Region

London and the South East

Sleep in London; do Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge or Brighton as day trips by train, and keep the bag at the London hotel.

Open London Plan a trip

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Key facts · United Kingdom

Best months: Mar–Jul, Sep–Oct
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP, £)
Language: English
Plugs: G · 230 V
Time zone: GMT, BST from late March to late October

Month by month here

Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…

Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
Britain and Ireland ↗Neither the UK nor Ireland is part of Schengen: days spent here do not count towards the 90/180-day Schengen limit, and a Schengen visa does not admit you to either country.
Britain and Ireland ↗The island of Ireland runs on two currencies: euro in the Republic, pound sterling in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Carry a card that pays in both without fees.
Britain and Ireland ↗Both islands drive on the left. Speed limits are in miles per hour in the UK (including Northern Ireland) and in kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland.
United Kingdom ↗Most visitors who do not need a UK visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; this includes EU nationals. Irish citizens are exempt. Check the UK government site for your passport.
United Kingdom ↗The UK is outside the EU and the Schengen area; a Schengen visa is not valid for the UK.
United Kingdom ↗Driving is on the left; London has congestion and emissions charges for most vehicles, so do not drive in the city.

The south east is a ring of towns one hour from London by train. Moving hotels every night wastes the mornings; keep one bed in London, travel light for a day, and come back on the evening train.

Where to sleep

4 places in this region

Sleep base

LondonTrip line
Elizabeth line or train to the door; five walking clusters.
Best Mar–Jul, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open London →

Day trip

OxfordCity guide
About 1 h by train from Paddington.
Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Oxford →
WindsorGuide: planned
About 1 h by train; castle.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
BrightonCity guide
About 1 h by train from Victoria; seafront.
Best May–Jun, Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Brighton →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

4 nights: London 4, one day trip to Oxford or Windsor
6 nights: London 5 + Oxford or Cambridge day + one slow day

London, Oxford, Windsor and Brighton in 4 days is mostly train seats.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Oxford	London	100 min	unknown	Train from Paddington about every 20 min by day; check the last train.
Windsor	London	90 min	unknown	Train from Paddington or Waterloo; check the last train.
Brighton	London	90 min	unknown	Train from Victoria or London Bridge; check the last train.

Bags between cities

Courier luggage services exist; most visitors keep the big bag at the London hotel and take a day pack.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
London	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	go	ok	go	go	ok	ok
Oxford	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	×
Brighton	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	go	ok	ok	ok
United Kingdom (country-wide)	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Other regions of the country

Scotland

planned

3–7 nights

Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Highlands and islands

Northern England

planned

2–4 nights

York, Manchester, the Lake District

South West England and Wales

planned

2–5 nights

Bath, Cornwall, Cardiff, Snowdonia (Eryri)

London and the South East: what we know, and what is coming

3 of 4 places open

On this page

4 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
How to split 4 or 6 nights
3 day trips with door-to-door time
Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
What to do with the big bag between beds

Coming as the guide grows

Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
Regional food: what, where and when it works
A page for Windsor — About 1 h by train; castle.

Meanwhile

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 3, 1 h 30 to 1 h 40
Nights suggested: 4–6 nights

Trips that stop here

From the United Kingdom guide

London and Edinburgh
7 days · 4 nights here
London → Edinburgh
London, York, Edinburgh
10 days · 4 nights here
London → York → Edinburgh
South to north
14 days · 4 nights here
London → Bath → York → Edinburgh → Highlands (Inverness or Skye)

All United Kingdom trips →

Local time

What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.

London
…
Checking your clock…Europe/London

Open London Up to United Kingdom

Ask about London and the South East

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