Day trips to do from London
London is a magical place, filled with so many things to do and see, but sometimes you might just want a moment away from the city life. There are actually quite a few places close by to London that make good day trips. Some of them are a bit further than others and if I’m completely honest, you may have to wake up quite early for some of them, but it’ll be worth it! Here are several day trips to do from London that I have enjoyed over the past few years.
Brighton
Brighton is a vibrant seaside town, located around 1 hour from London Victoria. It has a rocky beach, several lanes with beautiful shops and some stunning sunsets. The beachfront is always vibing, especially during the warm summer days. It is great for a family day out or a place to visit with friends. I’d recommend getting there in the morning, maybe around 10am and first make your way through the lanes. Take your time looking at all the different quirky shops. Have some lunch and then head to the I360. You can go on it and see Brighton high up. In the afternoon relax by the beach. Either go into a pub/bar/restaurant by the seaside or go and sit on the beach. Enjoy the scenes and stay for the sunset.
Seven Sisters
Near to Brighton is The Seven Sisters Cliffs. It is located in Eastbourne and provides some stunning views. It does involve a long hike so just be warned that you will need to be willing to walk a lot and up some steep hills. The views are worth it though. I’d recommend doing this quite early on as it can get quite busy. You will also need to do some research because if you are starting right at the beginning you need to time it so the tide is out. You will have to do this on the day. Once you reach the Seven Sisters, it is up to you if you do all of the cliffs or if you decide to only walk half way. Just remember, however long it takes you to walk half way, it’ll probably take a similar amount of time to walk back. If you have enough time, you can quickly head into Brighton (if you want) and catch the sunset.
Cotswold
Get the train from Paddington, it’ll take around an hour to get to the Cotswold. These are some beautiful homes located in this countryside. There are several stops you can get off at, but I would recommend getting off at Moreton-on-Marsh. Here there are a few shops to look at before you head further into the countryside. You can then get the bus to some local villages (which can take 15mins-30mins via the bus). For example, we looked around Bourton-on-the-Water, but saw that there was a couple of stops before this that we could have also visited. Once we arrived we took in the sun and sat by the river. Enjoy the peaceful views and just relax. You need to be aware that the trains are every hour, so if you do decide to visit a few of the other local towns, if you miss the train, you will have to stay another hour before the next one comes along.
Bath
Around 2 and a half hours by train, Bath offers a more historical trip. It is famous for the Roman Baths (hence the name) which you can take a tour around. It also has a cute little town to visit. If you’re willing to walk a lot, you could follow the path way up to Alexandra Park to see the entire town of Bath from above. Another thing you can do, which is more relaxing, is go to the famous Thermae Bath Spa. There are only a limited number of pre-book available and the walk-ins are pretty popular too. If you decide to do a walk-in just a heads up, there are usually long queues. So if this is something you want to do, you will have to head there veryyy early and probably do this first.
Travelling doesn’t always have to involve spending money on accommodation. These places are convenient day trips from London. Just be prepared that these will most likely be entire day trips with early starts and late finishes, but they’re totally worth it! I hope you enjoy exploring 🙂
