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One capital city is perfect for exploring even if you only have a day

Extreme day tripping is the newest travel fad sweeping social media, with adventurous tourists jetting off to explore a new city all within 24 hours. This high-octane travel hack might be exhausting, but it lets you see more of the world without dipping into your annual leave.

It’s cheaper than a night on the town, as you save on hotel costs and get to snuggle up in your own bed at the end of the day. Being based in the UK gives you easy access to Europe, allowing you to jet off to a stunning new city and return home all in one day. Travel gurus at Iglu Cruise have shared some top picks for extreme day trips.

One of the best cities to discover in a day is Dublin. With a flight time of just one hour and 15 minutes, it’s an ideal destination for a quick adventure.

Catch an early morning flight from the UK and kickstart your day with a stroll around Trinity College, Dublin’s oldest university, reports the Express.

Don’t miss a visit to the Old Library, which houses the renowned Book of Kells, a beautifully illustrated manuscript that’s a must-see for history buffs and art enthusiasts.

There are plenty of breakfast spots nearby for a delicious start to your day, including The Woollen Mills on Ormond Quay and Bewley’s Café on Grafton Street.

In the afternoon, take a leisurely walk from the college to Dublin Castle, a key player in Ireland’s history. If you’re still up for more sightseeing, continue on foot to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Ireland.

This awe-inspiring structure is a marvel of architecture, housing captivating exhibits dedicated to Ireland’s patron saint.

Naturally, no trip to Ireland would be complete without tasting some Guinness, and Dublin is home to the Guinness Storehouse. Here, you can delve into the brewing process and the history of Ireland’s most iconic beer.

YouTuber and self-proclaimed Guinness aficionado Darragh Curran, also known as the Guinness Guru, asserts that Dublin serves up some of the finest pints globally.

Speaking to Ireland Before You Die, he revealed that the world’s best pint of Guinness can be found at John Kavanagh’s The Gravediggers.

He declared: “Situated right beside Glasnevin Cemetery and currently run by the seventh generation of Kavanaghs; this 180-year-old pub serves the best pint of Guinness on the planet.”

If you fancy verifying his claim before jetting back to the UK after your whirlwind day trip, you’ll find the pub at 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin, D09 CF72, Ireland.

WHO doesn’t love finding a destination that feels like stepping into your favourite fairytale?

Well, one European destination three hours from the UK made me feel like I was living in my own Disney movie.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is less than three hours from the UK by plane and it makes the ideal trip away.

Whether you love history or are more of a foodie, Tallinn has something for everyone.

I stayed in the Old Town, which is the ideal spot to mooch around the medieval streets.

And as you do, you will quickly realise why the city is often referred to as fairytale-like.

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Littered across the Old Town there are a number of churches with towering spires that can be spotted from several viewpoints also found across the city.

One of the most refreshing things I found though, was the peace.

Unlike the chaos of London or the crowds in Paris, for a capital city Tallinn was remarkably quiet and really makes you feel as if you are the star of a Disney princess cartoon.

And of course, the quiet came with a heap of benefits like not having to book restaurants or queue for ages at tourist attractions.

This also meant that I could actually move around the Christmas market in Town Square.

The market is small in size, but still has lots worth seeing.

Cosy stalls set in chalets sell handmade Estonian gifts, like wooden spoons and fluffy gloves.

One stall even had an array of jewellery made with amber and for €25 (£21.87) a necklace, I was shocked at how cheap it was.

The most popular thing at the market is glögi – which is essentially Estonian mulled wine.

As someone who isn’t a fan of the red stuff, I was hesitant to try it – but with a number of flavours to choose from, I thought it would be a waste not to.

Personally, I would say it tastes more like mulled cider than mulled wine, especially the apple strudel and orange flavours.

You have to pay €2 (£1.75) deposit on a reusable cup, which, once you’re done, if you hand back to the stall you’ll get your €2 (£1.75) back.

The glögi itself then cost anywhere between €6 (£5.25) and €8 (£7), a bargain compared to UK Christmas markets (for example, mulled wine at Winter Wonderland is about £7.40).

One thing I would say though, is if you do not like meat, then you might want to grab food from one of the restaurants on the surrounding streets as most of the food stalls consist of blood sausages, with sauerkraut and potatoes.

At the centre of the market, you will find a rather extravagant Christmas tree – in fact, it was so tall I couldn’t quite see the top when standing at the bottom.

Tallinn is home to the world’s oldest recorded public Christmas tree, which has been erected each year in the Town Hall Square since 1441.

The tradition was started by the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, who were essentially a club of unmarried merchants and foreign traders.

Each year now, the tree is selected from a local forest.

Tradition has it that unmarried men and women would dance around the tree, but most visitors will now just make a wish under the tree.

When there, I witnessed a marriage proposal which added to the festive spirit, and I, of course, made my own wish, which did actually come true a day later – call it magic.

