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Easy London Day Trips

While there is plenty of activities to keep any visitor busy in London we wanted to see some of the sights outside of the city center. So we picked a few sights that would be easy London day trips.


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Hampton Court Palace

While in London I researched a few easy day trips and decided to check out Henry VIII’s palace. This ended up being one of my favorite places to explore.

We went to the London Tower before seeing Hampton Court Palace. If I had to do over, I would have visited Hampton Court Palace first.

To get there we took the Gloucester Tube to Wimbeldon and then took the District Line to Hampton Court Palace. You walk across the River Thames and Hampton Court Palace is on your right. We arrived before it opened, so we explored the grounds.

Hampton Court Palance

London Day Trips Tour

Originally we were going to rent a car and take a day trip to see Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. However, at the last minute, we opted to take a tour bus. As a general rule I really dislike tours, but we enjoyed the tours we took from London.

I booked the Evans Evans day trip tour which included: Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. Our tour guide was informative. We were very happy that we took a bus instead of renting a car. It was a lot to pack into an 11-hour trip. Overall, we very much enjoyed the tour. It was relaxing because we didn’t have to drive, instead we could just take in the scenery and we learned a lot.

I could have spent several days in Bath, so this the only place I felt a little rushed. It would be cool to have more time to explore the town of Windsor too, but the tour is a great way to see several sights in a short period of time. It is easy to get sidetracked while visiting the sights. I set the alarm on my phone at each stop, so we didn’t miss the bus.

Windsor Castle

If you’re in London you really must see Windsor Castle, it is where the Queen considers home. If you take a tour bus they will drop you off at a central location. You will need to walk up a few flights of stairs to a pedestrian bridge that leads you to the trains, you’ll cross over towards the shopping center.

windsor castle walk

There are a lot of shopping options at the Windsor Royal Shopping center, however we did not have time to shop.

windsor royal shopping

From the shopping center you will be on B3022 and you’ll turn right towards the Queen Victoria Statue. Then you will turn left on Castle Hill and then you’ll stand in que off the street on your right.

windsor england

In Que at Windsor

When you take the tour you do not have to sit in que as long. Our tour guide provided us with interesting information while we were in que. For example, when you’re standing in line you’ll notice the back of the houses across the street. One of the houses decided to remodel and make a coffee/snack bar that is accessible from the back. When we visited it had been trying to open for two years.

During the process of remodeling they found there was a tunnel from the cafe to a room in the basement of Windsor Castle. They believe this passageway was used by Charles II to discreetly bring in his mistresses. He had 14 of them. Maybe the cafe will be open during your visit.

windsor shopping

Inside the Grounds of Windsor

Once inside we were able to explore on our own and meet up with the tour at the bus. The castle grounds are massive and you could easily spend the whole day just exploring the castle, grounds and the city of Windsor.

Since we did not have that much time we decided to focus on the State Apartments and St. George’s Chapel. Unfortunately, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House closed during our visit. To visit the State Apartments you pass through the Norman Gate. The entrance will be on your right.

windsor castle
Norman Gate

The State Apartments are where the Queen entertains her guests. You can also view the rooms of . After walking through the State Apartments you will exit on a path with a perfect view of the private residence

windsor palace state apartments

Ten kings, including Henry VIII, are buried in St. George’s Chapel. It is also where many royal weddings have taken place including Prince Harry and Meghan Markel’s wedding.

Stonehenge

When we decided on a trip to London we also decided Stonehenge was on our must see. We have always been fascinated with the history of this site. Both Sedona and Stonehenge, as well as a few other places around the world, are said to have vortexes.

stonehenge after the rain

he bus drops you off in a parking lot near the gift shop. Their is a path where you can wait in que for a shuttle bus to take you to stonehenge or if you would prefer you can walk. We were lucky because the rain had just stopped when we arrived, so the sky looked amazing during our visit.

stonehenge london day trips

The City of Bath

This cool little city was not even on our radar when we were planning our trip, but we were really happy that we were able to visit here.

Bath was one of our favorite days in England. Inadvertently we learned that by visiting Bath we have seen all three of the World Heritage cities with Heritage status: Bath, Venice, and Vatican City.

Bath, England london day trips
london day trips