London UK, is a fantastic place to visit and a great place to live. But what if you want to see more of England during your time in the city? You can, easily. Here are our best day trips to take from London.
I am a former London resident and mum, I know all of these places well, and most of them I’ve taken my kids to. We’ll tell you which tours are good for kids along the way. We have a super-comprehensive post on visiting London with Kids, for you to use.
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Top Ten Day Trips From London
London is a big city, but still walkable, and there are many world-famous attractions there for visitors. There are also many interesting places to visit in the countryside surrounding London; many nearby towns, cities, and attractions make good day trips from London. You may choose to use public transport, your own vehicle, a rental vehicle, or book a tour.
I wouldn’t recommend hiring a car in London, but if you plan to explore places outside of London, yes, hire a car. We find this a good platform for finding a great deal on car rental.
For a lot of these places, it makes sense to combine them with other nearby sights in the same area, or on the way. We’ll tell you about these options too.
Visit Stonehenge From London
Just about everyone who visits the UK wants to see Stonehenge. I’ve seen it myself, many times, it’s visible from the road (the A303). It wasn’t until recently, 2025, that we paid the admission fee for the Stonehenge Visitor Centre. It was fun, we enjoyed our visit and we learned a lot, but it is expensive. Here’s how to visit Stonehenge from London.
Stonehenge is in Wiltshire and is about 140 km south west of London. The drive should take just under 2 hours.
The easiest, quickest, and probably cheapest way to see Stonehenge is to book a half day tour from London. Most tours include other places of interest, this one is just Stonehenge.
It’s believed that the circular ring of large, upright stones is about 5,000 years old, dating back to the Neolithic period. There is evidence today that it may be much older. In this area there are other standing stones and artefacts, we have a post about the Cerne Abbas Giant and Avebury.
Other popular day trips from London to Stonehenge include other popular places such as Salisbury and Bath. We give you links so that you can compare costs.
- Combine Stonehenge with Windsor and Oxford on this full-day excursion from London.
- Visit Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle and Bath from London. Plus a traditional British pub lunch!
- Klook offer Stonehenge and Bath, with Windsor as an option, or not.
How To Visit Salisbury From London
You can take a bus or train to Salisbury, where you can see magnificent Salisbury Cathedral, a medieval gothic church dating back to 1220, that has Britain’s tallest spire. If you use public transport to do this, you’ll probably want to stay overnight in Salisbury.
Salisbury is in Wiltshire.
A one-day tour, departing London, might be a better option, but Salisbury is typically combined with other nearby attractions.
Salisbury Cathedral holds an original copy of the Magna Carta brought there by King John’s brother. British Royalty and a prime minister are buried in the cathedral.
- Combine Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor, on this day trip from London
- As Christmas is coming, combine Salisbury Cathedral with the excellent Christmas Markets in Salisbury and Winchester, from London. We also have a post covering London at Christmas.
- This is a private tour, with guide, for a small group from London. You can see the Magna Carta in Salisbury, plus a visit to Bath and Stonehenge.
Explore The Close, the area around the cathedral, containing historic houses. There are plenty of other places of historic interest in Salisbury.
Stonehenge is about 10 miles north of Salisbury and you can get a bus there.
Go To The Cotswolds From London
The Cotswolds is a very beautiful area in England, the drive time is only about 1.5 to 2 hours. If you plan to go, don’t miss one of my favourite places in the whole of England, Bourton on the Water. The Cotswolds Wildlife Park is also very good and great for kids.
Most of The Cotswolds is in the county of Gloucestershire, but parts of the region extend into 5 other counties, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, N Somerset and Worcestershire.
Some of the places in the Cotswolds can be incredibly busy at peak times, like summer school holidays. Parking can be tricky if you plan to self-drive.
- You can take a full-day tour to really see as much as possible of The Cotswolds.
- Alternatively, combine The Cotswolds with Oxford.
- You can also combine The Cotwolds with Stratford, for some Shakespearean history.
Visit Bath From London
Bath is a lovely city, with bad traffic, and multiple attractions for tourists.
Bath is about 115 miles, 185 Km from London in Somerset. The drive should take about 1.5 hours, but be ready for heavy traffic at peak times. It might be nice to book a walking tour of Bath, to get your bearings. Alternatively, take an open top bus tour, with guide, to learn more about the city.
The name “Bath” came about because of the Roman Baths the occupying empire built around hot mineral springs.
The Victorians made improvements to the baths after their rediscovery.
The baths are probably the most popular attraction in Bath today.
Visitors can take an audio tour through the underground rooms to see the temple of Sulis Minerva, The Great Bath, the Sacred Spring, the sauna rooms, and artefacts left by the Romans. You can even taste the water in the Pump Room Restaurant. If you like it, and you probably won’t, youcan buy a bottle to take home with you.
