Guides
Day trips from major cities — same-day, no hotel, ranked by real round-trip drive time and what a day out actually costs.
Pick the city nearest you to see how far a single day can reach. Have a whole weekend instead? See the weekend getaways by city.
Ten day trips from Atlanta, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Marietta Square is 30 minutes out; Chattanooga and Cloudland Canyon on Lookout Mountain hold the far edge at about two hours.
Nineteen day trips from Austin, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Lockhart's barbecue is 40 minutes south; Enchanted Rock and Kerrville hold the far edge of a day at about two hours.
Twenty-three one-day trips from Bangalore, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two in rupees. Bannerghatta and Wonderla are an hour out; Melukote and Talakadu hold the far edge of a day at 2h 40m.
Twenty day trips from Boston, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Concord is 35 minutes out; Martha's Vineyard, ferry included, is the far edge of a day at 2h 35m.
Twenty day trips from Brisbane, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two. Redcliffe and Ipswich are 45 minutes out; Stanthorpe and Rainbow Beach hold the far edge of a day at 2h 45m.
Twenty day trips from Calgary, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two. Cochrane is 35 minutes west; Waterton Lakes, on the Montana border, holds the far edge of a day at 2h 50m.
Sixteen day trips from Chicago, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Lake Forest is 40 minutes up the North Shore; Galena and Indianapolis hold the far edge of a day at about three hours.
Nineteen day trips from Dallas, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Six Flags Over Texas is 20 minutes out; Turner Falls in Oklahoma holds the far edge of a day at two hours.
Ten one-day trips from Delhi, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two in rupees. Murthal's dhabas are 50 minutes up NH-44; Fort Unchagaon near Bulandshahr holds the far edge of a day at 2h 50m.
Eighteen day trips from Denver, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Golden is 25 minutes out; Buena Vista and the Royal Gorge hold the far edge of a day at a little over two hours.
Twelve day trips from Dublin, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Newgrange in the Boyne Valley is 45 minutes out; Cork and Midleton hold the far edge of a day at about three hours.
Nineteen day trips from Houston, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Old Town Spring is 25 minutes north; Seguin and New Braunfels hold the far edge of a day at two and a half hours.
Seven day trips from Las Vegas, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Red Rock Canyon is 30 minutes west of the Strip; Lake Havasu and its London Bridge sit at the far edge of a day at 2h 30m.
Twenty-nine day trips from London, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Windsor is 50 minutes out; Bath's Roman Baths sit at the far edge of a day at 2h 20m.
Twenty day trips from Los Angeles, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Long Beach is 30 minutes out; San Diego, Idyllwild and Joshua Tree hold the far edge of a day at about two hours.
Eleven one-day trips near Mumbai, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two in rupees. Karnala is 1h 5m out; Mulshi beyond Pune holds the far edge of a day at 3h.
Thirteen day trips from Nashville, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Franklin is 30 minutes out; Fall Creek Falls holds the far edge of a day at two hours.
Twenty-two day trips from New York City, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two. The Palisades are 45 minutes out; Tannersville and Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills hold the far edge of a day at 2h 20m.
Fifteen day trips from Ottawa, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two. Wakefield is 35 minutes north in the Gatineau Hills; Gananoque and the Thousand Islands hold the far edge of a day at 1h 35m.
Thirteen day trips from Philadelphia, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Valley Forge and Sesame Place are 35 minutes out; Lancaster, Lititz and Jim Thorpe hold the far edge of a day at 1h 30m.
Seventeen day trips from Phoenix, each with a routed one-way drive time and a day cost for two. Goldfield's ghost town is 40 minutes out, and Tombstone and Meteor Crater hold the far edge of a day at 2h 50m.
Fifteen day trips from Pittsburgh, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Harmony and the Trolley Museum are 30 minutes out; Cook Forest, Erie's Presque Isle and Cumberland hold the far edge at about two hours.
Sixteen day trips from Portland, Oregon, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two. Corbett and the Gorge waterfalls are 25 minutes east; Long Beach on the Washington coast holds the far edge of a day at 2h 20m.
Twenty day trips from San Diego, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Tijuana is 25 minutes south; Ensenada, Anza-Borrego and Los Angeles hold the far edge of a day at about two hours.
Twenty-one day trips from San Francisco, each with a routed one-way drive time and a day cost for two. Wine country leads: Napa is an hour out, Sonoma an hour and five minutes, Healdsburg and Calistoga under an hour and a half.
Twenty-three day trips from Seattle, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Woodinville's tasting rooms are 25 minutes out; Leavenworth's Bavarian village is the far edge of a day at 2h 15m.
Five day trips from Singapore across the Causeway into Johor, each with a routed one-way drive time and an all-in day cost for two. Johor Bahru is 35 minutes out; Malacca holds the far edge of a day at 3h.
Nine day trips from Sydney, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Cronulla is 35 minutes south; Lake Macquarie and Kiama hold the far edge of a day at under two hours.
Eleven day trips from Tampa, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. St. Petersburg is 25 minutes across the bay; Orlando holds the far edge of a day at 1h 25m.
Seventeen day trips from Toronto, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Milton's escarpment parks are 50 minutes out; Prince Edward County and Kingston hold the far edge of a day at 2h 20m and 2h 45m.
Twelve day trips from Vancouver, each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Steveston is 35 minutes out; Joffre Lakes up the Duffey Lake Road holds the far edge of a day at 2h 35m.
Twenty-two day trips from Washington, D.C., each with a routed one-way drive time and an honest day cost for two. Great Falls is 30 minutes out; Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City hold the far edge of a day at nearly three hours.