London Day Trips Prioritization

I hope you have visited London previously, otherwise I'd stick to only one or two daytrips.

As for ranking that is subjective as well as time-dependent. For that I'd pick:

1)Bath
2)Cambridge-if a college is open for tours, I'd rank this first.
3)York is a lovely city but I'd recommend at least an overnight stay to get the full feel.

Evan Evans are well established and get good reviews here. I have never used them.

York would be my first choice as I prefer it to Bath, but unless you get an early train, it maybe a bit far for a day trip. Walk the old walls, visit the excellent free Railway Museum, the Minster and have tea at Betty’s. Plus the Viking stuff if you have time.

Second would be Cambridge. It’s the shortest journey time from London. See the old colleges, go punting, walk along the riverside on The Backs, visit the Scott Polar Research Institute Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum.

There’s also plenty to see in Bath such as the Roman Baths, but again, it is better with an overnight stay. The Jane Austen connection is rather tenuous, as by all accounts, she wasn’t fond of Bath.

Cambridge…..beautiful university town an easy train ride from central London. No need to take a tour easy to do by yourself. Stroll along The Backs for the best view of the ancient colleges. Be sure and visit beautiful King’s College Chapel one of the most stunning buildings in the UK. Enjoy a pub lunch.

Bath is a very long day trip and you will barely have time to visit the best sites - the Abbey and the Roman baths are must sees, the Assembly rooms and The Royal Crescent are worth seeing.

York is not doable in a day, definitely spend at least one night there.

What about Windsor? Again an easy train ride from London. Lots to see…the Castle can take up most of the day; walk across the bridge to Eton to visit the College, or find a riverside pub to kick back and relax.

See ------ we all have our preferences..

If any interest in railroads, etc., York is my first choice. Great train museum, local museum, and the cathedral. However, it should be a multi day visit.

Bath is second with a quick swing by Stonehenge.

Cambridge doesn't do anything for me.

Cambridge, Bath, York.

I’d also throw Bletchley Park, Windsor, and Whitsable for consideration into the mix.

Bletchley was far more interesting than I thought it would be.

York would have to be my number 1. You should keep in mind however that our interests tends to center around photography.
The cathedral is first rate and worth a day all by itself. The Shambles is interesting if rather touristy. The railroad museum is worth a visit as is Clifords Tower.

Cambridge would be my second choice, although if you enjoy vintage military aircraft and associated bits you could visit RAF Duxford. The colleges are wonderful for photography and we like the punt rides down the river.

Bath is very compact and would possibly require less walking than the other two. The cathedral is nice, the Roman baths better, and generally walking around is enjoyable.

York, at least for us, is head and shoulders above the others.

I'm York-Cambridge-Bath also, but the reason so many of us rank York highly is probably the number and variety of its sights, which are really too much for a day trip. It's also at least 1 hr. 49 min. from London by train, each way. Given the limited time one has available for sightseeing after deducting more than four hours for transportation (York's historic center is something of a walk from the train station, and you'll need extra time to travel between your hotel and King's Cross in London), I'm not sure York is a better choice in your situation. Why not save it for when you can give it the time it deserves?

Cambridge (minimum of 48 min. from Kings Cross) and Bath (minimum of 1 hr. 18 min. from Paddington) can also justify an overnight or two.

I enjoyed the walking tour I took in Cambridge. It was offered by either the tourist office or the university itself, I believe. They were able to assure me ahead of time that we'd be able to get into at least one of the college quads, and Kings College Chapel was included.

Everybody is different, and we all have different priorities - your priority is what is important, not ours.

And the three cities you have chosen to rank are very different one from the other and give completely different atmosphere and feelings.

If asked I personally would put Cambridge ahead by a mile, then York, with Bath dragging along in last place way behind the others.

Cambridge has, despite the high proportion of University students, or maybe also because of them, a real atmosphere of being lived in, not the stage set that Bath is, with the cherries on top being the Colleges, the College gardens, the Backs, punting both in the town and in the Backs (believe it or not there are actually cows there), fabulous museums and good food... the Market, the Duxford IWM, Great St Mary's Church, the Corpus Clock, Kings College Chapel, the American Memorial and Cemetery, the Fitzwilliam, the Polar Museum and many others.

And it is very easy and less than an hour by train from London.

York is really too far for a decent day trip, but it is also special. The unique Mister - the Cathedral - and its stained glass and choir and the nearby walk on the ancient walls give views found nowhere else. World class railway museum, castle, Viking museum, fabulous food, a working city which welcomes tourists without being overwhelmed by them.

Bath (full name - Bath Spa) on the other hand, much as I really like Regency crescents and Georgian architecture - there are other Regency towns like Royal Leamington Spa and Cheltenham - does very little for me. I grew up in the Cotswolds, and I see people speaking of the Cotswolds and Bath together, but Bath is neither in the Cotswolds nor anything like the Cotswolds. It relies heavily on tourists, and my gosh does it get tourists, especially anybody who follows the Rick Steves formula of land at Heathrow, go immediately to Bath then Stonehenge then Cotswolds then York or Scotland, with perhaps a stop in the Lake District. So it has its share of jet lagged Americans. Nothing wrong with Americans but I don't think Bath is big enough to absorb all the tourists.

Yes, Bath does have the Pulteney Bridge, the Assembly Rooms, the Baths (get a bank loan first), and all the hills make it scenic (if mobility challenged note that it is much hillier than either of the other two).

My opinions but you asked for my opinions.

In fairness to Bath (not my favorite), I really enjoyed my time there in these two museums no one else ever mentions: The Holburne Museum (art) and the Museum of East Asian Art (mainly decorative arts). There are many others.