alane

we will be staying in london for 11days. we are planning 5-7 days in the city we are also planning days trips to places close by to london. here are some of my options.
am i missing any? what are the top 3-4?
windsor
greenwich
canterbury
oxford
cambridge
bath
st albans
brighton
salisbury
hampton court palace

i know some of these places are less than 1 hour from london...which would make an easy day trip.... are any similiar and if you see one you can not see another?

always look forward to answers from this forum......

texasbookworm

Greenwich and Hampton Court could be less-than-day trips; I think the same could be said for Windsor. You could certainly spend leisurely whole days I'm sure.

Other ideas: Winchester. Dover (the castle is spectacular and despite what many may say, walking along the Cliffs was a good way to see them for us). Stonehenge can be a side-trip from Salisbury. I think even York can be "done" as a LONG day trip with proper trains.

(We had 2 weeks in London in 2008 and took day trips to Oxford [first choice!], Dover, Salisbury/Stonehenge, Chatsworth [but that took some doing!], and Silverstone Race Track. We also went to Greenwich for half a day. Another year a Hampton Court trip took less than half a day.)

chillout

Well some of these towns don't seem very different like Oxford and Cambridge, though Brighton is a wonderful seaside town. Greenwich is a neighbourhood in London BTW and you can see it all in 30 minutes. How about visiting the countryside in Kent? it's a quintessentially English experience with many old and quaint villages around. You can take a 30 minutes train ride to Sevenoaks in Kent and visit so many places from there in one day.

janisj

"<i>Greenwich is a neighbourhood in London BTW and you can see it all in 30 minutes.</i>"

yes, Greenwich is part of London --but no, one can't see it in 30 minutes.

alane: All of your trips are doable (and some of the others mentioned as well). Don't think of Greenwich, Hampton Court or Windsor as "day trips". Each are so close or easily reached from central London that you could head out to one in the AM and be back in town seeing other sites by mid-afternoon.

Mimar

What time of year will you be in London? Well, actually all year round, I'd decide based on the weather. For example, if the forecast wasn't so good, I might go to Oxford or Bath or Windsor, which have lots of indoor sites. With sunshine, I might go to Cambridge or Brighton or Kew Gardens.

kawh

ttt

Mary24

What are your interests? For example if you are a WW2 buff then Chartwell (Winston Churchill's home in Kent) or maybe Bletchley Park. If you like gardens then eg Sissinghurst. I really like Winchester as a day trip from London - the castle, cathedral and the school.
Look at the Explorer Days - day trips out of London run by London Walks for ideas - www.walks.com.

valtor

Chillout, what did you see in Greenwich in 30 minutes? You are kidding, no?

I agree that some of the places in your list can be 1/2 day trip , however you are in holiday! You don't need to wake up each day at 7 o'clock and start your trip early. When I made my plans for day trips around London, also considered each destination as one day trip. OK, I returned at 4 or 5 pm, so I had time to rest and to go in the evening to see a show, to walk or go to a restaurant.

alanRow

If you miss the Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market...

... then you should be able to get around Greenwich in 30 minutes

ron

Day trips I have taken from London that are not on your list:
Ely, Norwich, Rochester, Peterborough (perhaps you can see a medieval cathedral theme here) and Kenilworth/Coventry.