London Day Trips in February

seeing as the daylight is significantly shoter, it is going to be cold, and probably wet. i would suggest going somewhere where the attractions are indoors (rather than outdoors like the Cotswolds or Stratford). Consider Hampton Court, Leeds Castle, or Winchester or Salisbury Cathedrals (both reachable by train) Evan Evans, Gray Line and a few others are well established, most tours from London are not that much different between companies

It is very easy to do any of these (and quite a few others) on your own without using a tour compamy. In fact, many of the tours the companies do, combine to many places and you wind up spending way too much time on the bus, rather than seeing anything. Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Cardiff Wales, Windsor, Canterburry, Dover, Winchester, York, and many other places are easy to reach by train. Many cities have local guides that give tours (sometimes free) . My personal favorites are Windsor (about 20-30 min. from Paddinton Station) castle and town and York (about 2 hours from King's Cross Station). Cardiff is also excellent (about 2 hours) and Bath is good (about 1 1/2 hrs). What are your interests? History- any particular period? Art- any particular style or movement? Architechture- any special style or architech? We can make better recommendations with more information.

Thanks for the info. We will be honeymooners but active travelers. Just trying to find where we can go that the potential weather elements wont be a big issues. We like History and a good castle or cathedral always hits the spot. But mostly just somewhere where we can enjoy the sights at a leisurely pace have some good food and plenty of good drink.

Bath would be delightful - there is lots to do that's indoors (the Pump Room, the Abbey, little tea shops, cute boutiques. If the weather is truly crummy, you would just need to dash from one wamr place to another. Hampton Court is a VERY quick trip from London and is just wonderful. There are cute little cafes and shops there, too - apart from trying your hand at the maze, or wandering in the gardens if it is sunny, you could be inside the whole time. Stratford-upon-Avon would also be nice. I have only been there in April, when it was jammed to the gills with people - I think it would be cool in February, with slightly less tourist traffic. I wouldn't take a tour to any of these places. Every town and palace now has a wonderful website with maps and lists of things to do - and it is so much fun to explore on your own! Just hop on the train - someone here will know which station to direct you to for each destination.

If you will private message me with your email, I'll be glad to send you a copy of an article I wrote about day trips from London by train.
I love Windsor and it is probably the easiest trip. 20-30 min. on the train from Paddington (and trains run every 30 min. or so). You don't need to pre-book your tickets because there are no discount fares. You can see the changing of the guard in Windsor, also. There is good shopping there, and the castle is one of my favorites. St. Georges' chaple is excellent, also. York is probably my second favorite day trip. The Minster is nice, the Shambles are great and there is a good market. We like to eat at Gert and Henery's. It is in an old half-timber house at the edge of the Shambles near the market. Great food!

I agree with Kira. While I love the Cotswolds, you'd probably have to drive (and find parking) yourselves and in crap weather that would not be a lot of fun. In either Bath or Stratford upon Avon you can take a HOHO and HO at the warm dry places that strike your fancy.

Raul The weather won't be great in February but, unless you are very unlucky, shouldn't be so bad as to make travelling difficult. I agree with people who suggest indoor sights. Putting in a bid for my home town then Brighton is worth a look. The Pavilion must be the wackiest royal palace in the country http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/RoyalPavilion/Pages/home.aspx the pier is worth a visit http://www.brightonpier.co.uk/ and the Laines and North Laines is a good area to wander about http://www.visitbrighton.com/shopping/north-laine Also we're only 50 minutes from London by train. If you're not tempted by that then Stratford is also nice, and Cambridge might be worth considering. Cheers Alan