Magna04

A relative and friend will be in London in May for a week. Does anyone have any suggestions for an interesting daytrip they could take by train and how they would go about booking it? Should they wait until they get to London or book it before leaving the US?

Any information you can give as soon as possible will be greatly appreciated. They would love to have a daytrip which includes seeing one of the castles. They do not want to do this by any type car tour so would appreciate only train suggestions or recommendations of train daytrips you may have taken and enjoyed. Thanks once again for your help!

Grasshopper

Take the train from Waterloo Station to Hampton Court. Great tours, no need to book in advance, lots to see, beautiful gardens.

Vickitty

When my family and I were in London, my Dad got a package deal at the train station in London (Waterloo I think), to go to Salisbury and Stonehenge for the day. Train tickets to Salisbury, and a busy to Stonehenge from there. I think it made a very nice daytrip, especially if you've never seen Stonehenge before, but it may be further than you wanted to go, about an hour each way, I think. (It was 3 years ago, so I don't remember precisely.)

TrendGirl

There are many options for great day trips from London. As the poster suggested above, Hampton Court Palace is well worth the visit, and can even be combined with Windsor Palace visit. I think you can even go on the Green Line Bus and if I remember, it stops right across the street from Hampton Court Palace. Another nice day trip by train is to go to Bath. It is a very cute little town and interesting to see the ancient Roman Baths, the Crescent, etc., as well as nice places to stop to have lunch. It was easy to do by train as well. You can purchase your train tickets at the station for the train to Bath. I do not remember exactly which station I left from, but that is easy enough to find out either on this board, or the concierge at your hotel.

elaine

Hi
I'm assuming that during the London visit, the Tower of London will be on the sightseeing list. It is a castle, the oldest one in the London area, and taking one of the Yeoman Warder's tours is very informative.

I suggest Hampton Court over Windsor as a visit. Windsor is mostly about a limited tour of selected rooms with fine furnishings and art, but it is largely closed to the public since the royal family still uses it as a residence. The grounds are nothing special.

Hampton Court has a lovely riverside setting, it has an outdoor maze that is fun for all, it has a wonderful history dating back to Wolsey and Henry VIII,
it has beautiful grounds, and is easy to get to by train/bus, or even by boat (a long ride, but I hear it's nice). I believe you can also take the Tube part way; Take the District Line to Vauxhall or Wimbledon to pick up the overland train to Hampton Court Station. Alternatively, take the District Line to Richmond, then the R68 bus from Richmond station direct to the palace.

www.hrp.org.uk should have the latest travel and other info

I've also heard that Warwick Castle is a nice daytrip, but haven't been there.

TrendGirl

Yes, Elaine is right, Warwick Castle is great. I really enjoyed that. There was much to see at the castle and the rooms were all open to the public. I found Warwick a nice surprise.
That is one of the easier day trips to take.When I visited Windsor, it was many years ago on my first trip to London, and was glad that I saw it. Of course Elaine reminded me that much of the castle IS off limits to tours, which is not the case at Warwick Castle and Hampton Court Palace.

gingergirl

What about Stratford-Upon-Avon..birthplace of Wm. Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway's cottage? I'm planning a trip to London in July and thought about that area as a daytrip...isn't there a theatre there as well? Is this a good idea or it it over-rated?
Any ideas?
gg

TrendGirl

Of course everyone has different likes and dislikes, but I thought Stratford-on-Avon was the worst!!!!If someone is a huge Shakespeare fan perhaps they would enjoy the town more, but I thought the town was tacky. I saw the Ann Hathaway cottage, in the same day, and certainly would not put that on a "Go See" visit. "2 thumb down!"

Tallulah

You could consider combining a daytrip to Leeds Castle (no, not in Leeds but near Maidstone in Kent) and Canterbury.

Leeds Castle is what one tends to think of when thinking of a castle in the most traditional sense - set in beautiful grounds with a moat - it is really terribly romantic and about 45 minutes from London on the train (www.leeds-castle.com)

From there you could continue on to Canterbury - a medieval City dominated by it's Norman Cathedral (c. 1070). It's a small town, packed full of original buildings, that can easily be toured in an afternoon. The Abbey (and King's School within the Cathedral precincts) was founded by St Augustine in 597AD by St Augustine who brought Christianity to England - hence the Archbishop of Canterbury remains the head of the Church of England. Find out more at www.canterbury.co.uk or see lots of photos at http://www.hillside.co.uk/tour/tour.html

Clearly I am biased as I grew up in Canterbury and actually attended the King's School(!) but if you would like any further information, do get in touch with me at [email protected]

Hope they have fun whatever they decide to do!

Tallulah

Actually I've just had another look at the Canterbury 'photo' website and have to say that they are actually a strange set - whilst accurate, they do kind of miss out on some of the better views and it's kind of confusing. Will try to find a better one...

carolyn

Evan Evans is one tour company that offers many excursions by bus with excellent guides to give historical information. If that is what your friend is looking for, the hotel can help with brochures and/or information. I have done their Windsor Castle and Hampton Court combination, as well as a day to Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Warwick Castle. True, you don't get a lot of time anywhere; but if you just want a taste to see some places you have read about, or if you would like a preview to see where you might like to go back and spend more time, the guided day trips are good.

London Walks also do day trips. If your friend will pick up a copy of Time Out magazine, it is full of good information.

sheepdog

While it's not a train trip, I'd also recommend a Thames River cruise to Kew Gardens and tea in Richmond, then tube back to central London. May would be a wonderful time to visit the gardens. For more info check http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/