Day Trips from Belfast: What's Actually Possible
Same-day trips from Belfast are limited to Alicante and Malaga and start around £271.75 in November, while the cheaper days sit in spring or out of Glasgow, where Dublin is £37.00 return.
Day trips from Belfast are harder than from anywhere else in the UK, and I'd rather say that up front than sell you a day that doesn't exist. The list of places you can reach and get back from in one day is short, and the November prices on it are eye-watering. There are days that work, they're just further out, and if you can get yourself to Glasgow the maths changes completely. We cost all of it the same way we cost all the other extreme day trips on the board.
Can you do a day trip from Belfast at all?
You can, but the choice is thin. Alicante and Malaga are the two destinations with a workable same-day return out of Belfast on our board right now, and everything else either leaves too late or gets you home the following morning.
What does a day trip from Belfast actually cost?
More than it should. Alicante on Saturday 14 November is £271.75 for the whole day, with six and a quarter hours on the ground, out at 07:10 and home at 23:50. Paris on Friday 13 November is £347.25 with seven and a quarter hours there, home at 22:00. Both were checked on 3 November. I'm not going to dress those up, they're expensive days out.
Want to see where your money actually goes? BudgetBro tracks it in any currency, free.
When do the cheap days from Belfast come back?
Spring, mostly. Faro on Wednesday 14 April is £132.25 for the whole day and gives you eight hours and twenty minutes on the ground, home at 23:45. Geneva on Sunday 28 February is £141.20 with seven and three quarter hours there. If you're flexible on when rather than where, that's where the value sits.
Is it cheaper to fly from Glasgow instead?
Much cheaper, and it's 176 km away. Dublin from Glasgow is £37.00 return on Monday 30 November with seven hours and twenty minutes on the ground, out at 07:50 and home at 18:40. Alicante is £74.00 on Thursday 26 November and Malaga is £89.00 on Monday 30 November. Those fares were checked on 30 October. The full list is on day trips from Glasgow, and the Dublin day from Glasgow is the one I'd look at first.
How do you get to Belfast airport?
The Airport Express 300 runs from the city and takes about 40 minutes for £8. That's already counted in every whole-day figure above.
So is a day trip from Belfast worth it?
Honestly, not at November prices, not out of Belfast itself. Wait for the spring fares, or treat Glasgow as your airport and double what you get for your money. The one thing I wouldn't do is book a £271 day out because it happens to leave from your nearest airport.
Every Belfast date we've checked, with the whole day priced, is on day trips from Belfast. Founders pay £19 a year for the lot.
Day trips in this article
The cheapest day trips of the week, by email
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Related Articles
Day Trips Abroad from Edinburgh, and What They Cost
Every day trip we've costed from Edinburgh Airport, with the flights, the transport and the food in one figure.
· 3 min read
Day Trips from London: Every Airport, Priced for the Day
The cheapest full day out of Stansted, Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow, with the flights and the ground costs in one number.
· 3 min read
Day Trips from Cardiff: Where You Can Go and Back in a Day
Every day trip we've costed from Cardiff Airport, with the flights, the bus and the food in one number.
· 3 min read
Latest Articles
View all articles
Valentine's Day Trip From Birmingham and Bristol 2027
The cheapest Valentine's day trips for two from Birmingham and Bristol in February 2027, from Dublin to Prague, with flight times and what the whole day costs.
· 3 min read
New Year's Day Trips Abroad 2027, From £73.85 All In
New Year's Day is the cheapest day to fly in the first weekend of 2027. Here are the best day trips abroad on Friday 1 January, home the same night, with whole-day costs.
· 3 min read
Flight Time Manchester to Copenhagen, and a Day There
Manchester to Copenhagen is under two hours in the air. Here is exactly how long it takes, what time you land, and whether you can do Copenhagen in a day.
· 3 min read