Traveling for a few days outside of London w/o a car

I took my 9 yr old to York and loved it. Train from London. Went to the Train museum cathedral walked the walls and did s ghost tour. Fabulous. Then took the bus to Pickering a market town in North Yorkshire where we took a Stam train . The station was in Harry zpotter snd toured the ruins of a castle. It was many years ago but I would recommend York.

Thanks that's great. I never had thought about York as a destination until now and happy that you endorse.

My view is that you would at least need to spend a night in York; it's too far and there's too much to see in one day.

Brighton is very easy to get to and the Pavilion is well worth a visit. Unfortunately, the beach is shingle and is not sandy at all. The pier - which you now have to pay to visit - is a rather old fashioned mix of fairground rides and slot machines mainly and is a bit tacky in my view. if it were free, I might visit but wouldn't pay. The shops in the (original) Lanes (to the south of North St) are worth a look but v expensive. The North Lanes (other side of North St) are an eclectic connection of weird stuff and everything 'woke'.

A (very much non-exhaustive) list of other possible days out - Hampton Court Palace: very easy to get to and loads to see, Oxford or Cambridge: both about an hour's train ride. Canterbury: if religious history is your interest. Hatfield House: if you'd like to go to a stately home. Portsmouth: for HMS Victory and the Mary Rose exhibition although the quickest train is about 100 mins. Bletchley Park: if WW2 code-breaking appeals.

It really depends on your interests. History? Nature?

Brighton will be crowded in June and as was stated, not exactly a great beach. I was last there in November and stayed in the Lanes area. If you are into eclectic shops and cafes it could be an interesting area visit.

But there is also:

Canterbury

Winchester

Bath

York

Portsmouth

Salisbury/Stonehenge

Oxford

Cambridge

All easily accessible by train from London.

I would add Whitsable, Rye, Hertford, Bristol, Stratford on Avon, Eastbourne and Lewes to possibilities. All accessible by train.

Thanks so much for these terrific suggestions.

I loved York and Cambridge. You could take a day tour from York to see the Yorkshire Dales. If I had never gone to Brighton, I wouldn't feel that I had missed much.(What is it about places that start with B? I feel the same way about Brussels and a one day tour stop was enough of Berlin for me-but I do love Boston anytime but winter)