Bath City Center has excellent shopping and dining, and a few museums that are worth a look. The Museum of Costume is a good one or the Jane Austin museum. Sher lived in B ath.
Bath Buns originated in Bath. Buy them at the Sally Lunn house, the oldest in Bath, built in 1482. Sally was a baker.
Pulteney Bridge is a beautiful spot and the bridge itself, over weirs, is a little like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. If you cross the bridge on foot you’ll see that it has shops along its sides.
Victorian and Georgian architecture can be seen all over the city, The Royal Crescent being a famous example of Georgian style. You can also visit Bath Abbey, there is an admission fee.
Take A Trip To Warner Bros Studios, The Harry Potter Experience
If you have kids, or are a Harry Potter fan yourself, this is a must do! We’ve been to a lot of Harry Potter attractions around the world, and this remains the best. Infact, I’d say this was the number 1 of the top 10 trips to take from London.
If you don’t have your own vehicle to drive there, book a tour. I’d recommend this particular tour for the Harry Potter-themed bus. You do need to book this in advance, you have to specify a time slot for your visit, and those slots fill up. The tour will take a lot of organisation and worry over arriving on time, off your hands.
The studios are at Leavesden in Watford. About 35 KM from Central London. The drive will take you an hour or you can take the train from London Euston Station to Watford Junction. From there, you can get the shuttle bus to the studios.
The admission price currently (2025) is £56.00 for an adult, £45.00 for a child to 15 years, kids under 4 years old are free, but do check this for yourself, I know prices fluctuate with season and will be going up in 2026.
All in all, I think a tour, with transport, is a much better idea unless you self-drive.
Visit Oxford From London
Oxford is in Oxfordshire, North West of London. Stratford On Avon is a little further north again, and Warwick Castle is also nearby.
You could combine these 3 into a very full day if you self-drove.
Oxford is home to the 36 colleges that make up Oxford University. The architecture and history in Oxford is phenomenal. Tourists can enter Christ Church College, the Bodlein Library and more, and of course, see several Harry Potter Filming locations along the way.
For Potter fans, old and young, a Harry Potter tour of various Oxford colleges and filming locations is a must-do!
If you find yourself in Oxford on a beautiful day, rent a punt and learn to pole. If you don’t have the inclination to pole your punt yourself, there are also punt tours available.
Visit Stratford-on-Avon from London
Stratford-on-Avon is in Warwickshire, in the UK’s West Middlands. The second w is silent. Oxford is on the way to Stratford, so it makes sense to stop on the way.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564 and was raised here, marrying Anne Hathaway at 18 years old. Later he lived and worked in London before returning to Stratford shortly before his death. He is buried in the Holy Trinity Church.
Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theater performs his plays to this day.
The River Avon flows through Stratford, and water tours are available.
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is in Shottery, a couple of miles from Stratford. It’s a lovely thatched-roof home with beautiful gardens.
Visit Canterbury From London
Canterbury is about 100Km south east of London, on the way to Dover, where you can see the White Cliffs and catch a ferry to mainland Europe.
Canterbury Cathedral has a rich history; Thomas Becket was murdered in the cathedral in 1170, by four knights of King Henry II. Medieval Christians made pilgrimages to the church, as in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” and there have been 105 Archbishops of Canterbury since the role was established in 507 AD.
The cathedral’s architecture reflects over 1000 years of history and has gothic and Romanesque features. Outside the main entrance (Christchurch Gate) visit Buttermarket, a market square that is at least 800 years old.
Visit Windsor From London
You can take a train or bus from London to Windsor, which takes about 30-45 minutes. Windsor Castle is one of the homes of the British royal family and you can visit today.It’s the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world.
If you’d like to go inside you can see the state rooms and treasures from the Royal Collection. Artistic masterpieces from the likes of Holbein and Rubens are on display. You canalso see the St George’s Chapel, other than on Sundays.
There are many royal burials here, including our late Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, Prince Philip.
For a half day tour, visiting Windsor Castle from London, including admission, go here. But it may be easier for you to just take the train. Alternatively, combine Windsor with the other destinations in the UK that we have already mentioned.
Windsor also has Legoloand UK, if you are travelling with younger kids.
It’s one of the biggest Legoland Parks we’ve been to, and we’ve been to several all over the world.
The River Thames flows through Windsor and the town is very attractive. Eton is also here, on the other side of the river.
So that’s our top 10. The UK is a small country and you could easily visit South Wales or the UK’s south coast from London. I’ve actually lived on the south coast and commuted into work in London! If we can help you in any way with travelling in my home country, let us know in the comments!
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