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.
Seven day trips from Washington DC, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Annapolis is 50 minutes out; Shenandoah's Skyline Drive is the far mountain edge of a day.
Seven day trips from Vancouver, each with a verified one-way travel time and an honest same-day budget for two. Fort Langley is 50 minutes east; Squamish, the gateway to the Sea to Sky corridor and Garibaldi Provincial Park, is 55 minutes north.
Seven day trips from Toronto, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Hamilton's waterfall circuit is 55 minutes west; Prince Edward County's Sandbanks Provincial Park, at 2h 25m east, anchors the far end of a summer day.
Seven day trips from Tampa, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. St. Petersburg is 25 minutes across the bay; Crystal River's manatee springs are an hour and a half north.
Seven day trips from Sydney, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Cronulla is 35 minutes south; the Blue Mountains' Three Sisters viewpoint above Katoomba is 1h 25m west on the Great Western Highway.
Seven day trips from Singapore, each with a verified one-way travel time and an honest same-day budget for two. Johor Bahru is 35 minutes north by car; Bintan and Batam are 45 minutes by ferry. All costs in Singapore dollars.
Fifteen day trips from San Diego, each with a verified one-way travel time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Encinitas is 30 minutes out, Temecula wine country is an hour, and Big Bear Lake is the far edge of a day.
Seven day trips from Portland, Oregon, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Silverton and Silver Falls State Park is 55 minutes southeast; Mount St. Helens, still visibly recovering from the 1980 eruption, is 1h 35m north.
Seven day trips from Pittsburgh, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Harmony is 30 minutes out; Deep Creek Lake in Maryland is the far mountain edge of a day.
Seven day trips from Philadelphia, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Longwood Gardens is under an hour west; St. Michaels is the far Chesapeake edge of a day.
Seven day trips from Ottawa, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Wakefield is 30 minutes north in the Gatineau Hills; Montreal, the second-largest city in Canada, is 2 hours east on the 417.
Sixteen day trips from New York City, each with a verified one-way drive time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Sleepy Hollow is 50 minutes out; Cold Spring is 80; Mystic sits at the far Connecticut edge of a long day.
Seven day trips from Nashville, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Franklin is 30 minutes south; Huntsville is the far Alabama edge of a day.
Five day trips from Mumbai, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Lonavala, the hill station on the Western Ghats, is 1h 35m east on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. All costs in Indian Rupees.
Fourteen day trips from Los Angeles, each with a verified one-way drive time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Long Beach is 30 minutes south; Santa Barbara is 95 minutes north; Julian sits at the far mountain edge of a long day.
Seven day trips from London, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Windsor Castle is 50 minutes west; Bath's Roman Baths and Georgian terraces anchor the far end of a full day at 2h 25m southwest.
Seven day trips from Las Vegas, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Red Rock Canyon is 30 minutes west; Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth in summer, is the January pick at 2h 20m southwest.
Seven day trips from Houston, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Galveston is 55 minutes south; Washington-on-the-Brazos, where Texas declared independence in 1836, is the far historical edge of a day.
Seven day trips from Dublin, each with a verified one-way travel time and an honest same-day budget for two. Trim Castle is 55 minutes northwest; Glendalough, the 6th-century monastic settlement in the Wicklow Mountains, is 1h 10m south.
Seven day trips from Denver, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Golden is 25 minutes west; Estes Park is the Rocky Mountain edge of a day.
Six day trips from Delhi, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Murthal is 45 minutes north on NH-44; Neemrana, the Rajasthan border fort palace, is 2h 45m southwest on NH-48. All costs in Indian Rupees.
Fourteen day trips from Dallas, each with a verified one-way drive time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Fort Worth is 30 minutes west; Waco is 85 minutes south; Austin sits at the far edge of a long day.
Fourteen day trips from Chicago, each with a verified one-way drive time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Indiana Dunes is 50 minutes east; Milwaukee is 90 minutes north; Galena sits at the far western edge of a long day.
Seven day trips from Calgary, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Cochrane is 35 minutes west; Canmore, the Rocky Mountain town at the edge of Banff National Park, is 1h 10m west on the Trans-Canada.
Seven day trips from Brisbane, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Cleveland is 40 minutes southeast for Moreton Bay; Mount Tamborine, the Gold Coast hinterland plateau, is 1h 5m south.
Fifteen day trips from Boston, each with a verified one-way travel time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Concord is 35 minutes out; Salem is 40; North Conway holds the far mountain edge of a day.
Seven day trips from Austin, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Lockhart is 35 minutes south; Fredericksburg, where German heritage meets Texas wine country, anchors the far end of a Hill Country day.
Seven day trips from Atlanta, each with a verified one-way drive time and an honest same-day budget for two. Marietta is 30 minutes out; Chattanooga is the far Tennessee edge of a day.
Twenty day trips from Seattle, each with a verified one-way travel time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Woodinville is 25 minutes out; Mount Rainier is 90; the Columbia Gorge is the far edge of a day.
Twenty-one day trips from Bangalore, each with a verified one-way drive time, the round trip it costs your day, and an honest same-day budget for two. Nelamangala is an hour out; the Hogenakkal coracles are the far edge of a day.