London Day Trips - Soooo many options
 

We are in London for 5 days next August and anticipate take one or two trips out of the city. But where - there are so many options. See below for my preliminary list. I would love it if someone could help me narrow this list.

Also - from an uninformed perspective - Cambridge and Oxford seem to offer similar charms. Will anyone advocate one over the other?

a) Blenheim Palace
b) Kew Palace & Gardens
c) St Albans
d) Windor Castle (half day)
e) Cambridge
d) Hampton Court (half day)
f) Rye
g) Dover
h) Winchester
i) Dover
j) Oxford
k) Greenwich (half day)

Have you been to London before? If not, even one day trip is tough during such a short visit.

I've been to every single place on your list (most of them several times) and every single one of them is worthwhile.

Just some random comments:

Blenheim isn't the easiest day trip from London - train to Oxford, walk to bus station, lovcal bus to Woodstock . . . and reverse.

Hampton Court Palace, Greenwich and Kew are basically IN London so you could squeeze in something in the late afternoon in the city.

Cambridge and Oxford are very similar - subjectively I personally prefer Oxford, but either is good.

Dover is the be all/end all castle w/ everything from a Roman lighthouse to WWII tunnels.

There is absolutely nothing 'wrong' w/ any of your list . . . But w/ only 5 days I wouldn't leave London at all.

Thanks again Janis.

Agree with Janis. All are good day trips but if you don;t know London 5 days will barely scratch the surface there.

If you insist on one day trip it would be Hampton Court (but be sure to see the Tudors PBS series first). and red about it before you get there - to know what you want to focus on.

Hampton Court to me is more enjoyable than a more mobbed Windsor Castle though the town of Windsor and adjacent Eton are nice in themselves.

As for Oxbridge - which one? Toss a coin - both are similar but so different. I've been to both several times and each time I go to one I think it is better than the other!

Can't go wrong.

I differ from those saying stay all 5 days in London - which would be fine of course but see some of England as well - either Oxford - a bit quicker to get to depending on where in London you start from - or Cambridge would top my list - unique cities not only to England but the world IME.

and yes Hampton Court could be and should be IME a half-day trip - leaving 3.5 days in London - though if landing day is your first day then it may not count much, depending on your stamina.

3 full days in London IMO for the average tourist will be enough to see the main sights - though of course one culd spend weeks and months there and never scratch the proverbial surface.

Hampton Court and/or Oxford. Concur with PalenQ that you have time for a day trip. But you don't have to book anything now, so decide when you get there. Whatever you decide to do, you'll enjoy--no day trip means you're having too much fun in London!

Let's see:

a) Blenheim Palace - hard to get to, middling reviews
b) Kew Palace & Gardens - kinda in London considering that Zone 3 on the Tube is no less in London than Queens is part of NYC
c) St Albans - would not, considering the other choices
d) Wind[s]or Castle (half day) - good choice, gets riotously crowded, will take large slice of the day
e) Cambridge - good choice, Oxford may be better
d [huh?]) Hampton Court (half day) - good choice, available for 1/2 price with www.daysoutguide.co.uk discount, easy ride from Waterloo.
f) Rye - farther than the above
g) Dover - takes 3 hours RT with the fast train, 5 hrs RT if on a regular train.
h) Winchester - not so much
i) Dover - see Dover I above
j) Oxford - good choice, easy trip from Paddington
k) Greenwich (half day) - also kind of in London and accessible by Tube.

m) Stonehenge and Salisbury make a tremendous day trip too!

Wonderful input all. Based on this - I think we will pencil in a day trip to Oxford.

I wish we had more time - so many places to see.

rholt . . . based on your other thread you will have absolutely NO time for a day trip.

Now, if you cut about half of the sites on that other thread (including 2 or 3 of the 'biggies') you just <i>might</i> have enough time for a day trip.

Those saying 'sure, you have plenty of time for a day trip' probably haven't looked at your other list.

I just looked at the other list and janis is right on - those things will take all of 5.5 days in London itself. I would jettison some things and at least do one day trip to the England outside of London - I think Oggsford would be a smashing good choice for that!

I just looked at the other list and janis is right on - those things will take all of 5.5 days in London itself. I would jettison some things and at least do one day trip to the England outside of London - I think Oggsford would be a smashing good choice for that!

I just looked at the other list and janis is right on - those things will take all of 5.5 days in London itself. I would jettison some things and at least do one day trip to the England outside of London - I think Oggsford would be a smashing good choice for that!

sorry about those malfunctions - weird but not intentional.