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5 days in England

We just booked 5 days in London at the end of March/beginning of April before we head to Switzerland. We will have our 19 YO son with us and are looking for things to do outside of the city for 2 of the days. I have researched this forum and found a few suggestions. We have been to London but its been a while so we want to go back and do the typical tourist stuff- Buckingham Palace, Harrod's, Tower of London. We would like to do 1 museum- we like history, not art. we would also like to relax in pubs for a bit and eat some good food. Thinking 2-3 days is plenty for this in London. We are open to renting a car and exploring (we love to do this but realize might not be smart considering time we have) or taking trains. Should we spend one night somewhere else or just do day trips from London? We are not looking to walk around gardens for half of a day. We would be more interested in history, quaint towns with interesting history and/or pretty views, more local type town would also be cool, not so touristy one day. Anyone have any great places they've visited that are within driving or train from London that fits this?

Also, we stayed at the big marriott next to the London eye last time. It was lovely but looking to stay somewhere different this time. Somewhere more central to everything. I remember thinking Picadilly square area would have been a good location when I was there last time. It's been a while so not sure if my memory serves me correct? Bonus for name of hotel or other place that is nice but not too $$$

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Posted by
8889 posts
  • Hampton Court Palace. Easy ½ day trip, end of a commuter rail line on the edge of London.
  • Canterbury. Good whole day trip. Old city, lots of old stuff, Cathedral, city walls.
  • If you want an overnight location: York. 2 hours by fast train. More old stuff, Romans, Vikings, Cathedral, city walls you can walk on. Lots more.
Posted by
4253 posts

I would spend two nights in York. In London, the British Museum-it houses the history of civilization.

Posted by
1797 posts

Have you thought about Sevenoaks and Knole House? It is 30-45 minutes on the train from central London with a very regular train service.

This article about Sevenoaks is two years old but is still worth reading.

https://www.kent-life.co.uk/out-about/places/town-guide-to-sevenoaks-kent-1-5179782

The restoration work at Knole House is finished and it is is well worth a visit for its history dating back to the C15th and links with Elizabeth I. It is one of the largest stately homes in England and is often referred to as a 'calendar house' with 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards. The number of rooms is approximately correct, although the number of staircases has been reduced by internal renovations and changes. It is just a short walk from the centre of Sevenoaks.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole

And as ever there is even more information on Wiki....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knole

Posted by
1443 posts

Oxford can be a day trip from London. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has one of the best historical and natural collections in the world. Plenty of ancient artifacts and a real Dodo. You can also take a short bus ride to see Blenheim Palace in Woodstock from there.

Posted by
8565 posts

Whitsable on the coast is an hours train ride from London.

Museums: Museum of London, Alexander Fleming Museum, Household Calvary Museum, Imperial War Museum, Petrie Museum....are all good and lesser known.

Not sure why you thought the Marriot next to the eye wasn’t “ central “ enough. Short stroll over Westminster Bridge to Parliament Square
( parliament, Elizabeths Tower with the Big Ben bell, Westminster Abbey and ChurchillWar Rooms) which is as about as iconic London as one gets. Then a 10 minute stroll up Birdcage Walk to the Palace. For nearly everyone “must see” sites.

What’s central to you? There is no Piccadilly Square? Are you thinking of Piccadilly Circus?

Try looking at the Premier Inns that are through out London for your accommodation.

Day trips from London via train:
Whitsable ( mentioned above)
Oxford
Cambridge
Canterbury
Brighton
Tube to Turnham Green and walk about Chiswick.

New area to explore: tube to Kings Cross and explore Coal Drop Yards and Granary Square. Then walk along the Regents Canal up to Camden Town.

Posted by
7595 posts

York deserves more than a part of a day. We spent three days there and were very busy. The Minster (Cathedral) is amazing and has a great tour. We spent more than 3 hours there.
Walk the walls and go to the old part of the city with narrow streets. Also, take in the National Railway Museum.

Posted by
591 posts

See if your son is willing to be involved in the planning. Mine at that age were definitely interested and had marvelously quirky ideas of places to visit. We humored one with a super-long day trip by train (get off at Wool) to the Tank Museum in Bovington. I wasn't super in love with the idea at first but didn't get tired of tanks until I'd been there five hours!

I'm not sure if the Tower of London counts as your museum, but watch out because you can spend most of a day there. The British Museum is another place that can take forever to see unless you pick out one or two sections to focus on. I like the Museum of London, which has exhibits that illustrate the history of London starting around the Ice Age, and you might find that less overwhelming.

I'm not sure what to recommend as a quaint town that is not-so-touristy. Lavenham is off the beaten path with Tudor architecture. Its importance dates from a time when wool was king.

Have a great trip,
Marty

Posted by
4021 posts

If you like history; within London, I don't think the Museum of London gets the love it deserves. It exhibits the chronological history of London from primordial ooze to modern times. My choice for a day trip is Hampton Court Palace--Henry the VIII's house. Loved it.

Posted by
2922 posts

Two spectacular day trips from London are Bath (1h 30m) train and York (2h) train ride. The two museums I recommend are the British Museum and the Churchill War Rooms. If you visit the latter, you'll need to purchase tickets online before leaving home.

Posted by
591 posts

If you like boats, consider Portsmouth. We did it by train as an exhausting day trip from London but if you don't mind packing up and moving to another location you can fill to leisurely days.

Posted by
26829 posts

The thing about York is that there's a lot to see there, and day-tripping from London doesn't give you an awful lot of time. Don't be seduced by the 4 hours (or a bit under or a bit more) on the train. First you have to get from your hotel to Kings Cross Station. How long will that take? You'll have to do the same thing in reverse at the end of the day.

When you arrive in York you'll be a fair walk from the historic center. Google Maps (usually reliable for this sort of thing) says the walk to York Minster will take about 13 minutes; to the Shambles it's about 15 minutes. I only walked, but I imagine a taxi could get you pretty close to the church, but I'm doubtful about the Shambles. There's lots of pedestrians-only territory in the historic center of York.

Best case, you'll lose a full day in London to get about a half-day in York. I don't think that's good bang for the buck, time-wise. And it's not a cheap rail ticket, either, because you're covering an awful lot of miles.