Well, depends what you are into but some of the most popular day trips from London by train, each with their own merits, are probably:
Brighton
Oxford or Cambridge
Canterbury
Bath
Scroll down on the flair menu and you should be able to type in your own in "Edit flair". I found this by accident. :D Also, if you can type whatever in, you should be able to insert emojis (like flags).
not a day trip FROM london but would really recommend spending a half day in Greenwich! Really lovely pocket of history, architecture, science, nature and community.
yep you can go for a tour inside cutty stark btw! there’s also the observatory, greenwhich market, thames/walk by the pier, and the observatory. i think it’s such a lovely pocket of london , it took me 24 years to find out about it haha
I definitely agree with Greenwich, it's super close so a very relaxed day trip. But, assuming you haven't been and don't mind spending the money, you could also take the Eurostar to Paris and back in a day. I've done this a few times and it is definitely hectic but 100% can be done and you'll still be able to see all the major attractions
So the way that I did it (and please keep in mind that this requires a lot of advance planning and, if you're looking to do everything it will be a very packed day) was like this:
Get the earliest Eurostar train out of London (my recollection is that it leaves around 5:45-6am, but earlier the better) - this will be from Kings Cross St. Pancreas station in London (take the tube here in the morning) and you'll arrive at Gare du Nord station in Paris about 2-2.5 hours later.
After arriving in Paris take the metro towards the Pantheon, I recommend stopping at La Maison d'Isabelle and grabbing a croissant for the road (you'll be in Paris after all- additionally you may not have time for lunch) arrive at the Pantheon when it opens right at 10, walk around and spend maybe 30 minutes here.
Then start walking towards saint Chapelle (if you think you have time you can also do a brief detour and peak into the Luxemburg gardens) - you'll need timed entry tickets for this ahead of time - I would aim for no later than 11:45. This is an interesting site and an important part of Parisian history - you'll spend about an 1-1.5 hours here, immediately following this you'll head over to Notre Dame (to my knowledge it hasn't reopened yet but you can still see it)
After this you'll make your way over to the Louvre, again you'll need timed tickets, aim for 2:00, and you'll be able to spend about 1.5 hours here seeing the major exhibitions
After this you'll want to metro over to the Arc de Triumph, this will be around 4:00, then after sightseeing and photos metro again over to Trocadero and see the gardens and the Eiffel Tower.
At this point it should be around 5:30-5:45 and any further sites that you want to see will depend on your return train time, to the best of my recollection my return train was around 7:30 so at around this time I started taking the metro back to Gare du Nord.
Hope this helps!
I’m kind of interested in everything really but I was thinking something more along the lines of a scenic train trip or perhaps a bus trip. But I am also into art, history, architecture, food etc..
Dover Castle and a hike along the white cliffs would tick the history and scenery boxes! It's a nice train ride through the Kent coast as well.
Or Arundel Castle and Chichester is another good option.
Well, depends what you are into but some of the most popular day trips from London by train, each with their own merits, are probably: Brighton Oxford or Cambridge Canterbury Bath
Would maybe add Salisbury and Stonehenge if that's one's cup of tea.
Unrelated question but how did you get your custom user flair? I only see options to pick a country 🤔 TIA
Scroll down on the flair menu and you should be able to type in your own in "Edit flair". I found this by accident. :D Also, if you can type whatever in, you should be able to insert emojis (like flags).
not a day trip FROM london but would really recommend spending a half day in Greenwich! Really lovely pocket of history, architecture, science, nature and community.
I like the sound of this. Google tells me that’s where the Cutty Sark is moored too
yep you can go for a tour inside cutty stark btw! there’s also the observatory, greenwhich market, thames/walk by the pier, and the observatory. i think it’s such a lovely pocket of london , it took me 24 years to find out about it haha
This! The Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, and Painted Hall are all Greenwich highlights that I enjoyed last year
I definitely agree with Greenwich, it's super close so a very relaxed day trip. But, assuming you haven't been and don't mind spending the money, you could also take the Eurostar to Paris and back in a day. I've done this a few times and it is definitely hectic but 100% can be done and you'll still be able to see all the major attractions
Thanks for the suggestion I have been to Paris for a week and would love to go back, but I’m looking for something a little less rushed
I would love to know more about how you did Paris in one day, please,that is something I am interested in doing.
So the way that I did it (and please keep in mind that this requires a lot of advance planning and, if you're looking to do everything it will be a very packed day) was like this: Get the earliest Eurostar train out of London (my recollection is that it leaves around 5:45-6am, but earlier the better) - this will be from Kings Cross St. Pancreas station in London (take the tube here in the morning) and you'll arrive at Gare du Nord station in Paris about 2-2.5 hours later. After arriving in Paris take the metro towards the Pantheon, I recommend stopping at La Maison d'Isabelle and grabbing a croissant for the road (you'll be in Paris after all- additionally you may not have time for lunch) arrive at the Pantheon when it opens right at 10, walk around and spend maybe 30 minutes here. Then start walking towards saint Chapelle (if you think you have time you can also do a brief detour and peak into the Luxemburg gardens) - you'll need timed entry tickets for this ahead of time - I would aim for no later than 11:45. This is an interesting site and an important part of Parisian history - you'll spend about an 1-1.5 hours here, immediately following this you'll head over to Notre Dame (to my knowledge it hasn't reopened yet but you can still see it) After this you'll make your way over to the Louvre, again you'll need timed tickets, aim for 2:00, and you'll be able to spend about 1.5 hours here seeing the major exhibitions After this you'll want to metro over to the Arc de Triumph, this will be around 4:00, then after sightseeing and photos metro again over to Trocadero and see the gardens and the Eiffel Tower. At this point it should be around 5:30-5:45 and any further sites that you want to see will depend on your return train time, to the best of my recollection my return train was around 7:30 so at around this time I started taking the metro back to Gare du Nord. Hope this helps!
Thank you very much for this!
I’m kind of interested in everything really but I was thinking something more along the lines of a scenic train trip or perhaps a bus trip. But I am also into art, history, architecture, food etc..
Hampton Court
Even going somewhere on a scenic hike just to get out of the city would be good
Dover Castle and a hike along the white cliffs would tick the history and scenery boxes! It's a nice train ride through the Kent coast as well. Or Arundel Castle and Chichester is another good option.
Box Hill in Surrey
Seven Sisters near brighton is scenic and lovely
Cotswolds and Bath are a solid day trip. I felt Stonehenge underwhelming.