My husband and I will be in London in a few weeks and are looking for a day trip on a Saturday in late June. We have been to London a few times and are looking to get out of the city for the day. In the past we have been to Windsor, Oxford and Cambridge. Have a second trip planned later in the summer to see Bath and Salisbury. Currently considering a day trip to either Canterbury or Rochester. Was originally considering only Canterbury but then thought the crowds might be too much there on the weekend. That’s when I discovered Rochester as an alternative. Have any of you seasoned travelers done both of those cities in the high season?
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8913 posts
Is the emphasis of your trip Cathedrals? I have been to Canterbury and it was interesting. I agree it could be crowded..
If you have an interest in World War II history or technology, I would like to suggest a day trip to Bletchley Park outside of London. I was there last week on the 80th anniversary of D-day, so the workers said it was “crowded” that day. Believe me, by typical tourist location standards there was nothing crowded about it! You could go even on the weekend and enjoy.
This was an intelligence center during the war that worked to intercept, decode, translate, and interpret enemy communications. The exhibits are well done and the included tour is very interesting. There is a cafe on site for lunch if desired. Trains leave from Euston Station to Bletchley. Look at the schedule carefully as there are two types of trains with one 35 minutes long and the other around 50 minutes long.
Posted by
OP
NY
35 posts
Carol,
I agree that Bletchley Park is an excellent destination. We were there in 2019 and enjoyed it immensely. I’m sure the D-day emphasis made it even better. The Museum of Computing next door was a fun addition to the day for us as well. My engineer husband is always looking for technical museums to visit:-) Thanks for taking the time to share.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3895 posts
You could do both Canterbury and Rochester in the same day.
Or perhaps go to Canterbury and then continue on to Dover Castle which has the tunnels used for a communication center during WW2.
You may enjoy seeing the 12th century castle, Roman-era lighthouse and stunning views over the English Channel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Castle
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/
Combining Canterbury and Dover would make for an interesting day out.
Then fast train back to London from Dover.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2320 posts
Roichester will be less busy than Canterbury and has a castle as well as the cathedral. You might find this article intersting too.
Somewhere else you could consider id Rye - much small but with a lot of character with narrow cobbled streets and higgledy pidggledy houses. Have a read here for ideas of what to do and see.
Posted by
1 posts
Would anyone of you consider staying the night in Canterbury? Or would it be best to head back to London and just make it a day trip? Thanks!
Posted by
Buckinghamshire
181 posts
Personally, I’d make it a day trip
Posted by
Southern California
443 posts
Have not been to Rochester, but we were in Canterbury last July 4-6 and didn't find it to be too crowded. If doing it as a day trip, I would recommend the high speed train from St. Pancras to Canterbury West--takes just about an hour.