10 Super Easy Day Trips from London
Day trips from London are SUPER easy! London is a very accessible city, which is perfect for you because once you’ve done a couple of days in the city, it’s time to venture out!
I recommend buying train tickets in advance because most of the time they are more than half the cost of a last-minute ticket. Check the best route, train times, and book your tickets on TRAINLINE.
I have added the travel time by car for all the destinations and I don’t recommend traveling by car for places that are over 2 1/2 hours away (that defeats the purpose of a day trip)… taking a train is faster and more convenient.
These are my top easy day trips from London even if you are limited with your transportation and it’s your first time visiting the UK!
Super EASY Day Trips from London
*Drive times are just an estimate and will vary depending on where you are departing from within London, traffic, weather conditions, and road works. Train times are also an estimate, depending on which train you take, depends on your travel time.
Oxford
- Distance from London: 56 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 1 hour
- Train Route: London Paddington to Oxford (Direct)
Oxford is one of the more popular day trips from London and that’s probably because it is SO EASY to get here! (I even explain everything in my Oxford Day Trip guide!)Oxford is home to one of the most famous and prestigious universities in the world.
The University of Oxford is made up of 39 colleges scattered throughout the city center.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan then you’re in luck, parts of the movies were filmed in Oxford and the colleges (Christ Church and New College).
I have a full Harry Potter Filming Location Guide if you’re interested! If you like literature, then you are also in luck.
Oxford has been the inspiration and home of many authors… CS Lewis, Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, and Phillip Pullman just to name a few. Or just take a tour of the country’s second-largest library.
Related Post: How to Take a Day Trip to Oxford from London
Bristol
- Distance from London: 118 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 2 hours, 35 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Train Route: London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads (Direct)
Bristol is a bustling urban mecca filled with a strong maritime and aviation history.
This trendy city is often overlooked as it doesn’t get much recognition, however, one day here will make you want to stay for a weekend…. or longer!
It’s SUPER easy to get around this city once you’re here, and the train station is a 10 minute walk from all the action, or why not take the water taxi from the train station to the city center?!
Climbing up Cabot’s Tower will give you the best view of the city, taking a Banksy walking tour is a must-do (Bristol is his hometown after all), and exploring the SS Great Britain (the first long haul passenger ship) will give you a whole new outlook on cruise ships (*hint* they are A LOT better now than they were in the 1800s!).
Related Post: What to Do and What to See in Bristol
York
- Distance from London: 209 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 2 hours
- Train Route: London Kings Cross to York (Direct)
York is one of those cities that make you feel you are really in England. The history of the city dates back hundreds of years and was founded by the Romans in 71 AD.
York is a city with a massive minster as its star (one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe) and surrounded by medieval walls that you can actually walk on (for free!).
Make your own chocolate at York’s Chocolate Story, have a pint in one of York’s many haunted pubs, visit the real-life Diagon Alley and SO MUCH MORE.
The possibilities are endless and this is definitely at the top of my list for day trips from London! You won’t regret making time for this magical city.
Related Post: The Ultimate Guide to York
Glastonbury
- Distance from London: 136 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 1 hour, 24 minutes
- Train Route: London Paddington to Castle Cary (Direct) then 30 minute taxi ride
Glastonbury is a heavily overlooked gem in Somerset.
It’s a new-age town that’s filled with legends, myths, friendly locals, and a beautiful ruined abbey.
Hike up to the Glastonbury Tor and learn about the myths surrounding the mysterious tower on a hill (some say it’s the portal to the land of the fairies, others say it’s the gateway to the land of dead, and many believe it’s the key to Avalon), explore Glastonbury Abbey and visit King Arthur’s final resting place, or walk around the Chalice Well and Gardens.
This trip might take a little more effort, you will have to get a taxi from the train station if you travel by train, but it’s still hassle free and well worth it!
Related Post: How to Spend the Perfect Day in Glastonbury
Stratford-Upon-Avon
- Distance from London: 100 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 2 hours
- Travel Time on Train: 2 hours, 23 minutes
- Train Route: London Marylebone to Stratford-Upon-Avon (Direct)
Stratford Upon Avon is the birthplace of Shakespeare and it’s seriously the most perfect Tudor town ever. Stratford is located on the River Avon (hence the name), lined with canal boats for tours, dinner, or ice cream.
Of course, visiting Shakespeare’s house is a MUST, along with New Place (the location of his final house), Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare’s final resting place), and the old schoolhouse where he found his passion for writing!
The train station is only a 10 minute walk from Shakespeare’s birthplace and all the action, however, most of the trains from London require you to change trains before reaching your destination.
There are a couple of direct trains scattered throughout the day and I recommend choosing one of them to avoid the hassle.
If you don’t mind the hassle then there is a train with a change in Leamington Spa that will knock off 24 minutes from the direct train journey.
Bath
- Distance from London: 115 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 2 hours, 24 minutes
- Train Route: London Paddington to Bath Spa (Direct)
Bath is the only city in the country that’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The highlight of the city is the Roman Bath that was part of a Roman spa dating back to 43 BC, fed by the natural mineral spring that runs under the city.
