The problem with London is that it’s hard to leave. The city is so big and has so much to offer that it would be easy to spend a lifetime here without feeling done. But there are a lot of great places outside of London, too, and it’s worth getting away sometimes. As such, today I bring you A Lady in London’s guide to the 15 best day trips from London.
Best Day Trips from London
There are so many great day trips from the UK capital that it’s hard to narrow it down to just 15. But these are places I’ve visited personally, and they’ve all left their mark on me in one way or another.
Whether it’s for their stunning architecture, beautiful beaches, cultural highlights, or something else, they’re great places to go.
I’ve organized my list thematically so you can find the day trips that suit your personal style and travel preferences. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
There’s a lot more about these and other places in the beautiful book Escape London: Days Out within Easy Reach of London. You can get it here.
London Day Trips for University Lovers
I’ll start my list of the best day trips from London with university cities. They’re some of the most beautiful places to visit outside London, and some of the most popular.
1. Oxford
Home to one of the world’s most famous universities, Oxford needs no introduction.
The beautiful architecture of the colleges and incredible sense of history mean there’s a lovely surprise around every cobbled corner.
The city also has a lot to offer beyond just the academic highlights, from museums like the Ashmolean to the famous Covered Market and loads of Alice in Wonderland lore.
2. Cambridge
England’s other famous university town, Cambridge rivals Oxford in both academic achievement and architectural beauty.
Don’t tell anyone, but I think Cambridge is a tiny bit more beautiful than Oxford, even if the town is smaller.
The chapel at King’s College has the most stunning fan-vaulted ceiling I’ve ever seen, and watching the idyllic punts float along the river makes for a perfect afternoon.
London Day Trips for City Lovers
Next on my list of the best day trips from London are great cities in England. If you love urban exploration, these beautiful places outside London are for you.
3. Bristol
I didn’t know anything about Bristol when I moved to London, but I met enough people that raved about their university experiences there that I decided to take a trip. I’m glad I did, too.
The city has great museums—the M Shed is the ideal place to get a feel for the people and life of Bristol—a pretty waterfront, and sweet boutiques and shops.
The fact that there were red pandas at the zoo when I was there was a huge added bonus—my favorite animal is generally an elusive little critter.
4. Brighton
Another of the best day trips from London, Brighton is a seaside city with something for everyone.
From the expansive beaches and famous pier to the little lanes and grand pavilion, it has kept me entertained on countless trips.
I never get tired of the lavish interiors of the 18th-century Royal Pavilion or the funky shops in the North Laine area. I love that the bars and restaurants are always buzzing, too.
London Day Trips for History Lovers
After cities come historic sites, of which England has many. Whether you like stone circles or Roman ruins, you’ll love these places.
5. Stonehenge
One of England’s most famous landmarks, Stonehenge can be a controversial day trip. Is it a fascinating Neolithic circle that offers insights into ancient ways of life, or just a boring group of rocks?
I’m in the former camp—I find it mesmerizing—and I’ve taken several worthwhile trips to Stonehenge.
Regardless of which side of the debate you’re on, it’s easy to combine it with a trip to Salisbury where there’s more to see and do. Like a cathedral with one of the four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta in it.
6. St Albans
One of the easiest day trips from London, St Albans is only a 20-minute train ride away from the UK capital. It’s full of Roman ruins, and there are lots of great things to do in St Albans.
I’m a bit obsessed with the fact that Britain has so much more history than my native California, where we only became a state in 1850.
St Albans’ Roman ruins, including a giant section of Roman wall and a Roman theater, fascinate me. Add to that the historic cathedral and colorful markets, and it makes for a great day out.
London Day Trips for Lovers of Pretty Towns
If you’re like me, you love a pretty English town or village. Lucky for us, there are plenty within an hour or two of London.
7. Rye
Rye is my favorite day trip from London, if for no other reason than that its pretty little streets and quiet charm offer the perfect escape from the urban intensity of the capital.
The Tudor buildings and green squares are great for exploring, and the little details on the houses and shops give it a sense of place. Its proximity to the coast means there’s always good seafood in Rye, too.
8. Henley-on-Thames
Famous for its annual rowing regatta, picture pretty Henley-on-Thames is a great day out from the capital.
I love going for afternoon tea in Henley or a walk along the river, soaking up the green spaces and watching the boats go by.
Henley, as locals call it, also has lovely little streets and a market square that I can spend hours exploring.
London Day Trips for Nature Lovers
If you love the great outdoors, there are lots of places you can go near London. From quintessential English countryside spots to enchanted forests, you have plenty of options.
