If you’re interested in recent history as well, Salisbury is of course the site of the 2018 Skripal poisonings.
Our cab driver obliged us with a tour of locales when we mentioned it. Russians!!

Pretty much the same reason as others have given. Cambridge is smaller but feels considerably smaller than Oxford; less bustling, I guess. Both offer superb architecture of course but to me the sight of King's College Chapel from across the river is one of the best in England. https://goo.gl/maps/zDc3idWgWVsEeXs16

Windsor Castle. We toured this castle,St. George Chapel where Megan and Harry were married, and the royals are entombed.
The Castle is adjacent to the town’s main street where you can get lunch. Buy tickets for Windsor Castle in advance.
Oxford is lovely city and we enjoyed our time walking around the campus.

There’s also Stratford Upon Avon but I must admit I’ve not been there for a very long time. I also prefer Cambridge to Oxford partially since it’s got a smaller town feeling compared to Oxford as mentioned above but probably also since it’s brings out the nostalgia of my carefree youth.

We did London Walks for Salisbury and Stonehenge. It was a really wonderful tour and was a lot of fun. I don’t think they have it going right now but might by next spring. Something to think about.

I love having all this great insight. You all are making great suggestions and it will be hard to decide (and I love that)!

janisj- your Dover comments are priceless-we have to take the good with the bad.

i have never even heard of Sissinghurst—so I gotta research that!

Salisbury—have definitely heard the cathedral there is a must see.

Not sure why Stratford on Avon hasn’t crossed my mind…choices, choices!

Sissinghurst is the magnificent garden built by Vita Sackville-West (author, lover of Virginia Woolf and husband of Harold Nicholson -- major players in the Bloomsbury Group).

It is totally doable as a day trip from central London. Trains from Charing Cross to Staplehurst run every 30-ish minutes and take less than an hour. Staplehurst is 5 or 6 miles from the garden -- you'll want to pre-book a taxi.

If you are leaning this way you'll want nice weather, so don't decide ahead of time which day you'd visit. Spring is a great time to visit . . . .

Maybe I should hire you janisj as our personal consultant! So much to learn about bit excited to be going back to London…still a long way away and no way to speed time up.😉

OOPS -- WIFE of Harold Nicholson -- but their relationships were 'complicated' so maybe a Freudian slip :)

Happy to be of service . . . The biggest problem is you will run out of days loooooong before you run out of day trip possibilities.

Well that’s always the case but I see it as a reason to return over & over.

You don’t need to go anywhere near Dover town centre where it’s not particularly nice. Some residential areas are ok with Victorian architecture. But that’s not why you’d go there. Note Dover is a town, not a city, the main ferry port for France. So it is going to be a bit rough around the edges but you aren’t going to see any of that. The suggestion was all about visiting the castle, pubs under the white cliffs & other pretty places along the coast.

Oxford University doesn't have a campus.
The colleges and exam buildings are dotted in and amongst the centre of town. The teaching laboratories for science in particular are further north next to the Parks and along Banbury Road. The sports fields and sports facilites go as far out as the ring road.

If you are going to Oxford for a day or better still a night there are some worthwhile tricks to adapt
1) You can stay in college, especially out of term time or in "colleges" that are not affiliated to the University (often odd-religious) but are housed in interesting buildings offering semi-student accom.
2) Open times for visitors are strictly adheared to so if planning a wander around be aware of when you can visit. Mainly that is in the afternoon
3) College chapels often have services around 6pm or 6:30pm and you can gain admittance if you ask. Obviously you have to behave but it can be a sublime experience to sit and listen
4) The two of the three main Museums are world class. The Pitt Rivers is more a wild collection of the weird but worth time just to be amazed what he picked up
5) In and out of term there are often music events in the evening, staying over one night gives you access to these, though you could always take a late train back to London
6) Shopping in the centre of town is either touristy or UK main street. However there are two areas worth looking at, the covered market which is a blast and offers lots of little tea rooms etc and Little Clarendon Street
7) Punting,

Very appreciative of the additional Dover info and the specifics on Oxford. Exactly what I was hoping for.

Interesting info re: Chichester as I just heard about Tinwood Estate (nearby)which certainly aligns with my love of Sparkling Wine but I don’t know the area and how doable it is without a car (and would definitely want a pretty day if we visited).

Exactly -- no one was arguing with you. That is why I explained that getting off the train they wouldn't want to wander around the town but take a taxi straight up to the castle and spend the whole day.

https://www.universityrooms.com/en-GB/ makes access easy

I took a bus from Chichester to Fishbourne. Looks like a bus will get you to within a half mile of the Tinwood Farm. (Google maps has bus info.)

This site is also worth knowing about and you might get a discount if you arrive by bus: https://www.wealddown.co.uk/

Definitely a fan of staying in an Oxford or Cambridge college. These days rooms are typically en-suite and come with breakfast. When I stayed in Christ Church Oxford I was able to eat dinner there one night too. (But I preferred my stay at Keble.) Last time I was in Oxford it was overrun with day visitors, Cambridge was a bit quieter.

Great Thursdays…appreciate that link!

Hi Denise,

2 days outside London is a tough one, but two of the most popular places to see is Windsor and Stonehenge.

My advice would be to take a train from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton, which usually runs every 30 minutes and takes just less than an hour. There you can see Windsor Castle, take one of the Duck River Tours and also just wander around the town, which is lovely as well as stay later in the evening and see a show in the theatre which is right by the castle.

To see Stonehenge isn't so easy by public transport - so I would probably recommend a tour company to take a direct tour to and from Stonehenge as seen here. Its one of the leading attractions in the UK and Spring is one of the best times to see this sight, and with the visitor centre and cafe there it means you have time to relax, see the Stones and also have some food and a wonder.

Also, dont rule out the Cotswolds... there are some amazing places to see there - check out Bourton-on-the-Water for more details.

Enjoy!

Do you think The Cotswalds are OK for a day trip? We are looking to do a few day trips via train outside London.

When we walked around the university at Oxford many years ago, everyone was wearing academic robes.