Planning a Two Weeks Trip in Southern England and London, United Kingdom

In our 2 weeks in England we want to spend our time exploring the city life, but also the nature. In the first part of our trip we are planning a road trip, and then a city break in London before leaving the United Kingdom. Here are our day by day notes:

Southern England 8 Days Road Trip Itinerary

This is how our road trip plan looks like. We estimate to drive somewhere between 1000km (650 miles) and 1500km (900 miles), and to have a lot of fun!

We also want to share with you our Google Map for this road trip itinerary. Although this map includes most attractions for London as well, we suggest you to use for London the map below which is more complete and specially designed for a 7 days itinerary in London.

Day 1 - Arrival

Driving distance: 80km (50 miles). Total driving time: 1 hour 10 minutes

• arrival in London, Heathrow
• pick up the rented car
• go to accommodation in Oxford

Sleep in Oxford.

Day 2 - Oxford

Spend the entire day in Oxford, explore the entire area and feel the vibe, go inside churches and other buildings. Don’t miss:

• Bridge of Sighs
• Bodleian Library
• Radcliffe Camera

Sleep in Oxford.

Day 3

Driving distance: 200km (125 miles). Total driving time: 3 hours 40 minutes - without the Lonleat Hedge Maze and Stonehenge

• visit Cotswolds: there are multiple villages, but we don’t have to check them all, we could spend more time only in the prettiest villages (marked with yellow on the map). Bibury is one of the most crowded villages, buses start rolling in from about 10 am.
• Bath: 2h hours should be a decent visit. We might have lunch here as well. Check out the free audio guide.
• today or in Day 7: go to Lonleat Hedge Maze, and Stonehenge
• Wells + Glastonbury

Sleep in Glastonbury or Bridgwater.

Day 4

Driving distance: 220km (135 miles). Total driving time: 4 hours 40 minutes

• Drive through Quantock Hills to Exmoor National Park, stop at Valley of the Rocks for the views and a walk
• Drive to Barnstaple - take a lunch box and go on Croyde Bay to relax
• Drive to Hartland Quay for the views
• Drive to Bude and Crooklets Beach for the sunset

Sleep around Launceston.

Day 5

Driving distance and time: as much as we want in Cornwall

Launceston to Launceston day trip - drive as much as we like, visit only what we want. Land’s End seem overrated, no need to drive so far. There are multiple options for stops on this day:

• Tintagel castle - king Arthur
• Bedruthan Steps - scenic spot
• Holywell Bay
• Perranporth Beach
• Gwithian Beach
• Land’s End
• Nanjizal Beach
• The Minack Theatre - outdoor thatre
• Porthcurno Beach
• Mousehole for lunch
• St. Michael’s Mount only low tide
• drive to Eden Project - closes at 6PM (visit duration should be around 2h) - perhaps is better to visit in the morning, but we have to buy year pass instead of a one time entrance ticket which I don’t morally like.
• Lizard Point or Pendennis Castle if we wish

Sleep around Launceston.

Day 6

Driving distance: 200km (125 miles). Total driving time: 4 hours

• drive through Tamar Valley to Dartmoor National Park (free-roaming ponies can be seen here) - walk in the forest
• stop in Exter for lunch
• drive to Charmouth Beach walk on the coast, look for fossils
• Optional: Crab House Café to eat and walks in West Dorset Heritage Coast
• Drive to West Lulworth and walk to Durdle Door, Lulworth steps, Lulworth Cove - if possible spend time here for golden hour and sunset.

Sleep in West Lulworth.

Day 7

Driving distance: 300km (185 miles). Total driving time: 4 hours 30 minutes (with Stonehenge included)

• Go to Lonleat Hedge Maze and Stonehenge if not visited yet
• Seven Sisters

Sleep near Seven Sisters.

Day 8

Driving distance: 300km (185 miles). Total driving time: 4 hours 30 minutes

• from Seven Sisters to white Cliffs of Dover
• Canterbury
• Drive to Heathrow Airport to drop the rented car
• If time allows, check out Hampton Court Maze, and Windsor Castle
• Get to London

Sleep in London.

7 Days Itinerary in London

Day 2, day 3, day 4 can be connected but it is hard to tell the duration. In case part of them will merge, we might be able to add the Harry Potter Warner Bros experience to the itinerary. Buy ticket the day before. However, we shouldn’t try to merge them. Go easy!

You can check out in more detail the map above using our Google Map. Here you will find the all the pins grouped by days.

Experiences worth checking out on this itinerary:

• Phantom at the opera musical - buy ticket in advance
• Eat at Borough Market
• Picnic in Hyde Park
• Harry Potter
• London Dungeon - buy ticket
• Buckingham Palace - watch the guard change 11AM - might be very crowded
• Euston Tubes - tour takes 75 minutes - Buy Tickets - not sure in which day we can include this.

Day 0

This is the arrival day in London, from our road trip in the southern part of England. We will probably not have too much time left in this day other than having a dinner and a walk.

Day 1 - City of London

• Tower of London - Buy Ticket
• Tower Bridge
• the Shard
• Borough Market - lunch
• Shakespeare’s Globe
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• Leadenhall Market
• Tate Modern - free art museum, either love or hate
• Sky Garden - book in advance for diner and view

Day 2 - Soho & Convent Garden

• British museum
• Covent Garden
• Cecil Court
• Chinatown
• Piccadilly Circus
• National Gallery - free
• Trafalgar Square
• His Majesty’s Theatre - Buy tickets Phantom at the opera

Day 3 - Westminister & Waterloo South Bank

• Westminster Abbey
• Churchill War Rooms - Buy Tickets
• Big Ben - from Churchill War Rooms walk towards Westminster Bridge along Great George Street/A302 - multiple red phone booths to photograph with the big ben
• Palace of Westminster - Walk across Westminster Bridge
• London Eye
• London Dungeon - Buy Tickets
• Queen’s Walk - for golden hour / evening walk on the river

Day 4 - Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Richmond

• Buckingham Palace - visit or watch the guard change
• grab a lunch box, go for a walk and picninc in Hyde Park
• go to Richmond for the river side walk and Kew gardens
• optionals: Notting Hill, Portobello Road Market, and Little Venice

Day 5 - Cambridge

• Take the train from King’s Cross station to Cambridge
• Explore Cambridge, there are some pins on the map for guidance
• Go punting

Day 6 - Canary Wharf & Greenwich

Have fun in the Canary Wharf:

• Traffic Light Tree
• Adams Place Bridge
• Crossrail Place Roof Garden
• Free Outdoor Public Art Trail at Canary Wharf
• One Canada Square
• Jubilee Park
• Fairgame
• ‘Memories of a Dead Poet’: Immersive Art Experience
• Harbour Quay Gardens

Check out the Prime Greenwich Meridian Line

Day 7 - Departure

Enjoy a nice English breakfast and catch the flight.