The best day trips from London: Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath and Oxford

London is a wonderful base for exploring England. Royal castles, ancient stones, Georgian cities and famous universities are all within two hours, by train or on a guided tour. Here are the best day trips from London, and how to do them.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle has been a royal home for more than 900 years and is the largest occupied castle in the world. Visit the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel, where many monarchs are buried, and watch the Changing of the Guard on the days it takes place. Windsor is the easiest day trip from London.

Getting there: direct trains from Waterloo take about an hour, and trains from Paddington, changing at Slough, take about 40 minutes.

Stonehenge

The great prehistoric stone circle on Salisbury Plain was built in stages around 5,000 years ago. A visitor centre explains how it may have been built and used, and shuttle buses take you to the stones.

Getting there: it is about two hours by road. By public transport, take a train from Waterloo to Salisbury, then a bus. Many tours combine Stonehenge with Windsor or Bath.

Bath

Bath is a UNESCO-listed city of golden stone, famous for its Roman Baths, its abbey and the elegant Georgian terraces of the Royal Crescent and the Circus. Jane Austen lived here, and you can still bathe in the thermal waters at the modern spa.

Getting there: trains from Paddington take about an hour and a half.

Oxford and Cambridge

England’s two oldest universities make easy, rewarding day trips. In Oxford, see the Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian Library and the colleges, some of which appear in the Harry Potter films. In Cambridge, see King’s College Chapel and go punting on the river.

Getting there: trains to Oxford from Paddington or Marylebone take about an hour, and trains to Cambridge from King’s Cross take about 50 minutes.

The Harry Potter studios

At the Warner Bros. Studio Tour at Leavesden, near Watford, you walk through original sets from the films, including the Great Hall, Diagon Alley and Platform 9¾. Tickets must be booked in advance for a timed entry.

Getting there: trains from Euston to Watford Junction take about 20 minutes, then a shuttle bus runs to the studios. Many visitors book a package with coach transfers from central London.

Greenwich by river

For a half-day trip without leaving London, take a boat from Westminster Pier down the Thames to Greenwich. See the Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian, and walk up through Greenwich Park for one of the best views of the city.

Train or tour?

• Take the train for a single place such as Windsor, Bath, Oxford or Cambridge. Book ahead for the cheapest tickets, and travel off-peak.
• Take a tour to combine places that are hard to link by public transport, such as Stonehenge with Windsor and Bath, or for the Harry Potter studios with transfers.
• Check the closing days: Windsor Castle can close for royal events, and St George’s Chapel is closed to visitors on Sundays.