
Cheapest Day Trips From London in October 2026, Costed
The cheapest day trip from London in October 2026 is Dublin from Stansted on Sunday 4 October: £30 return plus about £47 on the ground, £77 all in, with 12.1 hours in the city. Barcelona, Palma and Pisa all come in around £80, and all ten on this list are under £100.

£77. That's Dublin and back from Stansted on Sunday 4 October, flights and the whole day on the ground, per person. Ten of the cheapest day trips from London this October come in under £100 all in, and here they are, cheapest first.
How we costed it: the flight is a real fare for that exact day on our board, checked on 26 September, not a monthly estimate. The ground cost is the airport transfer both ways, local transport, lunch and dinner, from BudgetBro's cost data for each city. Drinks and paid attractions are extra. Fares move daily, so the trip pages have today's price.
1. Dublin, Sun 4 Oct: £77
Stansted, £30 return on the day plus about £47 on the ground. Land 07:55, fly home 20:00, 12.1 hours in Ireland. The Airlink Express gets you into town in 30 minutes for €13 return, and the National Museum, the National Gallery and Phoenix Park are all free, so the £47 is basically transfers, lunch and dinner. Luton has Dublin for £31 on Sat 31 Oct too, but you only get 8.2 hours.
Dublin on Sun 4 Oct: flight times and today's price
2. Barcelona, Sun 11 Oct: £80
Stansted, £36 plus £44 on the ground. Land 10:00, fly home 19:35, 9.6 hours. Skip the Aerobús: bus 46 from the terminal to Plaça d'Espanya runs on a standard ticket. Barceloneta beach, Parc de la Ciutadella and a nose round La Boqueria cost nothing.

Barcelona on Sun 11 Oct: flight times and today's price
3. Palma, Thu 8 Oct: £81
Stansted, £36 plus £45 on the ground. Land 09:30, fly home 22:00, 12.5 hours. Bus A1 is 15 minutes into town. Twelve and a half hours of Mallorca on a Thursday in October for £81 is daft value, and Parc de la Mar is free.
Palma on Thu 8 Oct: flight times and today's price
4. Pisa, Mon 12 Oct: £81
Stansted, £31 plus £50 on the ground. Land 09:25, fly home 21:55, 12.5 hours. The PisaMover is 5 minutes from the terminal. Piazza dei Cavalieri, a walk along the river and Keith Haring's Tuttomondo mural are all free. Tower photo optional, nobody's judging.
5. Turin, Sat 3 Oct: £87
Stansted, £35 plus £52 on the ground. Land 08:50, fly home 17:10, 8.3 hours. Honest bit: the £52 includes a £28 dinner, and you're flying at 17:10, so eat properly at lunch and it comes down. Parco del Valentino along the Po and the Duomo are free.
Turin on Sat 3 Oct: flight times and today's price
6. Prague, Wed 14 Oct: £90
Stansted, £61 plus £29 on the ground, the cheapest day on the ground in this whole list. Land 08:55, fly home 20:30, 11.6 hours. Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock show, and the Prague Castle courtyards are all free.

Prague on Wed 14 Oct: flight times and today's price
7. Budapest, Tue 13 Oct: £92
Stansted, £58 plus £34 on the ground. Land 09:20, fly home 21:15, 11.9 hours. Bus 100E takes 40 minutes into town. Walk the Danube embankment, cross the Chain Bridge and go up Gellért Hill for the view. None of it costs a thing.
Budapest on Tue 13 Oct: flight times and today's price
8. Madrid, Sat 31 Oct: £92
Stansted, £37 plus £55 on the ground. Land 09:25, fly home 22:20, 12.9 hours, the longest day on the list. The metro is 30 minutes into the centre, and the Reina Sofía's main building is free for individual visitors. The clocks go back on 25 October, and these times already allow for it.
Madrid on Sat 31 Oct: flight times and today's price
9. Faro, Thu 15 Oct: £94
Stansted, £60 plus £34 on the ground. Land 08:45, fly home 18:45, 10 hours. Bus 16 is 20 minutes into town. Walk the walled old town through the Arco da Vila, then down to the marina.
Faro on Thu 15 Oct: flight times and today's price
10. Tirana, Thu 29 Oct: £95
Stansted, £55 plus £40 on the ground. Land 09:55, fly home 20:45, 10.8 hours. The wildcard. The Rinas Express bus is 30 minutes for €4, and Skanderbeg Square, the Pyramid and Tirana Castle are all free.
Tirana on Thu 29 Oct: flight times and today's price
What we'd pick
Most hours for the money: Palma or Pisa, 12.5 hours each for £81. Cheapest day once you've landed: Prague at £29. Shortest faff: Dublin, 30 minutes into town and a 20:00 flight home.
The catch
Every one of these is from Stansted, apart from the Luton Dublin. Manchester didn't have a fixed fare for October on our board yet. Prices are from 26 September and will move, sometimes a lot, so check the trip page before you book. Some of these land early, so it's a 04:00 alarm for most of them. That's the deal with a day trip.
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Photo credits. Top: Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0. Barcelona: Jopparn, CC BY-SA 3.0. Prague: Tadeáš Gregor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Day trips in this article
The cheapest day trips of the week, by email
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