Top 10 Day Trips From London

Excursions from London: Visit Oxford

The charming city of Oxford is only 1 hour by train from the British capital and, being a small city, you can visit it perfectly in one day without any problems. For this reason, it is not surprising that Oxford is one of the favorite excursions that can be done from London in one day.

What to see in Oxford in one day

The prestigious University of Oxford is obviously the great protagonist of this city, and visiting some of the colleges that are open to the public is one of the biggest attractions when visiting it. Among the most famous places are Trinity College, Bodleian Library or the Oxford covered market.

You will find more detailed information about what to see in Oxford in one day and how to get to Oxford from London in our article: Visiting Oxford from London.

Map: Route to see Oxford in a day

How to get to Oxford from London

It is possible to go by train from London and make the trip to Oxford on your own. The train departs from Paddington Station (zone 1) and goes direct to the center of Oxford. The best way to buy train tickets is doing it as we explain here. Once in Oxford, it is possible to visit the city on foot, although there is also a hop-on hop-off bus tour.

Organized tours from London to Oxford

The best thing about organized tours from London is that the organizing company’s coach takes you directly to the most important points you have to visit, but in my opinion, the best way to take advantage of an organized tour is to join one of the excursions that combine several destinations, such as the excursion to Cambridge and Oxford from London.

The combinations that I like the most to visit Oxford from London are:

Warwick Castle, Stratford and Oxford
Visit Oxford, Stratford and the Cotswolds
Oxford and Harry Potter Warner Bros Studios Tour
A day in Oxford, Windsor and Stonehenge

Excursions from London: Visit Cambridge

The famous city of Cambridge is also located less than an hour by train from London, and being a small city it is also one of the best options when choosing one of the excursions from London.

Cambridge is a city also famous for its prestigious University, and is the quintessential UK city of students and bicycles.

What to see in Cambridge in one day

In one day you will have time to explore the city of Cambridge as well as visit some of the University’s colleges that normally open to the public at noon. Some of the key places that you cannot miss on a visit to Cambridge are Mathematical Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, The Backs, Round Church, King’s College and King’s College Chapel to name a few.

In our article Visit Cambridge in one day you will find more detailed information about what to see in Cambridge and how to get to Cambridge from London.

Map: Route to see Cambridge in one day

How to get to Cambridge from London

Getting to Cambridge from London on your own is very easy, as there are direct trains from King’s Cross and Liverpool Street Station in central London to Cambridge Station. The only drawback is that the Cambridge train station is about a 30 minute walk from the city center, but the walk is very pleasant. Another option is to take the Cambridge tourist bus which stops outside the station.

Organized excursions to Cambridge

There are organized excursions from London that combine a visit to Cambridge with a visit to Oxford, being able to see both cities in the same day: Excursion to Cambridge and Oxford from London.

Excursions from London: Visit Stratford Upon Avon

This is one of the excursions from London that I personally like the most, since although it is a lesser-known place, it is undoubtedly a place worth visiting. Stratford Upon Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and is about two hours by train from London.

What to see in Stratford Upon Avon in one day

With one day you will have enough time to see the best of Stratford Upon Avon. It is possible to visit the house where William Shakespeare was born, and this really is something you cannot miss if you are considering visiting Stratford Upon Avon. In addition to the house in which he was born, you can see another 4 houses, in which he and his relatives lived.

Stratford Upon Avon is a very small town but with a lot of charm, a typical English town where you will also have the opportunity to try a typical British cream tea or afternoon tea in one of the numerous tea rooms that you will find walking through its streets.

Map: Route to see Stratford Upon Avon in one day

How to get to Stratford Upon Avon from London

From the Marylebone train station in central London, there is a train that takes about two hours to reach the Stratford Upon Avon train station, from which you can walk to the center of the town without problems.

It is also possible to visit Stratford Upon Avon with an organized excursion from London, and the biggest advantage is that you can take advantage of the day to visit some other city in the same day, such as:

Oxford, Warwick Castle and Stratford Tour
Visit to Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford
A day to see Oxford, Stratford and the Cotswolds

Excursions from London: Visit Bath

Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in England, and it really is one that I would highly recommend visiting if you have the time. If you are even thinking of spending a couple of days in some other city, I would definitely recommend Bath and the Devon area, you won’t regret it!

What to see in Bath in one day

In Bath we find the best preserved Roman baths in England, and perhaps in the world as they say, and these Roman baths are one of the key points when visiting the city of Bath. In addition, Bath Abbey and a walk through the city are essential. Here you will also find the Jane Austin Center , a must for fans of this author.

Map: Route to see Bath in a day

How to get to Bath from London

From Paddington station there is a train that takes an hour and a half to reach Bath Spa train station, and from here it will take a few minutes to walk to the center.

It is also possible to go to Bath with an organized excursion, with the advantage of being able to visit other places on the same day, such as:

Excursion to Stonehenge and Bath
See Stonehenge, Stratford Upon Avon and Bath
Visit Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath

Excursions from London: Visit Stonehenge

Who has not seen a photo of the mysterious Stonehenge? The famous blocks of metamorphic rocks placed in concentric circles, are located an hour and a half drive from London, and is one of the most popular excursions from London for tourists.

