If you are tired of London, you’re tired of life. So goes the saying, but to be in London and not venture into the surrounding areas to see all they have to offer would be missing out. There are some great tourist attractions that you can reach by taking day trips from London in any direction. These vary from nature activities to historical landmarks. You can visit dozens of smaller towns, each offering an unusual experience. We have selected some highlights to make it easier for you to plan an itinerary of day trips in your London hire car.
1. The New Forest
- Distance from London: 82 miles
- Travel time from London: About 1 hour 40 minutes
- Suggested route: Head towards Southampton on the M3
- Great for: Nature-lovers / Families
Wander through fields of heather among the famous ponies that graze in the area. Herds are believed to have been there for thousands of years. You can also see the free-ranging Highland cattle and feed acorns to the pigs.
The kids will love the stables experience that you can book, helping to muck out. If you don’t feel like driving around the reserve, you can hire two-seater electric buggies and ramble around that way.
SIXT’s top tip: Don’t miss the chance to savour an appropriate and authentic ploughman’s lunch at the Royal Oak in nearby Fritham.
2. Deal
- Distance from London: 88 miles
- Travel time from London: Around 1 hour 55 minutes
- Suggested route: Take the M2 heading west, then the A2
- Great for: All tourists
Deal is the quintessential quaint English village, on the east coast of Kent. You can walk along streets lined with original Georgian townhouses, or along the shoreside with shops selling snacks and souvenirs.
The Deal Museum is a small treasure trove of Kentish coastal history, from baking to smuggling. It includes a Royal Marines Exhibition – the unit has strong ties with the town. There’s also a clutch of art galleries and studios and the Museum of the Moving Image.
SIXT’s top tip: Have lunch at The Wild Kitchen. It offers the unusual experience of foraging for the ingredients of your meal in the surrounding fields.
3. Box Hill
- Distance from London: 25 miles
- Travel time from London: About 55 minutes
- Suggested route: Take the A3
- Great for: Cyclists / Walkers, hikers
Head south to Tadworth and you’ll get to Box Hill in Verdant Surrey. It offers very good cycling roads and even hosted a leg of the 2012 road cycling course at the 2012 Summer Games. You can cycle the route yourself – start from Richmond Park and climb to the top for great views of the North Downs.
On the way stop to do some sightseeing at Hampton Court, and don’t miss the cake at the National Trust café. If you’re not a cyclist, there are plenty of walking trails in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
SIXT’s top tip: Whether you cycle or walk, have lunch on the way at The Tree – the homemade pies are special.
4. Dungeness
- Distance from London: 87 miles
- Travel time from London: Roughly 1 hour 50 minutes
- Suggested route: Take the M20
- Great for: All tourists
Drive to the east coast below Dover to get to this small town with its beach dotted with small boat wrecks. It is a nature reserve where you can see birds like marsh harriers and glossy ibises on a roughly two-mile trail.
You will also be able to spot some unusual relics from WWI, the “sound ears” that were built on the Channel coast as listening posts for enemy airplanes. Look for the large concrete structures.
SIXT’s top tip: The Dungeness Lobster Shack is famous for its lobster and crab rolls. Don’t be put off by the queue – they’re totally worth it.
5. Margate
- Distance from London: 76 miles
- Travel time from London: Around 1 hour 45 minutes
- Suggested route: Drive via the A2 and M2
- Great for: Families / Beer connoisseurs
Margate is one of the favourite seaside destinations for Londoners. Visitors will find lots to do here. It is something of a craft beer and coffee hub, so you can spend the day sampling those, remembering to designate a sober driver.
Family entertainment includes a retro theme park and an even more retro roller-disco called Dreamland. You can also spend the afternoon shopping for anything from vintage antiques to seaweed products.
SIXT’s top tip: For lunch, simply head for one of the town’s seafood restaurants to enjoy a freshly caught meal.
6. Amersham
- Distance from London: 31 miles
- Travel time from London: Just under 1 hour
- Suggested route: Take the A40
- Great for: All tourists / Culture buffs
This is a small town that packs a serious punch when it comes to tourist attractions. You can go for walks in the surrounding Chilterns, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. You will pass the cottage where John Milton wrote Paradise Lost and reach the Chiltern Open Air Museum. This is a reconstructed period village.
There is also the Amersham Museum, housing around 500 years of local history in a 15th-century building. The Bekonscot Model Village is another interesting exhibition.
SIXT’s top tip: Many scenes in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral where filmed here – film lovers can go location spotting.
7. Windsor
- Distance from London: 25 miles
- Travel time from London: Roughly 45 minutes
- Suggested route: Follow the A4 onto the M4
- Great for: All tourists / Royal watchers
Windsor’s main attraction is of course Windsor Castle, but this town is by no means a one-trick pony. There is a lot to do here, like boating on the Thames or taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through the huge ornamental Savill Garden.
There is a haunted Tudor mansion to visit, and no less than five museums at Eton College. Expect plenty of tasty eateries too, including a Michelin star restaurant overlooking the river.
SIXT’s top tip: The Tudor mansion lays claim to being the first place where pineapples where grown in England – another quirky reason to visit it.
8. Hever Castle
- Distance from London: 39 miles
- Travel time from London: Just over 1 hour
- Suggested route: Head out on the A2 then the M25
- Great for: History buffs / General tourists
Hever Castle is one of the most well-preserved and ornate castles in England. It was built in 1270 and was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. You can wander around the walled rose garden and through hedge mazes, one of them floating in a lake.
Take a 10-minute drive to nearby Chiddingstone, which also has a castle where you can watch live jazz on the expansive lawns. You can also browse in the village gift shop, which is over 560 years old, and have afternoon tea in an old coach house.
SIXT’s top tip: The castle hosts regular historic recreation events – check the calendar for live jousting tournaments to watch.
9. Cambridge
- Distance from London: 64 miles
- Travel time from London: Just over 1 hour 30 minutes
- Suggested route: Drive along the M11
- Great for: All tourists
Do not miss the chance to visit this famous and ancient university town, a little way north of London. It has some excellent museums and is filled with history. You can see the colleges where luminaries like Sylvia Plath and Sir Isaac Newton studied and have a picnic in the serene Botanic Garden.
There are dozens of cosy pubs here, well worth stopping in for lunch. You can also visit the Kettle’s Yard for arts, crafts, and culture, and relax in the Jesus Green Lido that has been open since 1923.
SIXT’s top tip: Punting on the Cam is a time-honoured tradition that you can still take part in – just hire one and off you go.
10. Blenheim Palace
- Distance from London: 63 miles
- Travel time from London: Roughly 1 hour 25 minutes
- Suggested route: Drive along the M40 and A40
- Great for: All tourists
Blenheim Palace is best known as the place where Winston Churchill was born and is now a World Heritage Site. It is the current residence of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, so only part of it is open to the public.
You can explore over 2,000 acres of parkland, much of it beautifully landscaped. Guests can sit by the stunning lake and have a picnic or explore the formal gardens and browse the souvenir shop. Private events are sometimes held here, so check before you leave that it’s open on the day.
SIXT’s top tip: Visit the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum while you are here. It houses contemporary Royal military displays, many of which involve Churchill in WWII.