9. The Cotswolds
One of the loveliest places in the UK, the Cotswolds are known for their idyllic landscapes and storybook villages. They’re every expat’s vision of Ye Olde England, and they very much live up to the reputation.
Rolling hills, spring lambs, and skinny roads with giant hedges on either side give way to thatched-roof cottages and half-timbered high streets.
My favorite villages in the Cotswolds are Upper and Lower Slaughter, Painswick, and Bibury, all of which are impossibly pretty and overflowing with charm.
10. The New Forest
The New Forest in southern England is another of the best day trips from London. When I’m in the mood to immerse myself in nature, there’s no better place to get away than the area’s leafy trails and pastures full of ponies.
I love visiting in the autumn when the colors are bright with fall foliage, but long summer afternoons are great, too. When I need a break from rambling through the woods, there are plenty of places to indulge my inner food lover.
London Day Trips for Foodies
Speaking of food, there are plenty of places outside London where you can find delicious meals. This is particularly true when it comes to seafood.
11. Whitstable
Over in Kent, Whitstable is my favorite place for seafood in England. The town is famous for its oysters—as the annual oyster festival suggests—and I love sitting by the water on sunny days enjoying giant trays full of them.
Whitstable is also full of great little shops and cafes, and it’s worth spending time exploring them after a day on the waterfront.
London Day Trips for Cathedral Lovers
If cathedrals are your thing, England has you covered. There are countless day trips from London that involve historic churches, and they’re sure to satisfy your inner cathedral lover.
12. Canterbury
Steeped in history, Canterbury is home to one of England’s most famous cathedrals.
I could spend hours taking in the Disneyfied stained-glass windows and marveling at the sword sculpture dedicated to Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170.
But there’s more to Canterbury than just the cathedral. The city also has a lot of good shopping and pretty parks, as well as an array of great markets.
13. Lincoln
Lincoln wasn’t on my radar screen until an English friend recommended I take a day trip there when I moved to London. When I did, I discovered a beautiful city with rich history.
From the stunning cathedral to the historic castle, the 16th-century Guildhall to the cobbled streets, I fell in love with Lincoln as soon as I arrived.
London Day Trips for Literary Types
If you love the company of a good book, there are a lot of great day trips from London for you. From those inspired by Jane Austen to those involving Shakespeare, you’re spoiled for choice for places near London.
14. Bath
I first learned about Bath from Jane Austen novels, and dreamed of visiting the Pump Room like so many of her heroines. But when I finally traveled to Bath, I realized that the city has a lot more going for it than just Jane Austen.
The beautiful buildings feature the famous Bath stone that glows golden in the afternoon sun, and I love visiting the Royal Crescent just before sunset.
Bath also has ample shopping and dining options, and the awe-inspiring Roman Baths that gave the city its name.
15. Stratford-upon-Avon
The birthplace of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is still known for its links to The Bard.
With some of the most famous theaters in the country and Shakespeare’s houses open to visitors, it’s the perfect place to learn about the life of one of the world’s great playwrights and watch his works performed on stage.
The town itself is beautiful, too. There are lots of half-timbered buildings and pretty streets to explore, so there’s no shortage of things to entertain.
Day Trips from London
I hope you’ve enjoyed my list of the best day trips from London. There are so many great places to go near London that you have a lot of options for where to visit. If you can tear yourself away from the UK capital, that is.
How about you? What do you think are the best day trips from London?
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Brighton is specially nice around summer, and so lively. Loved it on my day trip from London. Superb for a day off from busy London life!
Same goes for Canterbury…there I’d recommend walking around the cathedral’s cloister, sometimes you get lucky and get a private hearing at the amazing Choir!
Wonderful post, beautiful photographs, and great tips (I’d not have thought of some of these!) 🙂 thanks a lot for sharing (both on here and over the weekend at the Hive!) Inspiring!
Henar
Thanks! Those are great tips for Canterbury!
I’ve done several of these day trips while of vacation in London. Next on my list is Rye and Brighton. My faves in the past have been Salisbury and St. Albans. I love a pretty town with lots of historical significance!
Nice! You’ll love Rye and Brighton!
Hi Julie! It was lovely meeting you at The Hive! 🙂 I didn’t know you can visit the Cotswolds as a day trip from London! We will be visiting London next month and we were thinking about escaping somewhere in the nearby… maybe we give Rye a try, since it’s your favorite day trip!
xx,
E.
It was great meeting you, too! I hope you enjoy your day trips!
Great ideas, I might be heading to London this fall so I definitely want to do some of these side trips too 🙂
Nice! Have fun!
I would pick Cambridge and Stonehenge. Not even been to them yet!
Wow, you’ll love them!
