London Day trip

What do you like? There is so much. We enjoyed our trip to Kew Gardens and Windsor.

Love your spontaneity!
Check the train lines for engineering works or industrial actions before you choose a destination.

You didn't mention if you'd already done any day trips on previous visits (if any) but assuming not:

Windsor and Eton

Oxford

Cambridge

Winchester -see this recent article: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/may/04/winchester-walk-cathedral-alfred-castle-hampshire

St Albans

Bath or Salisbury? Both are easy train rides.

Also you could check to see if London Walks has a day trip. Sometimes they do some during the week.

www.walks.com

Always have loved doing London Day trips. Here's just a few that we have enjoyed.. (in no particular order)
Bath, Cardiff Wales, York, Winchester, Windsor, Greenwich, Canterbury, Dover, Stratford-upon-Avon.

If you don't venture too far, why not go out of town on both days. Slightly closer to London ...
•Hampton Court
•Kew Gardens
•Chiswick House
•Greenwich

I bought a book on Amazon a few years ago
"Top 10 Day trips from London"
We did several of them and really enjoyed it.
I liked the book because it tells how to get there, cost, what to see etc.
for example. Taking the boat on the Thames to Greenwich, or going to Cambridge University (and town), Oxford University ( and town).
All the trips in the book used boats, trains, buses etc.
Hope you have a wonderful visit to London.

Hampton Court, Windsor and Greenwich were all great day trips during my only visit to London in 2015. I also went to Bath, Cambridge and Oxford, but for longer times after my days in a London. All of those have many things to see and visit, and merit more time than a day trip, IMHO.

Today would be a great day to visit Portsmouth. Take the train from London Victoria (slightly longer journey time but cheaper) or Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour. From there it's a two minute walk to the Historic Dockyard where you can board HMS Warrior & HMS Victory, visit the amazing new Mary Rose museum and the Royal Navy museum. You can then walk to Gunwharf Quays for lunch, shopping and take a harbour tour. If you have time you can visit Charles Dickens' birthplace or the D-Day Museum, take a stroll along the promenade, visit a pub or two on Broad Street and learn how the term 'broads' came about, take a trip up the Spinnaker Tower, visit Southsea Castle where Henry VIII watched the Mary Rose sink in battle, perhaps even fit in dinner somewhere and take a late train back to London.

It's clear blue skies at the moment and forecast to be a pleasant day.

So, OP... where did you decide to go and how did you like it? I'm curious!

Yes, where did you go?

It's still a lovely day in Portsmouth today if you're looking for something else to do : )

Personally, I'm doing this walk this morning, should be some glorious views: http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-2710-description

Followed by lunch and a pint or two in the excellent Shoe Inn.

Thanks to all! I ended up changing plans and met up with colleagues/friends for dinner at The Laughing Gravy - a terrific spot! As such, I did not leave the city. However, I did spend a couple hours at Westminster Abbey which I had never done before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you all and I will definitely make notes of this for my future visits to London. Cheers!

Thanks for posting back and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself!

Evan Evans does great day trips outside or around London. We have used them to go to the Cotswolds, Bath, Stonehenge, The Tower Of London, etc.

I have mixed feelings about Viator/Evan Evans. The guides are awesome and the prices are fair. But they try and cram too much into a day trip and the departure situation can only charitably be referred to as a circus.

BTW, I think the book referred to above is "Ten Best Day Trips from London" by Mike Gerrard and it is excellent. Also one called "33 Day Trips from London" That isn't bad.