Best Day Trips from London
Are you looking for the best day trips from London, England?
London is an amazing city, but there’s so much more to see in England than just London. I highly recommend getting out of the city at least once on a day trip to another part of England.
After many visits, I have a love-hate relationship with London itself, but I adore the rest of England. I especially enjoy exploring quaint small towns and the beautiful countryside of England. And the good news is, there are plenty of destinations like this within easy day-tripping distance from London.
Below I’ve rounded up the best day trips from London.
For many of these day trips, you can easily take the train and visit independently. However, some destinations are only reachable by driving, and in those situations, I recommend booking an organized tour.
Why? Tours are easier and can even work out to be less expensive than renting a car for the day. Driving in and out of London can be a nightmare due to traffic, and if you aren’t used to driving on the opposite side of the road, it can be challenging to drive in the UK. For just a day trip, a rental car doesn’t make sense.
Read on for my top picks for the best day trips from London!
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Best Day Trips from London:
- Day trip to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Oxford
- Day trip to Stonehenge and Bath
- Day trip to Dover and Canterbury
- Day trip to four villages of the Cotswolds
Windsor
One of the easiest day trips from London is Windsor. This town is located just west of London and it’s best known for being home to Windsor Castle, the primary royal residence in England.
Touring Windsor Castle is a must. You can also spend some time exploring the town of Windsor itself. It’s super touristy but fun, and there are lots of shops and restaurants outside the castle grounds.
Getting to Windsor from London on your own is easy. You can take the Tube most of the way there. Just take the Elizabeth Line to Slough, then change to the Great Western Railway to go one stop to Windsor (it’s the final stop on that line.) From there, it’s a five-minute walk from the train station to the castle.
The whole journey should take you less than an hour from central London.
Alternatively, if you’d like to combine a visit to Windsor with some other destinations, you can book a full-day organized tour. Here are my top two picks for tours that visit Windsor:
Bath
Bath is another one of the best day trips from London. Bath is a small city located west of London. You can take the train to Bath and get there in around one hour and 15 minutes from central London.
This city is famous for its Roman ruins, including Roman baths. It’s a very picturesque and romantic city, and its relatively small size makes it perfect for exploring on a full-day trip from London.
While you could easily spend a full day in Bath on your own, you can also book a tour if you want the chance to visit other destinations nearby. Here are my top two picks for tours that include Bath:
Oxford
Oxford is a university city in England that’s less than an hour from London. The University of Oxford is one of the oldest universities in the world — teaching began in 1096. It’s one of the most prestigious universities in the world as well. You can visit some of the university buildings on a day trip to Oxford.
Many of these buildings are famous as filming locations from various films, notably Harry Potter. Oxford is a beautiful city and there are also plenty of cool shops and restaurants to check out.
If you want to visit Oxford independently, you can take the train from London in just 45 minutes. Another option is a tour which includes a stop in Oxford as well as other destinations, like these:
Cambridge
Another university city you can visit is England. Like Oxford, the University of Cambridge is very historic (founded in 1209) and one of the top universities in the world. I haven’t personally been to Cambridge (only Oxford) but I have to say that Cambridge looks like it might be even prettier than Oxford!
Part of this is because of the River Cam, which flows through the city. Punting (boating) on the river is a popular activity when the weather is nice. You can easily spend a full day enjoying Cambridge. If you want to get there on your own, the train journey from central London takes a little over an hour.
Or you can take a guided tour. Here are a couple of good options:
Stonehenge
Some people think Stonehenge is a tourist trap — personally, I disagree. I thought that visiting Stonehenge was a really cool experience. Just seeing photos doesn’t do this mysterious monument justice.
This is one place I would really recommend taking a tour to visit. Why? Well, you can get to Stonehenge by public transportation, but it takes 2.5 hours and involves a train and a bus. You also don’t need that much time at Stonehenge, so it doesn’t make sense to plan a whole day trip around it.
Instead, I recommend one of these tours combining Stonehenge with other destinations:
Warner Bros. Studio Tour
For Harry Potter fans, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is a must. The studio is located in Watford, which is just north of London. On the tour, you’ll be able to see the actual sets, props, and costumes that were used while filming Harry Potter. It’s a fun, immersive experience that is definitely worth it for fans.
