Brits low on time but in desperate need of an escape can make the most of their holiday in one of the European cities. Named the best for “one night only” trips, these destinations are convenient to visit from the UK and can be thoroughly enjoyed — even if only for a day.

The holiday rental search engine, Holidu, has created a list of Europe's best cities for one-night breaks, looking at the factors that can make all the difference in 24-hours, including travel time from the UK, the distance from the airport to the city centre and how long it takes to walk between the city’s three main attractions.

Overall, French cities reigned supreme for one-night stays, according to Holidu’s findings. Destinations in France took three of the top ten spots, with Rennes, Nantes, and Montpellier all performing well.

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It is the short flights from the UK and compact city centres convenient for exploring on foot that make them perfect for quick holidays. That said, one destination was cited as the best of the best.

Taking first place for the best one-night European city break is France’s Breton capital, Rennes. The city scored exceptionally well for how quickly British travellers are able to get there from the UK, with flights taking just 59 minutes from London and the journey from the airport to the city centre taking less than 15 minutes.

One-night city breaks have become massively popular in recent years, as time-strapped travellers forgo weeks of planning and preparation for short escapes that don’t drain their holiday allowance.

But that’s also why choosing the right destination for a short trip can be tricky, and not all European cities work well for a one-night experience. According to Holidu’s research, big-name capitals aren’t always your best bet for one-night trips.

Paris sits at 47th on the search engine’s best ‘one night only’ destination list, while Rome comes in at 85th, and Athens at 95th. A large reason for this is because of how spread apart popular attractions are, making it difficult for those with only a day free to explore efficiently.

Coming in second on Holidu’s ranking is Nantes, France. The city ranked well for its short flight time of around 1 hour and 6 minutes from London, as well as a very short airport transfer time of just 14 minutes to the city centre. Nantes is also a highly walkable city, with its major attractions all situated within a 39-minute walk.

Bremen, Germany came in at third place, while Basel, Switzerland and The Hague, Netherlands came in fourth and fifth place respectively.