Day trips from London

Windsor

Castle town on the Thames

~40 min Paddington £££

• Royal fans
• First-timers
• Families

Plan this trip →

Oxford

The city of dreaming spires

~1 hr Paddington £££

• Culture buffs
• Book lovers
• Architecture

Plan this trip →

Bath

Roman baths and Georgian crescents

~1.5 hr Paddington £££

• Couples
• History fans
• Architecture

Plan this trip →

Cambridge

Colleges, courts and the River Cam

~1 hr King's Cross £££

• Culture buffs
• Couples
• Punting fans

Plan this trip →

Stonehenge

Prehistoric stones and Salisbury

~1.5 hr + bus Waterloo £££

• History fans
• Photographers
• Families

Plan this trip →

Brighton

Pier, Pavilion and the Lanes

~1 hr Victoria £££

• Seaside lovers
• Budget
• Nightlife

Plan this trip →

York

Walled city, Minster and railway museum

1 hr 46 min King's Cross

• History
• Rail fans
• Walkers

Plan this trip →

Bristol

Harbourside, Clifton and the SS Great Britain

about 1 hr 40 min Paddington

• Engineering
• Street art
• Food

Plan this trip →

Cardiff

Castle, museums and the bay in the Welsh capital

around 1 hr 50 min Paddington

• Castles
• Museums
• Wales in a day

Plan this trip →

Liverpool

Waterfront, galleries and the Beatles

just over 2 hr Euston

• Music fans
• Museums
• Architecture

Plan this trip →

The Cotswolds

Honey-stone villages by train and bus

Train and bus Paddington

• Villages
• Walkers
• Slow travel

Plan this trip →

Blenheim Palace

Palace and park at Woodstock, near Oxford

Train and bus Marylebone or Paddington

• Stately homes
• Gardens
• Families

Plan this trip →

Side by side

Prices and times change: check before you go. National Rail has live timetables and fares. £ is the cheapest tier, £££ the dearest; newer trips are not rated and quote times only as the operator states them, with sources on each trip page.