I'll be in London during the first week of Oct. and was wondering about a good day trip to the English countryside. Any help will be appreciated.

Bath would be a good trip, especially if you're relying on trains rather than renting a car. Or Brighton. Depends on what you're looking for -- fun, scenery, history . . ?

There is a good company that offers day tours from London: Frames Coach Tours &lt;http://www.etmtravelgroup.com/&gt; <BR>They offer tours to Bath & Stonehenge; Windsor Castle, Canterbury, Dover & Leeds Castle, The Cotswolds & Blenheim Palace; and Shakespeare Country. They will pick you up at your hotel, and the rates are very reasonable.

Lucky you!! Haven't been back this year and I'm missing it greatly! How about Windsow, Oxford or Cambridge? I encourage visitors to go to Windsor as an easy, short trip out of London. Lovely town, the castle, of course, and you can walk across the little bridge into Eton. It's about a 25 minute train trip from Paddington and the trains run about every 1/2 hour all day and evening, so you can come and go as you please--no need to buy a return ticket for an exact time. It's more like a commutor. <BR>Have a great trip!

Thanks, <BR>My wife wants to see old style English country towns so we think Cotswolds will probably be the destination. What the best way to find a good coach tour while in London?

If you choose a packaged tour, check the itinerary carefully. On a tour that attempts to do Bath and Stonehenge in one day, or Blenheim and Cotswolds, you might find yourself very hurried, with much more time on the bus than at the sights.

Cotswolds - not a good day trip from London. Besides, it's a place to be "in" and "around" and "experience" not just to look at, although it's a lovely region. I'd do a few days there. Haven't been to Rye, but read and heard great things about it. My day tripping self prefers Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor, as already suggested, or take the train to Kew.

Unfortunately we only have one "free" day in London. Now we are planning to take the train ourselves and use buses or taxis to see a couple villages like Burton-on-Water and Broadway, etc. Does anyone have experience doing this "alone" without a guide? Is it easy? Fun? Troublesome?

If you plan to take buses about the Cotswolds, be very sure that you have current schedules, as they do get changed.

You will probably need a car, but what about East Anglia? <BR> <BR>Have a look at http://www.eastofenglandtouristboard.com/ <BR> <BR>There are some charming little towns and villages and it is far less touristy than the Cotswolds. Lavenham, for instance has crooked wooden framed houses. If you prefer cities, try Cambridge, Bury-st-Edmunds of Norwich.

There is no earthly reason why you cannot do a one day bus tour through the Cotswolds and get a real flavour of the place while you do so. Then next time you are in England you have a better idea of whether you want to rent a car and stay longer. All the major hotels have booklets for tour companies, and I would recommend you collect the lot, find the day tour that most suits your purposes and go. They do stop and let you wander around a handful of the prettier villages, and surely that is all you need for your day outing. FYI the Cotswolds are not the end of the earth: Oxford, at the edge of the Cotswolds, is a 2 hour drive from London and some of the most select sites are within easy range thereafter, including Blenheim Palace. Look for a tour that features any of Blenheim Palace/Bladon (where Churchill is buried)/Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper/Lower/Middle Slaughter/Broadway/Chipping Campden, and go for it! <BR> <BR>

I would certainly want more than a daytrip to see the Cotswolds and would want a car to go from one village to another as I choose. Canterbury is a great day trip, also Cambridge. Oxford is bigger and more of a university town, but a nice daytrip. Stratford is possible but a stretch. Salisbury is an idea. Going south of London, you could consider Arundel with its wonderful castle and antique shops and country pubs. It's about 1 1/4 hours from Victoria Station. Rye is also a nice daytrip. York would be frustrating--too much for one day only.

Hi Jim, Last Feb, we went to Windsor, and liked it very much. We also went to Hampton Court(not on the same day). <BR> Bath, Stonehenge & Salisbury(Frames Tours) were great, we did that the first time in LOndon, London has wonderful day trips IMO. Judy

Second Sylvia's suggestion for East Anglia. Lavenham is a wonderful, interesting village, the one that "there was a crooked man who walked a crooked mile..." was written about. And nearby Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk is well worth a visit. Both are easily doable in a day trip from London.

Do please keep coming - you might keep our airlines in business. <BR>Message to my American friends; you might consider staying outside London. My county - Sussex has plenty to offer; Arundel, though watch the main road from the rail station, Brighton (plenty of entertainment for younger visitors, plus the Royal Pavillion, George IV's house), plus Batemans, about 20-25 miles north east of Brighton, which was Kipling's house, also Alfriston, near Eastbourne, if you want an English tea. If you fly to Gatwick, most places are not much more than an hour's drive.