Hello ! We will be in london for four days at the end of our three week vacation in Ireland and Paris . Would like some recommendations on truly wonderful day trips out of the city that would be easilly accessible by rail. We've already done the standard london tourist things on our last trip , and would now like to visit some other areas. - your suggestions? Thank you.

Certainly quick and easy to get to is Brighton. While the pier and beach are somewhat "tacky", there is an interesting faded glory there. And The Royal Pavillion is truly a magnificent structure especially for its over the top interiors. A walk through the Lanes is nice with antique shops and nice tea rooms and restaurants.<BR><BR>Bath is a very interesting day trip, whether you take a guided tour or not.<BR><BR>Anywhere in the Cotswalds is wonderful, but it really takes a car to appreciate the area.<BR><BR>Stratford on Avon is easily reached by train and you can not only visit the usual Shakespeare places, but see a really great production at one of the theatres there.<BR><BR>Cambridge or Oxford are interesting, especially if you take a punt on one of their rivers.<BR><BR>You can go to Canterbury for the cathedral and also to Dover in one day. <BR><BR>Rye is an interesting little town, and you might actually incorporate it with Dover, depending upon how much time you spend there.

On day trips from London I've been to: Canterbury, Cambridge, Bath, Warwick, York, Lincoln, Norwich, Ely, Banbury, Stratford, St. Neots, Oxford, Salisbury, Chichester, Lewes, Winchester, Brighton, and a number of others over the years. (Closer in is Hampton Court & Windsor) What are you intersted in? Cathderals, Castle, historical buildings, shopping, quiet little towns? Your interests should dictate what you'd like to see. Canterbury Cathedrel is lovely, likewise Salisbury, Ely and Winchester have great cathedrals, but if you don't like cathedrals or are "cathedraled out" maybe these are not the day trips for you. Warwick Castle is worth a day trip (if you like castles). Brighton is kind of tacky, as Patrick said, but in an OK way. Personally I would not go there, but it's your call! Tell us what you are interested in and I'm sure there are all sorts of suggestions just waiting for you. There is even outlet mall shopping at Biecester (I hope I'm spelling that right - you take the train from Marylebone Sta. and there is a bus from Biecester Sta. to the stores!) <BR>

In looking over all the recommendations I'm inclined to recommend Canterbury; however, I'm not sure how far it is by train. Besides the cathedral, and, as I recall, we wandered around until we found a ruined abbey site, plus you can visit the entertaining but gimicky Canterbury Tales exhibit. Lunched at Thomas Beckett on Bath St. Very well priced and highly recommended. I did take a London Walks tour of Windsor and Eton which was very nice. Stayed late for the evensong at the church at Windsor, had dinner and caught a later train back to London.

Forgot to mention that during my driving trip around southern England I visited Brighton (it was a must on my list) and was very disappointed. Thought the town was tacky, the palace especially tacky. Did walk down the Lanes (crowded and not at all interesting) to the beach just so I could see it and the pier. Planned to stay a night but left quickly.

If you fancy a day at seaside I believe Bournemouth or Eastbourne are good choices. I must admit the first time I visited Brighton I thought it was a bit of a dump but over the years I have warmed to the place. There are some great bars and restaurants there and on a sunny day a walk along the beach is a real pleasure. Shopping is interesting especially the shops in the North Lanes. Do visit the Pavillion... it's bizarre but take the tour - its interesting.

I would not go to Brighton. It is, I am afraid, a little tacky and can get overcrowded. <BR>If you are determined to leave London even tho' you are there for a short period only, stick to places that are a short train ride away like Hampton Court, Windsor+Eton. You could venture further, but remember that by the end of three weeks away you might well be fed up with public transport, tourist crowds, never-ending ignorance about your new surroundings (like, where's the toilet? can I get a decent coffee here? which way is north? etc.) <BR>Why not gen up via Time Out magazine and website on the very latest attractions in London and do the city justice? <BR>

Brighton has: Elegant Georgian architecture, a gaudy but fun pier, tons of good restaurants and pubs, a fair few gay bars, funky shopping, a very long pebble beach, a fantastic seafront, a lovely theatre, a brilliant buzzing atmosphere, also, its fair share of beggers, drunkards, and shady looking people.

I've been to Bicester many times. It's not huge. The Bicester shopping village web site is at www.bicestervillage.com. I usually go for the Monsoon seconds, which are really well priced. Not nice on a rainy day though as not much is under cover.<BR><BR>It would be easy to combine with a day trip to Oxford.

thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions ! We were looking to wind down a bit and recover from the parisian experience... would spending three days in the country, say the cotswolds, then driving back to london the night before we leave sound good? is there enough to do in the cotswolds for three days? only spent one afternoon there in our last trip, and thought it would a place we could hang out for a while. any suggestions on accomodations in that area? To the gentleman who recommended giving london its due -- I agree - however did do an extensive london tour on two previous occassions, and will have just returned from paris - dont want you to think we are ignoring that wonderful city.

Three or four days in the Cotswolds are sounds to me like a delightful way to wind-down from an urban-type vacation. If you get bored with all the loveliness, you can check out Cheltenham, Salisbury, Stonehenge, etc. Skip London entirely this time, drive from the airport to the Cotswolds and back so you don't have to deal with driving in the city.

I entirely agree w/ Suzy. if you don't plan on doing anything in London, why pay London prices for accomodations and the cost of transport out of the city each day.<BR><BR>Pick an area -- three suggestions: The Cotswolds, the New Forest, or Wiltshire/Dorset south of Bath. Stay in ONE of these areas, relax and travel around to places within 50-60 miles and you will have a great time. Hotels/B&Bs in all three areas will be a fraction of the cost of London and there is a TON to see in all three.