When you visit the Roman Baths, make sure you get there early before all the tour buses arrive!!
This was also home to Jane Austen and appears in a few of her books including Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, she also wrote Northanger Abbey and Persuasion while she was living in Bath.
Visit the Pump Room where she used to have afternoon tea or the Assembly Rooms where she would attend lavish events.
Other highlights of the city are Pulteney Bridge, which is one of four bridges in the world that still has shops on either side, Thermae Bath Spa, where you can relax in the healing spring waters yourself, the Royal Crescent and the Circus, two very attractive Georgian townhouse complexes and Bath Abbey, with its unique climbing angels on the west front of the cathedral.
The city is very easy to get around! You can walk everywhere. The train station is a short and easy 10 minute walk into the main area of the city.
Related Post: Visiting the Roman Baths
Winchester
- Distance from London: 68 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Train Route: London Paddington to Winchester (1 change in Reading)
Winchester is mostly overlooked by international tourists because they just haven’t heard of it.
This beautiful city was once the capital of England (until the 11th century), Jane Austen spent the last years of her life here, and it is also the hometown of Colin Firth.
The highlights are strolling down England’s oldest high street, walking down Europe’s longest naive (and one of the largest Gothic cathedrals) in the Winchester Cathedral (also the final resting place of Jane Austen), and checking out the round table of King Arthur.
For a great lunch try the crab linguine at Rick Stein’s restaurant and for a great pub atmosphere head over to the oldest pub in England, The Royal Oak. If you like pies, then Piecaramba is AWESOME.
Portsmouth
- Distance from London: 73 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 2 hours
- Travel Time on Train: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Train Route: London Waterloo to Portsmouth & Southsea (Direct)
Portsmouth is a harbor town located on the southern coast of England.
This is the base of the Royal Navy and has been since Henry VIII created this as the main port for England in the 16th century.
The highlight is the historic dockyard with the HMS Victory, the infamous flagship of Lord Nelson’s fleet that played a major role in the Battle of Trafalgar, the HMS Warrior, the pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet which was the largest and fastest of all her ships, and the Mary Rose Museum, Henry VIII’s flagship vessel that was sunk off the coast of Portsmouth in the 1500s, preserved under hundreds of years of silt, and recovered from the waters in the 1980s!
There’s more than the historic dockyard though, you can take a harbor tour, have afternoon tea on No Man’s Fort, or climb (take the elevator) to the top of the Spinnaker Tower (modeled after a sail to celebrate Portsmouth’s maritime history) and enjoy the vast views, walk across the glass floor or hang out in the sky garden.
Related Post: A Day in Portsmouth
Manchester
- Distance from London: 200 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Travel Time on Train: 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Train Route: London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly (Direct)
Manchester is England’s third-largest city and another good hub for exploring England, especially if you are traveling around the north.
Manchester is known as the birthplace of the industrial revolution with the worker bee symbol popping up throughout the city.
Manchester is super easy to get around. Everything you will want to see can be reached on foot from the train station.
Some of the highlights are the John Rylands Library, which looks more like a Gothic cathedral than a library, the Northern Quarter, a trendy area with great restaurants and bars, and admiring the Neo-Gothic Victorian town hall.
Manchester is a social city and everyone loves to go out and drink (and eat), some of my favorite places are The Old Wellington (Manchester’s oldest bar), Bar San Juan, Albert’s Schloss, 20 Stories (a GREAT rooftop bar/restaurant), and Northern Soul Grilled Cheese (my FAVORITE… I always grab a sandwich to take on the train with me on the way back! It’s super close to the train station!).
Chester
- Distance from London: 198 miles
- Travel Time in Car: 4 hours
- Travel Time on Train: 2 hours
- Train Route: London Euston to Chester (Direct)
Probably the most least likely spot on this list, Chester is a Roman-walled city that can be described as a “mini York”. A lot of the architecture (and walls) use a unique local red stone, so the cathedral stands in the crowd.
Originally built as a Roman fortress, you can still visit the Roman amphitheater (the largest in England) and walk along the almost complete Roman walls.
Chester is so pretty, you could just walk down the high street and feel satisfied with all the old-timbered houses lining the streets.
Some of the highlights are the cathedral, walking the Roman walls at sunset, watching the horse races at England’s oldest racecourse, sightseeing with the vintage open-top bus, and standing on Eastgate, the original entrance to the Roman fortress… make sure you take a picture of the Eastgate Clock, the second most photographed clock in the country (Big Ben is first).
You can easily walk around the city once you arrive and the train station is about a 15-minute walk to all the action.
Tips
- Try to arrive at your destination by 9am so you make the most out of your day
- Purchase train tickets early to cut down on cost
- Make sure you know where your departure station is… there’s a lot in London!
- Skip the tour bus and plan the trip yourself! You’ll be able to do what you want to do, on your schedule!
What are your favorite day trips from London? Planning on a day trip from London? Lemme know in the comments below!
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