Day trips

A few places come to mind that are nice after the day trippers have departed; Bath in the UK, Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany, and Erice in Sicily.

Edited: If we’re throwing Spain into the mix Like some respondents did, then Lugo, Zamora, Toledo, Segovia, Cuenca, Santiago de Compostela, Santillana Del Mar, Leon, and Burgos come to mind as nice places to see after the crowds have departed. Although not my favorite town, even Avila is quiet in the evening and nice to stroll around.

Hi Mary,

In Italy; Verona, Ravenna, Lucca, Siena, Orvieto, Assisi, and
Agrigento, and Piazza Armerina in Sicily.

If you venture out to Spain, Toledo and Córdoba are definitely worth a couple of nights too!

Hi Mary, I will give a general and specific answer to your question. If I’m traveling alone, I definitely prefer organizing my itinerary to have more shorter stays that allow me to skip day tours and enjoy each special town in the evening vs. taking a train back in the evening to a home base. I’ve never regretted staying overnight to savor “day trip “ locations.

Last year in France, I stayed overnight at Rouen, Chartres, Le Mans, Angers, Tours, Paris, Nice, Nancy and Colmar. Chartres, Le Mans and Nancy were very special in the evening! Check your dates to see if the Light shows in the evening will be running on those dates. Colmar is very touristy during the day - much better to stay overnight (see the surroundings villages, too!). Angers was one of my favorite destinations with the fortress & tapestries, and it wasn’t crowded.

Have a great time!

I just read Priscilla’s response, and I concur with her list for both Italy & Spain. One place that surprised me in the evening was Montepulciano. I loved my three days there! But evenings were almost too quiet. My conclusion was that probably people were going back to their agritourismo in the evenings.

Thanks for some great suggestions! One place I've been for a day trip where I wish I'd spent the night was Oxford, England. It was so crowded! We returned to London at about 4pm, so I'm wondering if it would have been nicer in the evening.

We haven't decided exactly where we will be going in France yet, as it's so far out, but definitely Paris, the Normandy beaches, and we want to rent a car and go south to visit the painted caves in the Dordogne.

Carcassone, France
Toledo, Spain
Taormina, Sicily
Cèfalu, Sicily

Thank you Pat, Jean, and Priscilla! And Jaime, I've been to Bath. My husband and I went to England for our honeymoon in 2004. We took one of those day tours to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath. It was a whirlwind, but we're glad we took the tour. But next time I go to England I intend to stay at least a few nights in Bath. Very interesting city.

I don’t like to change accommodations much, tend to base in one place for at least a week with a car if not staying in a city. I don’t think I can handle multi-destination stops in quick succession now, especially big cities. Yes, you can miss out on some of the evening ambience, a trade-off we are willing to accept. Most places I’ve stayed, even the ones very popular with tourists, are not crowded during the evening.

Off the top of my head, Rothenburg, Riquewihr, Fussen, Chipping Campden, Cochem are all places which we found calm in the evenings. Salzburg and most of Rome. I’ve stayed in Montepulciano twice (quiet as a mouse on week evenings) and during one of those visits we had a night away in a near empty Assisi, a small rucksack with toothbrushes, socks, underwear and shirts in the car. Did something similar with Riquewihr and a couple of nights away night in Gernsbach, close to Baden-Baden. The way we travel is not for everyone.

An especially beautiful sunset in Assisi (gorgeous stone), and Steyr in Austria.

I did spend the night in a B&B in Oxford. I was traveling alone so I had the Prix Fixe Meal at a nice Hotel and then since it was Summer I went to an outdoor performance of Shakespeare's "Much A Do About Nothing" in the Cloisters of one of the Colleges. The night started to get a little chilly, but two nice ladies offered me one of their lap blankets .Another time my Husband and I stayed near Woodstock, which is only 8 miles from Oxford and is a good place to stay if you want to see Blenheim Palace in the Morning.

I’m of two minds about day trips. I hate one night hotel visits, but I also find early morning and late evening the best time in most places. Going just for the day misses my favorite time, and in many popular day trip places it’s very crowded, too. However, if a town is extremely day trip driven then it’s nighttime is often too quiet for me. I like lively squares, walking around and not feeling like I’m the only person there, and a decent selection of restaurants and wine bars/pubs.

My favorite day trips are ones that are outdoor driven - hiking, beaches - because then you don’t necessarily want to be there at off hours. Also towns where the main objective is to see a particular sight - go early, get to the cathedral at opening, have lunch and explore a bit. You miss some of the atmosphere of the town but that’s not really the goal for that day.

I often end up skipping day trips because I’m enjoying the city where I am, so I’m not much help!

