Day or weekend trips to see a bit more of England are very worthwhile if you have time. The following are some suggestions of towns and cities near London that are worth visiting, with approximate train journey times in brackets.

Suggested day trips from London include Rye (1hr 30 mins) a picturesque medieval town of cobbled streets and half-timbered buildings; Arundel (1hr30 mins) a small town by the river Arun with a castle and cathedral; Chichester (1hr45mins) a busy town near the South Coast (as well as the excellent nearby Weald & Downland Open Air Museum) and Winchester (50 minutes) a beautiful city famous for it's cathedral; - all these places are in the South of England. Brighton is another popular day trip from London and is also a popular weekend break. If you are planning to stay the night, this list of hotels in Brighton may be useful.

Bath (1hr 30mins) in the West of England also makes a very popular day or weekend destination from London. This elegant small city with 18th century Georgian terraces of honey coloured stone gets very crowded in summer and an overnight midweek visit is recommended to explore the city when the day trippers have gone home. For a good selection of Bath Hotels with discounted online booking, take a look at TravelNow. Bath is Britain's only World Heritage city, famous for its Roman Baths and Georgian architecture. The Roman Baths Museum is well worth a visit and contains Britain's best non-military Roman remains. Bath is best explored by simply walking around the streets, particularly the Royal Crescent and the Circus. A walk along the attractive river Avon is also worthwhile and boats can be hired in summer. The Boater on Argyle Street is a pleasant pub by the river while Sally Lunn's Refreshment House in North Parade Passage is not only the oldest house in Bath, but also serves good food. The bakery Scoffs in Kingsmead Square serves tasty snacks and light meals and also has a cafe.

Both Oxford (50 mins) and Cambridge (1 hour) are easily accessible from London and make good day trips. These ancient university cities are popular summer destinations and advance hotel bookings can be made at TravelNow for both Cambridge Hotels and Oxford Hotels.

Beautiful Leeds Castle in Kent is another good day out and special offers are available on combined coach or rail trips that include the entry fee. For castle fans, Warwick Castle (in Warwick!) makes another good daytrip.

In the North of England: the Lake District; Durham and York all make excellent destinations, but warrant more than a day to explore. If you go to York, don't miss the excellent Barley Hall.

Scotland is also well worth a visit - for more information see our Scotland Guide. There are often special rail travel offers for train trips from London to Scotland. See the Great North Eastern Railway Web Site or The Train Line for more details.

For more information on museums and attractions throughout Britain, as well as links to information on the cities and regions of the UK, try the Museums around Britain page.

For Hotel Bookings throughout the UK, try this list of UK Hotels with online reservations or this directory of useful UK travel sites.

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