The Beach, English-Style: Brighton
Highlights: carnivalesque mood; quirky architecture; boutiques
Duration: five to ten hours
Exertion level: low to moderate
Accessible by: train, bus
Brighton is a unique seaside town. Developed as a tourist spot in the late 18th century, today it's a mish-mash of students, funky corners, quirky shops, good nightlife, and old school tourist draws.
From one angle, the over-the-top Royal Pavilion and the cheesy pleasures of Brighton Pier suggest that Brighton is simply an old-fashioned mass tourist draw. From another, taking the city's student population and a robust hippie demographic into account, Brighton seems like a bit of a countercultural zone. Then, strolling through the Lanes, one encounters upscale, funky boutiques, and Brighton reveals itself to have an undeniably splashy side.
Brighton caters to all these demands, and this is what makes it so exciting. You never really know what you're going to find in Brighton, and this fact provides a good share of the city's charm. For example, a fleet of tuk-tuks, modeled after the mini-taxis found in Thai cities, were launched in July 2006 as a new form of transportation for hire, the first of their type in Europe.
For more information about Brighton, see Brighton's official tourism site.
A roundtrip train journey between London and Brighton can cost as little as £17.40 for a Cheap Day Return fare. Such fares apply for weekday travel at non-peak times. The journey takes between 50 and 90 minutes each way.
Getting Smart: Oxford
Highlights: university town; city strolls; museums
Duration: five to ten hours
Exertion level: low
Accessible by: train
Oxford is the prototypical university town, the grand dame against which other university towns are judged. And what grandeur! Almost 40 colleges make their home in Oxford. The colleges cluster together, in between parks, fields, meadows, and cute streets. The effect is incredibly charming, though the busloads of tourists passing in and out during peak months does diminish the appeal somewhat. Several of Oxford's colleges are worth visiting, including Christ Church College and Magdalen College.
Oxford boasts an outstanding collection of museums, including Ashmolean Museum, England's oldest museum. It holds a collection of extraordinary artworks and objects. Oxford also claims two kid-friendly museums: the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the spooky Pitt Rivers Museum, a veritable treasure chest of archaeological and ethnographic objects. Rounding out the selection is an amazing contemporary arts museum, Modern Art Oxford.
Oxford is also chockablock full of little pubs and restaurants, many quite charming. So when museum feet have caught up with you, rest assured that you can find a place to relax and enjoy the university town vibe.
For more information about Oxford, see Oxford City's official Travel & Tourism site.
A roundtrip train journey between London and Oxford costs £17.50 for a Cheap Day Return fare. Such fares apply for weekday travel at non-peak times. A one-way journey costs £4, however, so you may be better off purchasing two individual one-way tickets. The journey takes about an hour each way.
Bus travel between London and Oxford is more reliably cheaper than train travel. Megabus is the best value, with one way journeys customarily priced between £1 and £5. Catch Oxford-bound buses at the corner of Buckingham Palace Road and Elizabeth Bridge, diagonally across from Victoria Coach Station.
Medieval Bolthole: Arundel
Highlights: castle; picturesque town; cute shops
Duration:six to ten hours
Exertion level: low to moderate
Accessible by: train
Arundel is a tiny, picturesque English country town in West Essex. It's on a hill, just a few miles inland from the sea, and it even has a majestic castle to call its own. The castle, 700 years old, frames the town in a stunning manner. Without a doubt, Arundel is one of the more fairytale-like villages in West Sussex.
Arundel knows that it's a bit of a cute kitty. This means that the town has its share of good restaurants, antique and objet shops, and tourist-primed nooks. The castle itself may be the biggest draw, but the town itself has plenty of draws for visitors.
While Arundel's castle is 700 years old, the city itself only dates, for the most part, back to the Victorian era. Don't be concerned by this. The entire village, while not as heartstoppingly gorgeous as the castle, is worth several hours of lollygagging.
For more information about Arundel, check out this helpful guide. Also check out the official Arundel Castle site.
A roundtrip train journey between London and Arundel takes around 90 minutes, and costs as little as £18.70 for a Cheap Day Return fare. Such fares apply for weekday travel at non-peak times.
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