Three Hours From...

From Austin to Bogota, Vienna to Wellington, discover the best day and weekend trips within three hours of 60 of Lonely Planet’s favourite cities. With sights, activities and hidden gems – all built around themes like art & culture, the outdoors, and food & drink – you’ll find amazing ideas for your next city escape or long stopover, as well as new experiences to enjoy near where you live.

Most of the 60 cities in this book could fill a lifetime with new experiences, but a short journey by either train, bus or car opens a world beyond to explore. In Three Hours From we hope to inspire you to look beyond the city limits for your next adventure. Whether you’re in Delhi, Vancouver, Brisbane or Rome, and whether you live there, work there, are on vacation or are simply passing through with a day to kill, we encourage you to widen your net.

Just an hour and 40 minutes from Cape Town you can spy breaching whales from the cliff path at Hermanus; within two hours of Manhattan you can be surfing at Rockaway Beach; and near Běijīng you can choose between rafting a scenic gorge, visiting Jin-era temples or hiking along the Great Wall.

Each of the 60 cities is presented with a map of the surrounding area, pinpointed with up to 18 of the most exciting things to do within three hours travel time. These are colour-coded by theme so you can easily find what you’re interested in – be that outdoor pursuits, arts and culture, history, festivals and events, film and music, or food and drink.

Special sections include Africa’s best beach towns, Japan’s best onsen retreats, the best food & drink tours in North America, Europe’s finest off-the-beaten-track wineries, Oceania’s most fascinating indigenous experiences, and the top wildlife watching destinations in Latin America.