There is more to do in the city though than just heading to the Christmas market.

If you like history, I would definitely recommend heading to Kiek in de Kok Museum.

Make sure to get the ‘everything’ ticket to see everything at the site – it costs €16 (£14).

This ticket allows you to access four towers, the stone carvings museum and bastion tunnels – and they are all worth it.

The museum is a fortress, so you start by exploring the different towers.

One tower has an exhibition about cafe culture in Estonia, which is super fascinating.

Another has a lookout room, and from this tower to the main tower there is a walkway boasting spectacular views across the Old Town.

The main tower, which is also the entrance to the site, features a cafe and exhibits about the fortress.

The fourth tower is then home to an array of weaponry.

From this tower you can then enter the Bastion Tunnel, which stretch on for what feels like miles.

The tunnels have seen several uses over the years, including being used as bomb shelters, a place for the homeless and even a hideout for members of the punk movement.

This is just one of several museums across the city.

In fact, there are so many that I would recommend selecting a few to visit before you travel to the city or having a slightly longer trip than I did (I went for two days).

Another fascinating spot to explore is the KGB Prison Cells.

Located in the basement of a now apartment block, visitors can explore a number of KGB prison cells and learn about the Estonian politicians, civil servants and intellectuals that were tortured there.

It isn’t huge and doesn’t take more than an hour to visit, but it really gives you an insight to the conditions of a communist prison.

They cost €10 (£8.75) per person to visit.

If I had more time in the city, there are a number of other spots I would have explored as well.

For example, the Kadriorg Palace – an 18th century Petrine Baroque palace, which sits just outside the city, costing from €15 (£13.12) to visit.

And then there’s Europe‘s oldest pharmacy dating back to 1422 – Raeapteek.

It is full of exhibits including dried toads, burnt bees, and other ingredients used in historic remedies and costs €15 (£13.12) to visit.

Definitely make sure to purchase a Tallinn Card before you visit the city – it allows you to access 50 museums across Tallinn, as well as get discounts on a range of other things like cafes.

There are three different cards you can purchase – 24 hours (adult €45(£39.37)/child €27(£23.62)), 48 hours (adult €65(£56.87)/child €34(£29.75)) or 72 hours (adult €76(£66.49)/child €41(£35.87)).

There are a few free places you can visit though, such as the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – it is extravagant from both the outside and the inside and completely free to visit.

There is also the banned book museum, home to over 400 banned books, from over 100 different countries.

It is free to visit, but only open Thursday to Saturday.

Make sure to also check out Katariina käik, which is a notable cobbled street in the city and really does transport you back to a medieval fairytale.

From here you can also explore a number of cobbled courtyards home to independent business and talented potters, jewellery makers and crafters.

Tallinn is also full of great places to grab a bite and walking through the streets, I often saw menus with meals for around €10 (£8.75).

For one meal, I headed to III Draakon – a small medieval-themed tavern, where all the staff are in character.

I opted for two Ox sausages for €6 (£5.25) and a rack of ribs for €30 (£26.25) – which was definitely enough for two people.

Then for lunch on another day, I visited Café Maiasmokk, which is the oldest cafe in Estonia.

Inside, the interior has remained mostly unchanged for the past century and features vintage cabinets and shelves.

The site also has a marzipan room, with delicately painted marzipan figures.

Here I of course opted for some marzipan-based treats including the Café Maiasmokk coffee which featured marzipan liquor, a marzipan and blackcurrant pastry and a cheese and pastrami twist.

All of this set me back €14 (£12.25).

Pierre Chocolaterie is then a hidden secret in the Old Town – it’s a 1920s cafe serving hot chocolates and cakes.

Definitely opt for the ‘XL’ hot chocolate, which comes in a pint glass making it enough for two people.

It was a warming delight and costs just €6.40 (£5.60), if you have a Tallinn Card.

When it comes to hotels, there are lots of options too.

Rixwell Viru Square Hotel sits right on the edge of the Old Town and provided the ideal spot for exploring both the Old Town and the more modern side of the city.

The hotel is basic but cosy – but for €28 (£24.50) a night for two people, it is a bit of a no brainer.

In the hotel is home to Farm Restaurant – a great option for discovering more modern Estonian food.

I had the grilled duck fillet with parsnip, quince, pumpkin and duck jus with cranberries, costing €26 (£22.75) which I highly recommend.

There are several things I learned when visiting I also hadn’t seen when researching the city beforehand.

Public transport is super cheap, but so are Ubers – for reference, it cost around £5 to get from the airport to the city centre.

Flights to Tallinn are super cheap as well.

For example, return flights from London in January cost from just £34.

If you are looking for other European spots to explore, here are the five top hidden gem attractions in the UK according to experts from Venetian palaces to hidden gold mines.

Plus, the tiny European coastal town that used to be its own island named top 2024 hidden gem.