We love to travel together as a family and we are so lucky to have visited some really fun places already this year. If you follow my Instagram, you probably have seen from my stories and photos that we have just come back from a trip to France. But going away, even just for a few days can become really expensive can’t it? Booking last minute holidays could be a way of keeping costs down when travelling if you are able to be flexible with your dates and times.
Living in London, we are really lucky that we are able to visit many places in the UK and Europe quite easily. From sandy beaches a drive away from London to further afield. It also means you can take advantage of many offers and discounts from being able to travel from London. If you decide to book a last minute short break away be confident that you have ATOL peace of mind for your holidays so you know you are covered should the worst happen.
Booking Last Minute Holidays From London
France
Pont-Aven, France
At around 2-3 hours by train, depending on where you are visiting, travelling to France from London is accessible for either a fun day trip to the continent or a last minute short break away. If you are travelling with children you can take in all the culture of Paris or head over to Disneyland Paris for a day of fun and magic.
Dublin
Malahide Castle
Take a trip to the Emerald Isle and spend a few days. With flights from Heathrow at under 90 minutes, you can take in some of the local heritage visiting Malahide Castle or St Patrick’s Cathedral. How about a trip to Dublin Zoo or soaking up the culture at one of the many museums or galleries Dublin has to offer.
Barcelona
You can hop on a 7 am flight in London, and by 10.30 be taking in the sights and rich history. Compare this to a 3+ hour train journey from Barcelona to Madrid, taking a last minute holiday from London to Barcelona is a quick and easy getaway for somewhere new to explore this summer. If you want to advantage or possibly even lower fares, the best day to book a flight is a Tuesday. So if you are flexible on times and dates this is definitely a place to look at for a short summer break.
Madeira
View of Madeira from our hotel room
We visited Madeira last year and we had a lovely time exploring. A little longer flight but still coming in at around 4 hours. There are so many fantastic things to do there and the scenery is mesmerising. You can go away for the weekend and enjoy all that the island has to offer or perhaps a week if you have more time. We did so many activities such as whale watching, a jeep safari tour, we visited a traditional Madeira house, we travelled up the hill using a cable card and we went down the hill on a sledge! This was so much fun! You can get great deals if you have some flexible dates. I can highly recommend you to visit Madeira.
Mallorca
Port de Pollenza, Balearic Islands, Mallorca
Another place we love as a family is Mallorca. We had so much fun when we visited and the flight is less than 3 hours. Definitely, a place to consider for a short break this summer especially if the weather changes!
What About a Last Minute UK Staycation?
Why go abroad when there are plenty of gorgeous places to visit in the UK. Hop on a train to visit Plymouth, Essex or Brighton in less than a few hours or maybe head up North via plane or train. In a little over 90 mins via plane, you can be enjoying the delights of Edinburgh and take in the beautiful culture Scotland has to offer.
If you like this post, you might also like my latest post “What to See While Touring Europe | Art Galleries, Museums, Palaces” for more travel inspiration.
Have you ever managed to get a great deal on a last-minute holiday?
*Disclosure: This is a Collaborative Post.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
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We have one week left on 18th August for a last minute staycation and are about 4 hours drive from London. There are so many lovely slots in the UK and the summer weather has never been better. That said I rather like the look of your trip to Madeira and France too. #KCACOLS
In Australia, I’m extremely jealous that you can just take off to those destinations. Such a big deal to us!!! AHHHHH!
I’m not a fan of long haul flights so definitely look out for places to visit that I can get too in as little time as possible…great ideas! #KCACOLS
Wish I lived in London! I, too, am not a fan of long haul flights.
#Kcacols
Oh wow such gorgeous destination ideas! I have never visited Dublin but would really love to go. We love Cornwall for a good staycations x #kcacols
Okay, you get to hop over to the GREATEST places ever! Here in the states, it is not quite so easy to hop and pop around. You sure have added to my bucket list, alright! Once, Me and the Mrs., pre-kids, were offered someone’s timeshare, since they couldn’t use it. It was fun, free, and doable at the time! xoxo #KCACOLS
The world really is your oyster with all the travel options isn’t it? I love the sound of Madeira and that picture has got me having a sundowner! Thanks for hosting #kcacols
Some great suggestions here – I’ve always wanted to take the boys to visit Dublin! #KCACOLS
I love the idea of getting to Barcelona for a short break! Personally, I find that Germany offers great value for breaks too and has some great outdoor activities.
Yes I agree with you and I was about to add Hamburg to my list! Maybe will do on another post with more places to add! 😉
This is one of the many reasons I miss living in London, the rest of the world is so accessible! Barca is wonderful! Would have to add Seville and Lloret to my staycation list too. Great post Franca #KCACOLS
Thank you, Shan! X
I have friends in far away places who are jealous about how you can get to so many places in Europe so easily from London. We are all indeed very lucky. Madeira looks great. ~KCACOLS
Yes agree, we are very lucky! Madeira is amazing! 🙂
We are total staycation types but I’d love to travel more and show George the world.
#KCACOLS
You definitely have an advantage living in London! All these places are worth a visit – we went to Madeira a couple of years ago and I wasn’t too excited before we went to be honest, but when we got there I loved it. The people were so friendly! #kcacols
This is one thing I miss about Europe – being able to travel abroad so easily and cheaply. Going abroad is so expensive here and a long journey away. #kcacols
It’s so much easier to get around to some lovely places from London. Where I live you have to travel about an hour just to get to a motorway! #kcacols
We’ve never done a last minute holiday, but you’ve made it sound so appealing with all these amazing places to visit! Paris is right at the top of my list of places I would like to visit, partly because we know we could get there really easily on the Eurostar if we stayed with my parents in Kent for a night first! x #KCACOLS
So many beautiful places you can go, now we have the children it’s difficult to find the money for a city break. I didn’t realise the flight to Mallorca was so short, great for a last minute holiday #KCACOLS
Some good destination choices, I love Barcelona! #KCACOLS
I have been to all of these destinations so can vouch for them! We had our honeymoon in Madeira & loved it #KCACOLS
Great blog – def must visit London again soon – so much to do there!
Thank you Rebecca! Hope you do! I love London! 🙂