London day trips in November

Definitely day trip by train to Windsor. You can also take a day tour to Bath, maybe one that includes Stonehenge, can't tell you about any other ones by train, tour as we used car. Enjoy.

On our very first trip to England many years ago, we were there for only 7 days. We took one day bus tour that went to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath. Given that there's so much to see in London, this bus trip was a great way for us to get a feel for the countryside. If you go back, renting a car is fantastic because you'll get to see things you can't get to without a car.

Without a car I would highly recommend an Evan Evans tour. It's a bit on the expensive side, but it was a great tour! William was a tour guide and he was full of great information. Also, for a tour of London, consider Fat tire bike tours. We had Tom as our tour guide and he was excellent. Normally we aren't the "guided bus tour type" but it worked out well for our limited stay.

I've taken some day trips with London Walks - www.walks.com. I was pleased with all of them. No prebooking required, just show up at the appointed time and place. Downside is that it's possible for a big crowd to appear but I've gone with them to Cambridge, Brighton, and Avebury/Lacock (all in September 2009) and didn't have that problem. The positives include: you go by rail which is usually faster than navigating London traffic on a bus. The LW guides are well-informed, efficient and usually entertaining too. If necessary depending on the location and itinerary, your group will be transported for short distances on a bus (coach) after arriving at the destination rail station. I thought the total cost was reasonable; it includes the fee for the walk and the cost of the rail round trip ticket (unless you already have your own or a rail pass). And the LW fee of course covers any bus/coach transport that they hire for the group, too. Maybe they aren't for everyone, and yes there's a lot of walking, but I'd certainly consider any LW day trip to a city of interest to you, that would work with your schedule.

There are LOTS of places you can visit yourself by using the rail system in the UK. Windsor is easy and relatively inexpensive. York is also among my favorites. Canterburry, Dover, Winchester, Brighton, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cardiff Wales, Oxford, Cambridge and many other places are easy to reach by rail. Many have free or inexpensive "tours" available when you get there, others are very easy to see on your own, depending on your interests.

My vote is for Windsor. It's an easy train ride. The town is beautiful, I loved touring the castle, and just being there. I spent at least 5 hours there and could have done more.

To follow up on what Toni said, I have taken the rail to go to Cambridge, Brighton and this May I even figured out how to get to Hever Castle (which involved a train transfer and using public footpaths to get to the castle). There is good on-line information on which trains to take and from which station in London and the ticket sellers at the stations were always very helpful in answering any questions. Tours can be fun too, but I enjoy taking the train. There is a great book by Fodors or Frommers called something like "25 Day Trips from London" which I would recommend.

Why not check out the London Walks day trips. http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Home/Day_Trips_from_London/default.aspx Also check out http://englishcountrywalks.com/ Nice walks and many times it's just you and him. David's a great guy. Have a wonderful trip to London. Great city!

Hampton Court is a good day trip from London...you can train one way and take a boat back the other way. Check time schedules to see which way works best. If it is iffy weather just take train both ways. Most of the Tours at Hampton Court are indoors, of with the exception of the maze and herb garden.

The Cotswolds are simply beautiful at that time of year, and if I were looking for 'charming English countryside' I would not travel to another city, although I do love York, Cambridge and Windsor, but none of those would qualify for me as the countryside. If you cannot get a car and drive I would find a way to go to at least one of the villages in the Cotswolds. It is, to be repetitive.... charming, and possibly a welcomd change after London.