 30m

London 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

Birmingham to Sal, Cape Verde for Winter Sun

Sal is one of the warmest winter sun options within a direct flight of the Midlands, with mid-20s temperatures, a long white beach at Santa Maria and…

Best for most: Fly direct from Birmingham with TUI · 7–8h

London 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

Birmingham to Sithonia

How to get from Birmingham to Sithonia in Halkidiki: direct flights to Thessaloniki, hire car, taxi transfers, the KTEL bus and the overland route.