10 Exciting Small City Day Trips

Want to experience the Tokyo Summer Olympics without enduring mobs of flag-waving sports fans? Head to Yokohama: The city is hosting Olympic baseball, softball, and soccer games, and it’s only a 30-minute train ride form Tokyo. This sleek port city is no sleepy ‘burb: With a population of 3.7 million, you’ll find world-class dining such as Masagosaryou, a two-star Michelin restaurant serving kaiseki, a traditional Japanese multi-course meal. Scenic sites include Yamashita Park, which offers waterfront views of busy Tokyo Bay (you can tour the Hikawa Maru, a 1930s luxury liner that once hosted the Japanese imperial family), and a relaxing 43-acre Sankeien Garden, featuring gardens, cherry blossoms, and a 15th-century pagoda.

Rotterdam will command Europe’s musical spotlight in May when it hosts Eurovision 2020, a songwriting competition with performances that are broadcast live in 41 countries. The city is known for its offbeat mix of modern architectural styles (Rotterdam was destroyed by German bombers in World War II), including the horseshoe-shaped Markthall, which houses Holland’s largest indoor food market. You’ll find 100 fresh produce sellers, eight restaurants, and a food-inspired mural on the wide, curved ceiling. Also check out the 1970s-era Cube Houses (picture a giant Rubik’s Cube that’s been unfolded, painted yellow, and supported on pylons). Kunsthal Rotterdam is the city’s premier art museum, but if you prefer Pacman over Picasso, head to Poing, a downtown arcade with old-school video games, from Pong to Dance Dance Revolution. Visiting from Amsterdam? It’s an easy 41-minute train ride to Rotterdam.

This exceedingly picturesque port city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region is about an 80-minute plane ride from Paris. The city’s 300 days of sunshine are perfect for exploring its 35 miles of coastline, enjoying the rocky white cliffs at Calanques National Park, or walking the narrow streets of Cours Julien, known as the street art district for the often-outrageous, hand-painted facades on its bars and boutiques. Marseille’s signature site is the Notre Dame de la Gard, a 19th-century Catholic cathedral that overlooks the city from its highest point, offering 360-degree views of the town and the Mediterranean Sea. For a restaurant with fabulous seaside views, sample the seafood at Michelin-star awardee L’Epuisette.

In 2020, the city will celebrate the tricentennial of the Royal Cork Yacht Club—the world’s oldest yacht club—with Cork300, a series of boat races in July and August. Cork is a scenic two-hour-and-30-minute train ride from Dublin and a prime destination for foodies: It’s home to 70+ percent of Ireland’s artisan food producers. The area features two Michelin star restaurants—the Japanese Ichigo Ichie and Chestnut, which focuses on local, seasonal ingredients—and the 232-year-old English Market, where 140 stalls sell everything from smoked salmon to fresh breads (for a Cork delicacy, try the blood sausage and tripe A. O’Reilly & Sons). Walk off your meals by strolling through the Crawford Art Gallery, a free museum that features some of Ireland’s greatest artists, or strolling nearby Spike Island. The 103-acre island is like Ireland’s version of Alcatraz: It once housed the world’s largest prison and was named Best Attraction at the International Travel and Tourism Awards in 2019.

The flight from Toronto to Montreal is only an hour and ten minutes, but culturally the cities seem further apart. Unlike its skyscraper-rich counterpart, many of Montreal’s standout sites—the Notre-Dame Basilica; City Hall; the Mary, Queen of the World Basilica (modeled after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome)—have a decidedly old-world vibe. The city excels at French cuisine (no surprise) and a local favorite is poutine: French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. You’ll find it not only at diners and bars, but at standout restaurants such as Le-Garde Manager or Au Pied de Cochon (the chef adds foie gras to the mix). Big events for 2020 include the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in May, which returns to Montreal for the first time since 1932.

