Three Day Trips From London

June 05, 2025

Three Day Trips From London

London is a city of some 8 million people and it's rich with history, gastronomy, the River Thames and shopping galore. As Samuel Johnson stated "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford." Despite all that London offers, there are a few things that I've wanted to do just outside its borders. So when I traveled to England last spring, I chose a few day trips to take - three to be exact - and I'm going to highlight those three here. Come along on my day trips to Hampton Court, Windsor Castle and Oxford!

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace was the home of Henry VIII, his wives, his children and the Tudor Court. It's located in Surrey which wasn't far from our hotel so we took an Uber. It was our great luck to find that they were hosting a Tulip Festival - though it was at the tail end when we visited - so we could not only tour the palace but also enjoy the tulips in the gardens.

We purchased the audio tour to give us some insight on the life and times of the Tudors and particularly, Henry VIII and William III. (There is so much to see here that I recommend at least a 3 hour visit.) Rooms included on the tour are: the Great Hall, William III's apartments, Henry VIII's kitchens and the Royal Tennis Courts (Henry's favorite game)

And, as I mentioned before, there are gardens. Fountain Court, designed by Christopher Wren, the actual Hampton Court Gardens, and The Maze being some of them.

There is so much history here that it is almost mind boggling and very difficult to take it all in. It was such a fantastic place to visit and I enjoyed it very much.

After our visit to the palace, we walked around the area - which is called Hampton Court Village - before getting an uber back to the hotel. It's on the south bank of the River Thames with outdoor cafes, hotels, and shops to keep visitors busy. We were there on a Sunday so it was quite busy and bustling and it appears that Hampton Court Palace is still a quite popular place to visit.

Windsor Castle

When I was 10 years old my neighbors went to visit family who were living in England and they sent me a postcard from Windsor Castle. That sparked a whole lot of curiosity about Windsor Castle, England, the UK and the whole world in general.You might say that was the original bite from the travel bug! So thanks to my neighbors for sparking that! But my visit to Windsor was a long time coming and it didn't disappoint.

Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. Located in the city of Windsor, the Castle (25 miles west of central London) is a royal residence of the British Royal Family. Dating to the 9th Century and William I (William the Conqueror), the castle is comprised of two buildings or "courts" that are separated by a round tower. There are also two chapels here - St. George's Chapel - where you've seen some ceremonies held on tv - and the Albert Memorial Chapel. (This is where many monarchs or members of the royal family are buried) There is also the private apartments of the monarch and apartments for visitors.

We made reservations online - they do take walk ins but I think at a limited number - with timed entry and they are very strict about keeping to their policies and rules. (You must go through a metal detector and they check all tickets closely) Tickets cost 31pounds in advance - 35 at the door - and include a media guide for your visit.

After seeing the castle - which lived up to the hype in my mind for sure - we stopped in at the cafe in the basement for some nourishment. Their specialty is tea and cake so that's what we ate. Then we walked all around the town of Windsor - which I loved - and had delicious meat pies for dinner at the Duchess of Cambridge, claiming to serve the "best meat pies in Berkshire". I'm not an expert on meat pies, but they were quite delicious so maybe their claim is true!

Oxford

Oxford's prestigious, and the world's oldest in the English speaking world, university was founded in the 12th century and is the main draw to the city of Oxford. On your visit here, you can do many things through the university or you can visit one of the city's gardens, pubs, museums, libraries or galleries.

We took the train to Oxford and bought a ticket for the Hop On/Hop Off, or HOHO, bus right at the station. And we boarded right there, also, which was super convenient. The bus has some 8 or 9 languages to listen to the commentary and you can get off at any stop you'd like. Then pick it right back up.

We started our tour at the station and rode through the city and the university. Our first stop was in the university area where we did a short walkabout to see the ancient buildings and get a feel for it. It was also lunchtime so we headed for The Covered Market - which was exactly as it sounds. What a cool place! We wandered a bit through the stalls and then picked out our lunch. Fantastic people watching and fun choices for food - would highly recommend.

I'm not sure you can visit Oxford University without stopping into the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. It was Britain's first public museum erected in 1678 to house a cabinet of "curiosities" given to the university. Their collection ranges from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art with a specialty in Eastern Art. You could easily spend hours here but alas, our time was short. I feel we did get a good lay of the land and for 5 pounds, it was definitely a good bargain.

Our last stop was for afternoon tea. There are a couple of places known for high tea in Oxford including The Alice at the Randolph Hotel. We hadn't made a prior booking so we decided to head to a local cafe. We weren't sure that any casual place actually served tea but we found a place to rest our legs and enjoy it. Perfect end to a good day out in Oxford.