Fabulous photos!! Makes me what to get outside and see more of this gorgeous country I live in! Thanks!
Thanks! Glad you found inspiration in it!
The Royal Pavilion is such a beautiful building! I also loved the decorations inside, it’s spectacular!
Yeah, it’s amazing. I love the interiors!
Been reading a wonderful book that spins off this great idea of “day trips” – titled “Prospects of England” by Adam Nicolson and Peter Morter. subtitled “2000 years seen thru 12 English towns”..,the story of Chipping Campden, for example, in the Cotswolds, talks about the unique stone used to construct the High St city core buildings – oolite..,cider-colored limestone..,beautiful pics, again, Julie..,thanks!
Thanks!
You must have read my mind… I’ve just been researching the best day trips from London because one of my goals this summer is to see a lot more of the UK! Love this, thank you for posting it!
That’s great! I hope you enjoy exploring!
Hi,
That’s certainly a pretty diverse list of places! I’m from the UK but still haven’t been to Stonehenge, shame on me, although I recently discovered and visited a copy in New Zealand, which seemed bizarre but was really interesting!
If you love history how about visiting Warwick? It’s a beautiful old city, with cobbled Tudor streets, and the Castle is awesome! It’s about an hour away from where I grew up, and it often has events on during school holidays, which make it even more interesting, I’ve been to a few awesome snow fairs there on Boxing Day, but I know they have things all year round. Really, there’s a lot of cool places around the UK, i’m glad I’ve visited quite a lot of them, but there’s still lots more I want to go to when I finally return home!
All the best,
Gemma
I’ve been to Warwick Castle, but not the town. I’ll have to go back!
Julie, I’ve bookmarked this page for my summer trip with my daughter…can’t wait!
That’s great! I hope you two have a good time!
Brighton is truly a great place to visit,.. especially love Brighton Pier when the lights are on and the sun is setting – beautiful
Next stop Stratford-upon-Avon 🙂
Yeah, Brighton is great!
Woohoo, Cambridge certainly just pips Oxford to the post on beauty (not that I’m biased or anything :P) Definitely going to be adding a few of these to my day trip list – I’d love to go to Whitstable later this summer and I must go to Bristol zoo for the red pandas! x
That’s great! I hope you have fun!
In another lifetime I briefly toyed with the idea of moving to London and now I kind of regret that it never happened. I’d love to explore all of these places!
Yeah, there’s a lot to keep a person busy here!
Awesome post! And blog. Thank you thank you thank you. 🙂
Glad you like it!
You have gathered a good set of collection of nearby places. It’s very useful when sometime you just want to go away from city but that too a nearby place which you can cover in just weekends. Thanks for your information.
You’re welcome!
I booked a short trip to Bath after reading this post quite late at night – can’t wait to go!
That’s great! I hope you enjoy it, and I’m glad you found inspiration on my blog!
I’ve been to Bath and Oxford on past trips to the UK. I absolutely loved Bath – it’s such a trip back in time, such a quintessentially British place. I think next time I’d hit up Brighton, bc that pavilion looks like something that has to be seen to be believed, and Cotswolds, because it’s just a perfect combo of lovely nature and cute villages and towns.
Great choices! You’ll love both!
I ended up here via the shout-out you got from Lonely Planet. I’m not disappointed! All of the places on the list look lovely…I think if I had to choose between them, I’d head to The Cotswolds, Oxford and Cambridge.
Thanks!
Really beautiful photographs! The resolution and colors are brilliant. I enjoyed your post.
Thanks!
Nice post & thanks for the great tips!
I’m visiting the UK in Oct. Wanted to visit Brighton but was told it’d be too windy there. Is Cotwolds / Cardiff good to visit in Oct in your opinion? 🙂
Glad you like the post! The weather is always unpredictable, so I recommend going where you want to go and dressing in layers!
Many thanks for taking the time to write and share. We are in Central London right now. We will be using your invaluable list for our day visits.
By the way, London is super! We love this beautiful and international city loaded with history and landmarks.
I’m glad you’re enjoying London and that you’ve found the blog helpful!
I love this guide. I was just in London a few weeks ago and didn’t get to take any trips out of the city but I’m hoping to get back there soon and certainly want to explore some of these towns. Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome! I hope you get to explore some of them on your next visit!
Great overview of places to visit! For a 2 day trip early December would you go to Rye, Henley-on-Thames or the Cotswolds?
All three are great, so you can’t go wrong. Just remember to dress warmly!
These all look great. What would be your pick for day trip with 2 young kids (8 and 4). I figure Stone Hedge is out. We are travelling to London in April.
