Would you go to Pisa and back in a day? The rise of the extreme day tripper

Lured by rock-bottom airfares but put off by costly accommodation, some travellers are going farther in pursuit of a great day out

Sarah Deeks makes the most of her four-day weeks as a finance administrator for a school academy trust. Last Friday, instead of catching up on washing and doing the weekly shop on her day off, she headed off to Nantes in France to cruise along the Erdre river, wander in the botanical park and ride a “larger-than-life mechanical elephant” at Les Machines de l’Ile.
The author of Extreme Day Trips in Europe, Deeks is one of many to embrace the growing trend for extraordinary days out. Forget a nice drive to a National Trust property followed by a walk and a cream tea – these jaunts are defined in the Facebook group Extreme Day Trips as “going on a day trip which some think wouldn’t be possible because of distance or timing”.
Usually involving a flight and a complete change of scene – perhaps a mountainside rollercoaster, a snow-dusted Christmas market or a pizza in a sunny piazza – such trips have spawned a growing online community. Michael Cracknell, an administrator for the aforementioned Facebook group, first went on an extreme day trip (EDT) in the early 2000s. But it was only in 2023, after a post about his day spent in Benidorm went viral, that interest exploded. The group now has more than 228,000 members. 
Alex Choi, who recently set up extremedaytrips.com to cater to those in the grip of the craze, believes budgetary constraints are partly behind the boom. “The flights are often really cheap, so it’s just a really good way to explore Europe,” he says. “Once you start doing it, you just want to explore more and more places.”
Many extreme day trippers tick off well-trodden routes. As well as heading to Cracknell’s rollercoaster (actually Switzerland’s longest toboggan run, which wends its way through lush mountain pasture in Churwalden), many make for Therme Bucharest, where they can wallow in the palm-fringed pools of one of Europe’s largest spa complexes.
Copenhagen is also popular, while Paris and Dublin are preferred choices for first-time extreme day trippers thanks to their proximity to Britain (Cracknell’s Facebook page is full of posts from people who have visited the Guinness Storehouse and the pubs of Temple Bar).
The craze is now mainstream enough that both Choi and Deeks have met fellow extreme day trippers at the airport. “I’ve got chatting to people queuing at the departure gate after realising they were also day-tripping,” says Deeks. “We shared tips and met up on arrival at the destination. A couple of local people who have read my book have made contact to introduce themselves and ask if I’d like to take a day trip with them some time as well, as they have children of a similar age to mine.”
Though some extreme day trippers favour theme parks and adrenalin-fuelled activities, many of the most popular routes are quite tame. Thanks to particularly cheap airfares, gentle German cities such as Hamburg and Nuremberg are big draws.
My mention of a day in Marrakech, with its evocative medina, balmy weather and shortish journey, is politely demolished by Choi. “​​I’ve heard that Marrakech Airport can have really long queues and sometimes they ask, ‘Oh, why don’t you have a hotel?’” he says. “Because the flight time is quite long, it can mess up the day too. It’s probably better as a one-nighter.” 
What should potential extreme day trippers be looking for in a destination, then? “Cities like Pisa are really good because the airport is pretty close to the centre,” he says. “It’s actually one of the few cities you can walk to from the airport, which is really rare.”
Another place high on both Choi and Cracknell’s lists of favourite EDTs is Croatia, which has a flight time of around two and a half hours from the UK. “In Split, you’ve got those magnificent beaches in the city, you’ve got these wonderful waterfront cafés and walks and things like that,” says Cracknell. 
Iceland is another place that he’d like to go to, fuelled by reports from other people in the group who have tried it. And Choi’s first EDT was an extended one to Krakow while at university. He flew out at 6am and back at 6am the day after, staying in bars and clubs until it was time to return to the airport.
Deeks’s favourite EDT, meanwhile, was with her seven-year-old daughter. “It was to Billund, Denmark, discovering the marvellous Lego House,” she says. “Perfect for Lego lovers of any age, it was jam-packed with interactive activities and kept us entertained for a whole day.” 
Inevitably, using flights for day trips raises environmental concerns, and Cracknell admits to being conflicted about the impact. “I’m very aware of carbon footprint in this day and age,” he says. “But the flip side to it is: give me an incentive to explore this country. 
“I took my father and my two brothers to Athens in Greece in April for the day. The parking at the airport, which we shared between us, breakfast at the airport, the flight, the train from the airport to the centre of Athens, entry to the Acropolis and several other museums, a three-course meal in the afternoon, a snack at the airport and the flight home, cost £149 each. That was less than a return ticket – just the train ticket – from Gatwick to Edinburgh on the same day.”
It’s not easy to avoid aircraft for extreme day trips – but it’s possible, especially if you live in the south. 
Catch the 6.16am Eurostar to Rotterdam from St Pancras International and you’ll arrive shortly after 10am: there’s less to see here than in Amsterdam, which is a good thing when time is of the essence.
Make the 20-minute tram journey to the brilliantly retro Euromast for panoramic views across the city from its viewing platform (€12.50/£10.50; go in summer and you can even abseil down it for €65.40/£54.60). Then walk for another 20 minutes to Museum Park, which links many of the city’s museums and galleries, including Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen (€20/£16.70), an art storage facility where you can eat a fancy lunch at Restaurant Renilde before wandering between works by Picasso, Mondrian and Van Gogh. 
From here, it’s another 20-minute stroll back towards the station via the gargantuan food hall Markthal, where you can have an early supper before catching the 6.58pm back to London (the journey’s slightly longer on the way back, due to a change in Brussels). 
With more time, it’s also possible to do this one by overnighting on the P&O Ferries route from Hull.
Cracknell has begun to lead informal group trips to the longest toboggan run in Switzerland at Churwalden, which reaches speeds of up to 25mph as it whizzes from 1,750m to sea level. 
Getting there means an early flight to Zurich (at around 7am) and then a two-hour trip by train, changing in the city centre, followed by a bus – but it can be done thanks to the efficiency of the country’s public transport (if the logistics seem boggling, Cracknell has posted lots of advice on the Extreme Day Trips Facebook page). 
Avoid high summer, when queues mean you won’t have as many trips down the mountain, but be aware that the Pradaschier closes during shoulder season and in bad weather. Note that this one’s not cheap: five rides costs CHF49 (£43), the train is about £40 and Swiss food can be pricey and uninspiring – just think of the adrenalin surge, though.
One of Choi’s favourite recent trips was to Pisa and we found return easyJet flights from Gatwick to the city in October 2024 for less than £55. You’ll have to rise early (and pay for a taxi or parking) to get to the airport for a 5.55am departure, but then you have the whole day in the city before heading back at 9.10pm.
It’s about half an hour’s walk to the centre (much easier without luggage), where you can reward yourself with a coffee and the famously wonky view of the Leaning Tower. It’s not the only attraction, though. Behind the Piazza dei Miracoli (home to the Tower, cathedral and cemetery) you can clamber on to its 12th-century walls and wander between ancient ramparts (€5/£4.20). 
Then there’s the food, better than in touristy Florence or Siena. Pizza is a popular choice on EDTs: Pizzeria Le Mura (Largo Parlascio 34) is busy with office workers and Pisa’s student population.