One of London's great assets is its location: within an hour or so by train you can reach castles, cathedrals, university cities, seaside towns and countryside that seems to come straight out of a novel. Here are the finest day trips, all doable in a day.
Within Greater London
- Greenwich: by boat on the Thames or by DLR, for the meridian, the Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum.
- Hampton Court: Henry VIII's Tudor palace with its maze, 35 minutes by train from Waterloo (see royal palaces).
- Kew Gardens: the Royal Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO site, on the District line.
- Richmond: the Thames-side village and the great deer park.
Castles and palaces
- Windsor: the oldest occupied castle in the world, home of monarchs for almost a thousand years, with St George's Chapel, where Henry VIII and Elizabeth II are buried. About 35-55 minutes by train from Paddington or Waterloo.
- Leeds Castle, in Kent: the "loveliest castle in England", on an island in a lake.
- Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn's childhood home.
University cities
- Oxford: the oldest university in the English-speaking world, with its colleges, the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera. About an hour by train from Paddington or Marylebone.
- Cambridge: Gothic colleges, King's College Chapel and punting on the River Cam. About 50 minutes from King's Cross.
Seaside and cathedrals
- Brighton: England's liveliest seaside town, with its Victorian pier, the Indian-style Royal Pavilion and the narrow Lanes. About an hour from Victoria or London Bridge.
- Canterbury: the mother cathedral of the Church of England, where Thomas Becket was murdered, and an intact medieval centre. Under an hour by high-speed train from St Pancras.
- The White Cliffs of Dover and Rye, a medieval Sussex town linked to Virginia Woolf (see the special).
Further afield, but doable in a day
- Bath: Roman baths and Georgian architecture, a UNESCO site, about an hour and a half from Paddington.
- Stonehenge: the prehistoric stone circle, reachable by train to Salisbury and then by bus, or on an organised tour that often includes Bath.
- The Cotswolds: honey-coloured stone villages among hills and pastures, best by car or on a tour.
- Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare's birthplace, about two hours away.
- The Harry Potter studios at Leavesden, near Watford, with a shuttle from Watford Junction station; tickets must be booked well in advance.
Tips
Buying train tickets online in advance saves a lot: Advance fares for a specific train cost a fraction of those bought at the station, and a Railcard gives a third off. For some destinations, such as Stonehenge and the Cotswolds, organised coach tours are the most convenient option. See also trains and transport in the UK, itineraries and the London guide.