Five away days worth making a weekend of

Some away days are a smash-and-grab: train in, match, train out. But a handful of fixtures land in cities good enough that dashing home feels like a waste of the ticket. If the fixture list hands you one of these, book the Saturday night.

Newcastle

The best football city break in England, and it is not particularly close. St James' Park sits right in the city centre, a two-minute walk from its own Metro station, so there is no trek: you fall out of the pubs and into the ground. The away end is up in Level 7, one of the highest vantage points in the country, with a climb to match.

Stay near the Quayside, do the bridges in the morning, and remember Newcastle measures winter coat rules differently to the rest of the country. Nobody is wearing one.

Liverpool

Anfield takes a bit of reaching (the Soccerbus from Sandhills sorts the last leg), but the city itself is a proper weekend: the waterfront, the Beatles stuff if you must, and one of the best nights out in the north. Sunday kick-offs here are a gift, giving you the whole Saturday for the city.

If your away day is the blue side at Hill Dickinson Stadium, even better: Everton's new ground sits on the dock itself, and the walk up the waterfront beats any stadium approach in the league.

Brighton

The Amex is out at Falmer, a short train from the centre, and the football is only half the trip. Sea front, the Lanes, fish and chips on the pebbles if the weather plays along. Brighton in August or May is a genuinely great weekend that happens to have a match in it. Book accommodation early: the city sells out on summer weekends regardless of the football.

Bristol

Ashton Gate is a walkable-ish trip from the harbourside, and Bristol rewards an overnight: the harbour, Clifton and the suspension bridge, and a food and drink scene that embarrasses bigger cities. If you are driving, read our clean air zone guide first, because central Bristol charges older cars.

Plymouth

The longest haul on this list, and that is the point: if you are doing Plymouth away from most of the country, a day trip is masochism. Home Park is a walk from the centre, the Hoe and the Barbican are a proper seaside evening, and the Sunday drive home along the coast beats a midnight motorway. The green army's ground sits further from almost everyone than any other league club, so make it count.

The overnight rules

1. Book the hotel before the fixture gets moved, but book it flexible. TV picks can shift your Saturday 3pm to a Sunday lunchtime.
2. Stay central, not near the ground. The city is why you stayed; every ground on this list is reachable from the centre.
3. Do the match sober enough to remember it. You have the whole evening after, win or lose.