The Best Golf Destinations for a Long Weekend From London
A long weekend leaves no room for long journeys. These are the eight golf destinations you can reach from London in roughly three hours or less, play three or four rounds, and still be home for Monday. Ranked for the golf, the flight time and how easily the trip comes together, with indicative 2026 green fees on each.
Photograph: Quinta do Lago N&S Golf Courses, Mark Howson, via Google
How we ranked them
A weekend golf trip lives or dies on travel friction. We weighted three things: the quality and density of the golf, the flight time from London, and how short the transfers are once you land, because a two hour drive at each end ruins a three day trip. We have leaned toward destinations where you can base in one place and reach several courses inside half an hour, and we have been honest that the very best golf, the links of Ireland and Scotland, sits alongside the warmest and most reliable sun in Portugal and Spain. Pick by what matters most to you: links and history, or sun and variety.
All flight times are approximate from the London airports and all green fees are indicative 2026 figures that move with season and demand, so treat them as a guide and always confirm directly before booking.
The ranking
The Algarve, Portugal
The default and the best all rounder. Faro is under three hours from London, the transfers are short, and the western Algarve packs more than thirty courses into a small area, from the championship layouts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo to Jack Nicklaus's Monte Rei. Fly Thursday, play three or four rounds across one resort base, and be home Sunday night. Add a beach, a marina dinner and reliable sun for most of the year. For a long weekend that maximises golf with minimal travel friction, nowhere beats it.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €70 to €230. Always confirm directly before booking.Costa del Sol, Spain
The Costa del Golf is the Algarve's only real rival for density and convenience. Malaga is under three hours from London and feeds a coast with seventy plus courses, from the value tracks around Mijas to the heavyweights of Valderrama, Finca Cortesin and La Reserva at Sotogrande. A long weekend works best built around one cluster, Marbella or Sotogrande, so the drives stay short. Warm, lively and well set up for golf groups, with dining and nightlife that suit a celebration trip.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €70 to €400 at the marquee courses. Always confirm directly before booking.Dublin and the east coast, Ireland
The shortest hop to genuine links golf. Dublin is under ninety minutes from London, and within an hour of the airport sit Portmarnock, The Island, Royal Dublin, County Louth at Baltray and The European Club. You can land, play a links the same afternoon, and string three rounds across a weekend without long transfers. The golf is the real thing, the welcome is famous, and a night out in Dublin needs no planning. Pack for wind and weather in any month.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €120 to €350. Always confirm directly before booking.Ayrshire, Scotland
A domestic flight to the cradle of links golf. Glasgow and Prestwick are little over an hour from London, and the Ayrshire coast lines up Trump Turnberry's Ailsa, Royal Troon, Prestwick and Western Gailes within a short drive of each other. It is the easiest way to play Open Championship links on a long weekend, no passport, no currency, and a tight cluster that keeps the golf to travel ratio high. Early summer brings the firmest turf and the longest days.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly £90 to £500 at the flagships. Always confirm directly before booking.Paris and the north of France
The most underrated weekend on the list, and the quickest to reach. Paris is seventy five minutes by air or a direct train from London, and around the capital sit Le Golf National, the 2018 Ryder Cup course, the heathland classics of Chantilly and Fontainebleau, and the elegant resort golf of Le Touquet on the coast. A long weekend pairs serious golf with French food and wine, and the short journey means more time on the course and less in transit.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €70 to €230. Always confirm directly before booking.The Lisbon coast, Portugal
The Algarve's quieter, more dramatic cousin. Lisbon is under three hours from London, and the Silver Coast and Cascais stretch either side offer Praia D'El Rey, West Cliffs, Oitavos Dunes and Penha Longa, a run of cliff top and dune golf as good as anything in Iberia. A weekend works split between the city and the coast, with golf, surf beaches and Lisbon's restaurants in easy reach. Cooler and breezier than the Algarve, and all the better for walking.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €90 to €250. Always confirm directly before booking.Catalonia and the Costa Brava, Spain
A short flight to one of Europe's best modern courses. Barcelona and Girona are about two hours from London, and twenty minutes from Girona sits PGA Catalunya, whose Stadium Course is routinely ranked Spain's number one. Pair it with the coastal courses of the Costa Brava and you have a weekend of high quality golf with Barcelona's food, culture and beaches as the backdrop. Ideal for a group that wants a marquee course and a great city in three or four days.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €90 to €250. Always confirm directly before booking.Mallorca, Spain
An easy island weekend with more golf than its reputation suggests. Palma is well under three hours from London and serves around twenty courses, from the mountain framed Son Muntaner and the resort golf of the southwest to Alcanada in the northeast, with the sea always close. Compact enough to base in one spot and play three rounds, lively enough for good dinners, and warm into the autumn. A relaxed choice for couples and groups wanting golf plus a Mediterranean island.
Indicative 2026 green fees roughly €80 to €160. Always confirm directly before booking.Flight times and indicative green fees verified June 2026; both vary by airline, season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Plan a golf weekend
Tell us your dates, your group and roughly where you fancy, and one concierge builds the tee times, transfers and base around your travel days, and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Long weekend golf questions
What is the best golf destination for a long weekend from London?
The Algarve is the best all round choice, with a flight of under three hours to Faro, short transfers and more than thirty courses in a small area, so you can play three or four rounds in a weekend and be home Sunday night. For genuine links golf the shortest hops are Dublin, at under ninety minutes, and Ayrshire in Scotland, at little over an hour and with no passport needed.
Which golf destination has the shortest flight from London?
Paris is the shortest flight on this list at around seventy five minutes, with Ryder Cup golf at Le Golf National and heathland classics nearby. Dublin and Ayrshire follow at roughly eighty minutes, both offering world class links within an hour of the airport. These short hops leave the most time for golf on a three or four day trip.
How many rounds can you play on a long weekend golf trip?
On a Thursday to Sunday trip most golfers play three or four rounds. The key is keeping transfers short, so base yourself in one cluster, the western Algarve, Marbella or Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol, north Dublin, or the Ayrshire coast, rather than spreading across a region. We build the tee times around the travel days to fit the most golf into the time.
When is the best time for a European golf weekend?
Spring and autumn are the sweet spot for the southern destinations, with comfortable temperatures and courses in good condition, while the Algarve and Costa del Sol also play well through winter. For the links of Ireland and Scotland, May, June and September bring the firmest turf and longest days. Always confirm course conditions and fees directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.