Paintballing stag do

Amsterdam's paintball is played on a 12.5-hectare forest site on the outskirts, roughly 45 minutes from the centre, with return transport an optional add-on. A session is about three hours covering four or five missions, with 150 paintballs each, masks and protective clothing, and a bar on site for a drink afterwards. In winter a large indoor hall can be used on request. Wear comfortable clothes and closed shoes such as trainers, and make sure no skin is exposed around the middle. It runs all year, so book transfers early for a Saturday.

Woodland paintball sites are outside the city, so allow for travel each way. The usual half-day runs about three hours across several themed zones, with 100 paintballs each and more for sale on the day. It is generally weekends only, with winter starts at 9am or noon and summer starts at 10am or 2pm. One site will not let cars park with fewer than four people inside, so share cars or book a minibus. Wear boots with ankle support. A close-quarters version in a semi-indoor maze runs just outside the centre.

Lisbon's paintball sites are 20 to 45 minutes from the centre, so transfers are worth adding, and some sites can include lunch. A session runs one to two hours of attack-and-defend games across themed zones, with 100 paintballs each as standard, or 200 on the longer format, and extra balls for sale on site. Slots start from 9am, with afternoon and early-evening options, so it can avoid the hottest part of a summer day. Wear old clothes and proper shoes, and bring water. It is weather-dependent, so have a plan B for heavy rain.

Paintball is about 13 miles out of the city, in the grounds of a safari park at Knowsley, with six film-set game zones and 100 paintballs each over roughly three hours. It runs weekends only, with winter starts at 9am or noon and summer starts at 10am or 2pm. Arrive by car or taxi straight to the paintball car park: there is no pedestrian access from the park entrance, and anyone dropped there is turned away. Wear boots with ankle support. Gel-blaster games run nearer the centre on Whittle Street.

The main site is at Seaton Burn on the Great North Road, about 15 miles from the centre, and transfers are not included, so arrange minibuses. Sessions run at weekends only: start times are 9am or noon in winter and 10am or 2pm in summer. A half day lasts around three hours across several themed game zones, with 100 paintballs each and more for sale on the day. Wear loose clothes you do not mind ruining and boots with ankle support. A one-hour gel blaster session in an outdoor arena is the lighter option, with less mess and fewer bruises.

Prague offers two quite different versions. Outdoor paintball is played at sites 30 to 60 minutes out of the city, mixing woodland and warehouse scenarios, and takes around three hours including the transfer, with 100 to 200 paintballs each as standard. The indoor option is in the city itself: a film-themed arena using reusable rubber balls, about 90 minutes long, and the better bet in winter or for anyone who would rather not bruise. Both run all year. Wear activewear you do not mind ruining, and agree the paintball allowance up front so nobody is topping up mid-game.