If you need a break from hyper Manhattan, drive 20 miles north to Nyack, a small-town gem in the Hudson River Valley. Admire the Victorian homes and wander the cozy downtown, which features independently owned shops and restaurants (a single Starbucks is the 7,000-resident village’s only chain store). Top shops include the Pickwick Book Shop while the excellent dining scene features Filipino-inspired delights at Karenderya and the Mediterranean dishes at 8 North Broadway. Edward Hopper was born in Nyack and his boyhood home is now the Edward Hopper House Museum and Study Center, which features multiple exhibits and a sculpture garden. A self-guided walking tour of “Edward Hopper’s Nyack” highlights local sites that appeared in his artwork. Want to hike along the Hudson? Nyack Beach State Park offers 61 acres of riverfront trails and you can soon see the river from above: A bike and pedestrian path will open in the spring of 2020 on 3.1-mile Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

Okay, Milan is hardly an overlooked destination, but it’s not Italy’s biggest city (that’s Rome) or it’s most visited (that’s Rome, Venice, and Tuscany). Milan is, however… Milan! High-end shopping! Superb restaurants! Home to Da Vinci’s The Last Supper in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Duomo di Milano, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral (don’t miss the 135 gargoyles or the rooftop terrace—on clear days you can see the Alps). After feasting on fresco-adorned churches and art museums, walk through the Navigili district, known for its bars and canals, and then the historic-yet-trendy Brera district for chic boutiques and restaurants. Traveling from Rome? High-speed Trenitalia trains can make the trip in under three hours—and if you want a picturesque side trip, Lake Como is about a 30-minute train ride from Milan.

With its Spanish architecture and views of not one but three volcanoes, it's no wonder why Arequipa became one of Travel + Leisure’s top 50 places to go in 2020. The city may be Peru’s second-largest, but its population is roughly one-tenth of Lima’s 9.9 million residents, so it’s not only beautiful but less bustling (and flights from Lima to Arequipa take only about 90 minutes). Spanish colonialists used white volcano stone known as sillar to build the city’s churches and administrative buildings, giving Arequipa its nickname, the white city. Key stops include the Plaza de Armas, with its mix of stately arched buildings and palm trees, and the 16th-century Santa Catalina Monastery, where you’ll explore plazas, cloisters, and winding walkways. The city’s first-rate restaurant options include local fave La Nueva Palomino for authentic Arequipa cuisine, such as rocoto relleno (red chili peppers stuffed with beef, cheese, and more) and abodo (a soup with peppers and marinated pork). Feeling ambitious? Try the cuy chactado: Deep-fried guinea pig.

Morocco’s capital and second-largest city is a one-hour train ride from Casablanca—and it’s quieter, cleaner, and more charming than its legendary counterpart. Must-do’s in this seaside UNESCO World Heritage town include roaming past Instagram-worthy blue and white houses on the narrow streets of the Kasbah des Oudaias, the city’s historic citadel. While you’re there, don’t miss the lush Andalusian garden and the ocean views from the Plateforme du Sémaphore. Other essentials include roaming the Chellah (the walled ruins of a Roman city that is now populated by, yes, storks) and the 144-foot-high Hassan Tower. The tower was never finished—construction ended in 1199—yet it remains one of Rabat’s most iconic sites. Ready for a bite? Head to the Dar Naji restaurant for mint tea and traditional Moroccan fare such as rfissa, a chicken-and-lentil dish.

When Namibians vacation, they frequently head to Swakopmund for its Atlantic beaches, cooler coastal weather, and adventure sports: Activities include not only skydiving and deep sea fishing but sandboarding, quad biking, and camel rides on nearby desert dunes. To meet the desert’s less-visible inhabitants, go to Living Desert State Park, which features a variety of native reptiles plus snake feedings on Saturday mornings (what better way to start the weekend). The German influence in this former colonial city remains strong and you’ll experience the odd juxtaposition of beer gardens and Bavarian architecture mixed with… palm trees. If a bratwurst at The Brauhaus seems too weird for Africa, try The Tug for fresh seafood (the restaurant is in an old tugboat). Swakopmund is about a 90-minute flight from Windhoek, Namibia’s largest city, but consider a two-day trip on the Desert Express train. You’ll stop at a game reserve and observe savannah and desert scenery through the train’s wide windows.