6 Days in England

I think you may have to prioritize your must see list for this trip and put some off til your next visit. If Day 1 is your arrival day you’ve really only got 5 sightseeing days.

Here are some random thoughts.

• Stonehenge is awkward to get to. This is one sight I love but the times I’ve done it most successfully have been when I stayed 2 nights in Salisbury and took the local bus out to the stones. The bus plus the stones takes 3/4 of a day for me.

• I also love Bath and enjoy staying here 2 nights minimum for 1 full day in town. My next visit I’ll be there 4 nights there is so much to see and do.

• For a first time visit, to me London needs 4 nights which is 3 full days.

• I’ve not visited Canterbury Cathedral or Beachy Head but look forward to doing so on a Rick Steves tour this spring. Canterbury is easy to reach from London but I don’t think Beachy Head is.

Here is a suggestion:

1. Arrive Heathrow. Take the National Express bus to Bath. See Bath Abbey this afternoon. Overnight Bath. Many Bath accommodations have a 2 night minimum on Fri/Sat nights.

2. See the Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent, the Circus ( houses near the Royal Crescent) then take the train to Salisbury. Attend Evensong at 5:30 if the time works out. Overnight Salisbury.

3. Take the local Salisbury Reds bus out to Stonehenge. Catch it back to Salisbury and see the Cathedral and Magna Carta in the Chapter House. Catch a train to London. Overnight London.

4/5/6. Overnight London

To me this is tough because I don’t like one-night stays but it might work for you. You also might be able to leave your luggage at the hotels in Bath and Salusbury while you tour.

To get to Canterbury from Heathrow, most advise to take the tube to London St. Pancras Station and taking the train from there. To go to Bath you can take the train from Heathrow Central Station. It leaves 27 times a day, and right now costs 42 pounds ( I believe that this is return) if you book ahead, 80 if you don't. They also advise it might be cheaper to book 2 singles instead. The trip would take just over 2 hrs. Bath would be a pleasant way to start your stay in England. Bath has 3 stations. Make sure you get off at the station nearest your hotel. You could see Salisbury and Stonehenge on your way back to London. You can purchase a reserve ticket for the bus to Stonehenge and tour in Salisbury. Go to London spend some days there. Canterbury and Dover can be a day trip from London. Look at the National Trust UK Web site for more ideas on places to visit.

Train service from Heathrow to Bath takes you back to London (Paddington), which kind of defeats the purpose. The National Express bus from Heathrow to Bath takes about two hours, a better way to go I think. Canterbury is on the other side of London and not easily reached on your jet-lag day.

From Bath there are day tours to Stonehenge (Mad Max is recommended by many on this board but I haven't used them). But I agree with Pam that you're trying to get an awful lot of places in not much time. London alone could easily use your whole time on the ground. Canterbury would be an easy day trip from London (St. Pancras), an hour or so each way by train. Beachy Head is a couple of hours by train from London (Victoria), then a local bus. Both fine, but there go two of your London days.

Stonehedge = Stonehenge.

Pam had great advise.
When in Bath, I recommend the Brooks Guesthouse B&B, its great. Also, nearby is a wonderful restaurant for fish and chips, The Scallop Shell.

You can do Stonehenge and Salisbury in the same day. The cathedral in Salisbury was the subject of the excellent novel, Pillars of the Earth.

I’m glad Dick mentioned the MadMax tour of Stonehenge from Bath. I have done that one too and it was very good. (Can’t believe I forgot that one, lol!!)

I did the full day tour that included Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe. It was long enough ago that it was before the current Visitor Center was relocated and the current shuttle out to the stones was put in place.

I liked the company well enough that I’ve booked a different day tour with them this May.

To get to Canterbury is.....take the train from London Victoria Station to Canterbury East. When you arrive after exiting the station, cross the street to Canterbury East station bridge walk up it, you will reach the Roman a Wall turn right, keep walking on the wall and it will take you to the city center. It’s about a 10 minute walk. Once you get to the city center you will see signs to the Cathedral.

No matter whether you go to Canterbury or Bath first, the "...the smartest and most cost effective way to go..." is, in my opinion, a private car service. Four people should be able to do it about as inexpensively that way as the train. In addition, you'll probably be sleepy after a long flight,somewhat jet lagged, and in unfamiliar territory. Under those conditions there isn't anything better than having a private driver meet you inside the airport and whisk you to you destination. If you decide to use a car service, let me know as I can recommend one for each city.

I agree that 4 people should check on car services as a viable and probably cheaper way to go.

Consider substituting Wells, Salisbury, or Winchester Cathedral for Canterbury Cathedral. They are in the same part of the country as Stonehenge and Bath. Save south-east England for a future trip.

Many people here really like Bath but we were happy with a half-day visit there. We really liked the Roman Bath site and then we walked over to see the Royal Crescent.. (We would have also visited the abbey but it was closed that day for some reason which I no longer remember.) If you are a fan of Georgian England and / or Jane Austen, then I understand the appeal. However, since we are more interested in medieval and neolithic sites, we liked other places much more.

Like Cynthia, I didn't need a full day for Bath. I got bored with the Georgian architecture very quickly, but I did like the Holburne Museum and especially the Museum of East Asian Art.

I enjoyed a side-trip to Wells very much.

IMO you shouldn’t pass up Canterbury Cathedral it’s so beautiful.

For 6 days, I would concentrate on London with one side trip to Bath. You can also take a very easy day trip from London to Windsor. You will lose so much time packing up, checking out of hotels and then traveling between multiple sights. I like the idea of hiring a driver to meet you at the airport and drive you to Bath. You will be much more tired than you expect that first day after arrival. Stay two nights in Bath and then back to London early the next day.