One thing I am willing to do is double-pay hotels. Say I’m in Rome for a week and have a hotel or apartment I like. I will keep it for 7 nights, but spend one of those nights in a cheap hotel in Orvieto or somewhere to enjoy the evening in a smaller town. This saves the hassle of packing up and redoing everything.

Carcassonne, France is well worth an overnight stay if only to see the sunset and sunrise against the walls. It's wall to wall people during the day, but you can have the place to yourself in the morning and evening.

One place I've been for a day trip where I wish I'd spent the night
was Oxford, England. It was so crowded! We returned to London at about
4pm, so I'm wondering if it would have been nicer in the evening.

It is much nicer in the evening when the day trippers have left! I've stayed in Oxford several times (my sister lived there until last year) and yes it is almost always very crowded in the daytime, but a lot nicer in the evening when you can actually enjoy the city without feeling crowded.

Another city I can add to the list is Utrecht that I found very charming in the evening, especially along the canal.

But if you don't want to move to another hotel, have dinner in your day trip town and take a late train back to where you are staying, that can make a big difference (it can also make you more popular among the locals).

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is definitely someplace that I am glad that I didn't day trip to. I stayed two nights a year ago and it was lovely to see the town in the evening (the Night Watchman tour was excellent) and in the morning before most of the tourists arrived.

I took day trips to both Segovia & Toledo, Spain and would like to go back and spend a full day and overnight in each of them.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Venice. Verona got a mention but not Venice.

The personality of Venice completely changes after about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, reaching exquisite beauty just before and after sunset. Walking the calles and campos, and riding on the Grand Canal are just gorgeous and absolutely a different world than in the daytime; the same applies just before or at dawn. Priceless.

Many many people day trip into Venice and miss all this.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Venice. Verona got a mention but
not Venice.

It never even occurred to me that people would consider Venice a day trip, but now that I think of it, I spent 5 days there before a cruise and was surprised how many people I spoke with arrived for the cruise the night before and had proclaimed that they'd seen Venice. I've been on two cruises in Europe and enjoyed them, but the one frustration I had was missing out on evenings at a location. It made me seek out other methods of travel as well. There's nothing quite like wandering a tourist hotspot like Venice or Carcassone after those pesky tourists have left.

I thought of specifics!
Hydra in Greece is sometimes done as a day trip, being a good way to see an island from a home base in Athens. But don’t! It’s well worth an overnight - there’s good hiking and beaches, and the sunset/sunrise is lovely.

Toledo Spain is a popular day trip from Madrid. It has more than enough interesting sights to warrant a night or two, and it’s mobbed during peak hours. However I found evenings there dreadfully dull. So it could go either way.

Venice should never ever be a day trip. If the choice is day trip or skip, skip. Better, manage at least 1 night. 2-4 is better. It is miserably crowded between 10-4 at any semi-famous sight. Later it’s lovely, not untouristy but it’s beautiful. Also you want time to wander the back canals and don’t have time if you are running between San Marco, Rialto, and a museum.

Naples/Pompeii as a day trip from Rome is insane. I suppose it’s possible if all you want is to peek at Pompeii and the museum in Naples...but that sounds exhausting. Naples is intense and not for everyone (I go back and forth, I don’t love it but do appreciate it). You could stay in Sorrento and day trip into Naples if that’s more your thing. But getting the Naples experience for a night is well worth it even if you end up in the anti-Naples camp.

My wife and I consider night life when selecting overnights in smaller European towns. Some places do get hammered by tour groups during the day. However, locals and independent travelers alike come to life during and after the passagiata, paseo,etc. Here are few that come to mind and haven’t been mentioned:
Erfurt, Germany - romantically lit platz (squares), restaurant scene and shopping.
Wiesbaden, Germany - spas, wein bars and beautiful parks.
Nurnberg, Germany - floodlit architecture, illuminated river and great eating.
Santa Margherita, Italy - seaside strolls, restaurant scene and Shopping
Frascati, Italy - oh the dining and views of Rome!
Padua, Bologna and Parma - young student vibe with an outstanding restaurant scene. Great walking!
Beaune, France - town comes to life in the evening and mornings (especially Saturday’s market)
Antibes, Avignon, St. Jean de Luz and Sarlat in France - you get the idea!

Thank you for all the wonderful replies, I'm really enjoying them!

We have done many day trips over 19 times to Europe. Always, our favorite places are the ones where we've spent the night. In my opinion, this makes all the difference in how you view a town. I don't regret any of our day trips, but I think we shortchanged a lot of places by not staying over. Happy planning!

When we have stayed in Venice we will walk early in the morning when the sun is coming up. Beautiful time of day with only the commercial traffic on the canals and pathways. We find this is a good strategy wherever we go and also allows us to be at the tourist sites early to avoid the day trippers and tours. this is also provides a great soft light for pictures and no crowds in the shots!