Thanks
They’re all great! If you want more detail about which would be best for you, please take a look at my Travel Planning Services page.
Fantastic Blog! I get to come to London for 2 weeks this winter (right after Christmas). Which of these would you say are best to visit even though it is winter?
They’re all fine to visit in winter, it’s just a matter of dressing for the weather!
Hey there. You recently came to talk to my class and so when I was researching the best places to go on day trips from London, and your name popped up I had to click it. I have a free day in a few weeks and definitely want to take a trip outside of London for the day. I’ve been to a lot of the places that you mentioned in this post in the past 2 months: Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Stonehenge, Bath, and Stratford-upon-Avon. So I was wondering if you had a suggestion for my next place? Which was your favorite apart from those I have already been to? Or if you’ve been to a new place since this article was published…maybe somewhere new? I think it’s important while studying abroad to see as much of England as possible. Thank you!
A lot depends on what you’re interested in, but Bristol might be a good choice. There’s a lot to do and see there for a range of interests.
Hi! I came across your blog and this post while Googling “best day trips from London”. I love your blog and photos! I lived in Cambridge for over a year in 2012 and totally agreed with your view that Cambridge is a bit more beautiful than Oxford! I admit, I am a little biased :). I am visiting London in mid January. What are your recommendations for scenic day trip from London in the winter?
That’s great! Cambridge is lovely. All of the trips are fine in January. Just dress warmly!
Thank you!
Hey! So happy to come across your blog – I am a southern california girl who is spending the next three months in London on a relocation for my husbands career (I’m also 6 months pregnant and looking for good ways to fill my last few days of alone time 🙂
Of the above do you have any more specific shout outs for winter visits (Jan through March)? I see your most recent comment above that all are great in winter, but just thought I would ask again if you had to pick 3 or 4 that still deliver on charm and substance while cold and trees are bare… Thanks again! Excited to read more!
How exciting for you! I think they’re all great in winter, and I’ve done a lot of them in the colder months. Just make sure to dress in layers!
Such a great lost and beautiful pictures! I’m planning a trip to London next year and was searching for some day trips outside of the city when I found your post through Pinterest, it definitely helped me to choose a few places to see!
I’m glad to hear it! I hope you have a great time here, and that you enjoy any day trips you take!
Are all of day trips listed accessible by train?
Yes, I did them all by train. Sometimes you’ll need to take a bus or taxi from the station to your final destination.
We are visiting England in mid-May and would like to spend 5 days in the country side or small villages or towns. We have been to the Cotswolds, new Forest and Lake District – loved all- but are looking for other destinations. Devon or Bath? And, in Devon, where would you suggest?
Great ideas! I’ve written about Devon and Bath before, so feel free to take a look at my posts about those places. If you need further assistance, please visit my Travel Planning Services page and get in touch.
This is an excellent post – we will be in London in June and July – great list that we will work our way through.
Thank you so much.
You’re welcome! Have a great trip!
Hi
I love taking day trips from London. I’d really recommend taking the high-speed from St Pancras to Deal via Folkestone and Dover. Deal is a cute seaside town with nice backstreets but the best bit is the train between Folkestone and Dover which goes right by the sea, with the chalk cliffs on the other side. On a sunny day it’s awesome!
That sounds great! Thanks for the recommendation!
Thank you for your recommendations. Based on it, I visited Henley-on-Thames and had a lovely time 🙂
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
good article, your Cotswolds suggestion was really helpful. I’m trying to find places to see during weekends without spending hours on the road 🙁
That’s great! I’m glad to hear it. I hope you enjoy visiting. It’s a lovely part of the UK.
Your article is so well written and helpful. My husband and I are going to London this Christmas for a week (12/21-12/28). We were last there in 1989, so everything will definitely be new again! We are now thinking of extending our stay through New Year’s Day and would love to take 1 or 2 day trips. This is not the perfect time, weatherwise! Any suggestions, obviously towns on the coast might not be the best. Thank you!
Sounds like a great trip! I recommend checking opening hours since you’ll be traveling around the bank holidays. Other than that, choose whichever day trips sound best to you.
Thank you for such a comprehensive list! I’m travelling to London for the first time next weekend. With one free day I now have various options to choose for my day trip from London.
You’re welcome!
Great ideas for day trips from London. It’s great if you can just hop on a train and be in a totally different city for the day! I have lived in Brighton and Canterbury so can recommend those places and there’s tonnes of cool stuff to do in each. I love Whitstable – lush beaches and nice little shops. I guess other coastal places would be Hastings and Camber Sands – both quite touristy and popular but that’s not unlike the others listed!
Thanks for the recommendations! I love Camber Sands, too.