If you visit on your own, you’ll want to book your tickets for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in advance, because they can sell out. To get there, take the train from London to Watford, a journey of just 20 minutes. You can then take a free shuttle from Watford to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, which takes 15 minutes.
Another option is booking a tour that includes your tickets and round-trip transportation from a more central location in London. This is the tour I would recommend if you would prefer this option:
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town located in the West Midlands region of England. This is a day trip that’s a bit further from London, but worth it for one major reason: it’s Shakespeare’s birthplace.
The famous English playwright grew up in this town, and Shakespeare’s birthplace has been turned into a museum that will give you some insight into his early life. I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare, so I really loved visiting Stratford-upon-Avon. Aside from the Shakespeare connection, it’s also a cute, quaint town.
The town gets its name from the River Avon which runs through it. It’s a beautiful historic town that is notable for its many half-timbered houses with thatched roofs, dating back to medieval times.
Getting to Stratford-upon-Avon from London by train can be a bit tricky because all journeys require at least one change. If you’re going by train, expect a journey time of about 2.5 hours.
You can also take an organized tour that includes a stop in Stratford-upon-Avon as well as stops at some additional destinations. Here are a couple of options for tours that visit Stratford-upon-Avon:
- Day trip to Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, and Warwick
- Day trip to Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Bath
Dover
Dover is a coastal town that is a major port and transit hub for the English Channel. It’s famous for the White Cliffs of Dover, striking sheer chalk cliffs on the Strait of Dover with a gleaming white appearance.
There’s also Dover Castle and a nice town with plenty of shops and restaurants. You can visit Dover independently from London by taking the train. It takes a little over an hour to get to Dover, although to visit the castle and the cliffs, it does require a fair amount of walking from the train station.
You can also take a tour visiting Dover and some nearby destinations. Here are my top picks:
Canterbury
Canterbury is another one of the best day trips from London. This town east of London is most famous for Canterbury Cathedral, founded in the year 597, and one of the most important churches in the UK.
It’s also a lovely town with charming medieval streets and the River Stour running through it, making it an incredibly picturesque destination. It’s a lovely place to spend a day exploring.
You can get to Canterbury by train from London. It takes about 1.5 hours from central London.
Another option is taking a tour that includes a stop in Canterbury. Here are a couple of options:
Brighton
Another one of the best day trips from London is Brighton. This is a seaside resort town directly south of London. It’s been a popular destination ever since the middle of the 19th century when Londoners began coming down on the train for a beach getaway. This is the perfect summer day trip from London.
You can stroll along the long pebbled beach or walk along Brighton Pier. There are tons of options for eating, drinking, and entertainment, including an amusement park and an arcade.
To get to Brighton, you can take the train. From central London, it’s a journey of 1.5 hours.
One amazing spot near Brighton is the Seven Sisters, a series of chalk sea cliffs on the English Channel. If you want to visit the Seven Sisters, which is a 35-minute drive from Brighton, I recommend this tour:
Cotswolds
Finally, one of the best day trips from London is the Cotswolds. The Cotswolds is a stunning region in the countryside that has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB.)
Made up of charming little villages, gentle rolling hills, and bucolic countryside, the Cotswolds is a picture-perfect region that is located not far from London. However, in order to visit the Cotswolds, you really need to drive, because most of the towns and villages don’t have much public transit.
For a day trip, I recommend booking a tour. These tours will give you a taste of the Cotswolds, stopping at some of the most beautiful villages for free time. Here are my top picks for Cotswolds tours:
Best Day Trips from London
This guide showed you the best day trips from London, England.
While London is a great city, there’s so much more to discover in England. If you have several days or longer in London, I recommend spending at least one day on a day trip outside the city.
I honestly love all of these day trips, but if I had to pick a few favorites, my top recommendations would be Oxford, Canterbury, or Bath if you’re going by train and want to spend a full day somewhere.
And if you want to take a tour, I’d recommend choosing one that visits Stonehenge or the Cotswolds, two remarkable destinations that you can’t get to easily on your own without driving.
Enjoy your trip to England!
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