What to see at Stonehenge

You will be able to see the most famous megalithic archaeological monument in the world and read about it at the visitor center. Being located in the middle of the field, there is nothing else around to see.

How to get to Stonehenge from London

The truth is that from London it is not easy to get to Stonehenge by public transport, but by car it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. The best way to visit Stonehenge is by taking an organized tour, and seeing Stonehenge on the way to another city, such as:

Stonehenge and Bath
Stonehenge, Stratford Upon Avon and Bath
Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath

Excursions from London: Visit Windsor

Located 40 minutes from London, Windsor Castle is one of the current residences of British royalty. It is located in Windsor, a small typical English town that is also worth visiting.

What to see in Windsor

Windsor Castle is obviously the biggest attraction in the city of Windsor, but Windsor is also a charming little city worth seeing, so I recommend spending some time wandering its streets. You can buy tickets to Windsor Castle and don’t forget that entry to Windsor Castle is free if you have a London Pass.

“The Long Walk” is one of the key points of Windsor, a long avenue from which you can get impressive views of Windsor Castle, and one of the photos that you cannot leave without having taken! In Windsor there is also the famous Eton College and Legoland.

Although Windsor is small, there is a tour bus that goes around Windsor , and it does a circular tour around the town of Windsor, stopping at Windsor railway stations and Eton College, as well as The Long Walk.

See Map: Places of interest in Windsor

How to get to Windsor from London

Trains run from London’s Paddington and Waterloo stations to two different Eton stations, and from these it’s a bit of a walk to get to Windsor town centre. I recommend taking a look at our visiting Windsor from London article where we explain how to get to Windsor in detail.

It is also possible to visit Windsor with an organized excursion from London , either to visit only Windsor with food included , or being able to take advantage of the day to also visit another city in England, such as:

Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath
Oxford, Windsor and Stonehenge

Tours from London: Harry Potter Studios

If you are going to be in London for a few days and you are a true Harry Potter fan , visiting the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios in London will be on your list of things that you cannot miss during your trip to the British capital. Today the Warner Bros studios have become one of the most visited attractions in London, and tickets sell out several weeks in advance, so if you want to go I recommend that you book your tickets as soon as possible.

What to see at the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios

When you visit the Harry Potter Studios, you’ll tour the original sets used to film the Harry Potter films, including locations such as the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office, and Hagrid’s hut. You can also see a giant model, made to scale of Hogwarts, an exhibition of the clothes used to shoot the films, the authentic Hogwarts Express train or you can even try the butter beer in the cafeteria.

How to Get to the Harry Potter Studios from London

Getting to the Harry Potter studios can be a bit of a hassle if you want to use public transport, as they are not located in central London. But it is possible to go by overground to Watford Junction (London 9 zone) and from there by bus to the studios. For this reason, many people choose to buy tickets with transport included from central London, or combine a visit to the Harry Potter studios with a visit to Oxford.

Excursions from London: Visit Legoland

If you are going to visit London with children and want to do something special, visiting Legoland is surely one of the best surprises you can plan for the little ones in the family. It is one of the most famous children’s theme parks in the United Kingdom, and is made up of more than 47 million Lego pieces.

Legoland is located in Windsor, which is located on the outskirts of London, and it is possible to spend a day there from London. Another option that may be interesting is to spend a day in Windsor , spend the night there and then spend a day at Legoland.

Excursions from London: Visit an unknown neighborhood of London

If you are going to be in London for a few days but you want to make the most of your time, you might want to visit something different, just to spend a day out visiting something that is not typical of London.

We must not forget that within London there are many beautiful neighborhoods, secret corners and places that I would recommend you see, and that they are less touristy neighborhoods that many people do not get to know. The best thing about visiting one of these places is that many of them can be reached by metro. If you have an oyster card you can easily use the oyster card to go anywhere within the London transport zones , and if you have a travelcard just make sure you know which zone you are going to in case it is not included on your travelcard.

London neighborhoods to visit:

Richmond
Hampstead
Greenwich
Kingston Upon Thames
Kew Gardens
Hampton Court Palace

Excursions from London: More destinations

Other very interesting places that can be visited from London are:

Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)
Dover Castle, Canterbury and the Cliffs of Dover
Leed’s Castle
warwick castle

Useful websites for planning excursions from London

Some links that you may find useful to plan your excursion from London to these cities are:

Trains:
- The Train Line: Website to buy train tickets in the United Kingdom. It is the website that usually offers the cheapest train tickets.
- National Rail: National rail network of the United Kingdom.
- Chiltern Railways: UK train network.

Buses:
- Megabus: National coach company offering super-cheap UK inter-city travel, sometimes for £1 per person.
- National Express: UK coach company with routes between cities and airports

Organized tours from London:
- Get Your Guide: Our ticket sales partner in London, with guaranteed minimum prices: One day excursions.
- Discount London: From this website you can buy organized excursions that depart from London. Here you will see that everything is very well explained and they give you a list of collection points , which are the hotels or stops from which they pick up people in London, so you have to choose one. You can make the reservation before coming, from Spain, making the reservation and payment by card and printing the receipt. More information: DiscountLondon

Excursions from London: Routes and Day Trips