{"id":366230,"date":"2025-08-23T03:02:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T03:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/366230\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T03:02:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T03:02:24","slug":"underrated-seaside-city-southampton-is-one-of-the-best-day-trips-from-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/366230\/","title":{"rendered":"Underrated Seaside City Southampton Is One of the Best Day Trips From London"},"content":{"rendered":"

The final bank holiday\u00a0of the spring\/summer is upon us. If none of the fantastic things happening\u00a0in London<\/a> over the long weekend take your fancy, why not plan a last-minute day trip out of the city? We\u2019re spoiled for choice when it comes to great places within easy reach of London. There are\u00a0artsy towns<\/a>,\u00a0historic cities<\/a>, gorgeous\u00a0seaside destinations<\/a>\u00a0and hidden foodie havens<\/a>.\u00a0And there\u2019s one\u00a0place that rolls all of those things into one \u2013 Southampton<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The great maritime city takes a little over an hour to get to on the\u00a0train London Waterloo, with single tickets starting at around \u00a318 during super off-peak times.\u00a0There\u2019s a ton of historical sites to see once you get there \u2013 like Tudor House and Garden (pictured below), a\u00a015th century building that became the city\u2019s first ever museum in 1912, the\u00a012th century town walls, which are some of the best preserved in the whole of the UK, or the Solent Sky Museum, which guides visitor through the city\u2019s history of aviation. There\u2019s also the fascinating SeaCity Museum, an interactive attraction telling\u00a0the story of the Titanic (which set off on its final journey from Southampton Docks).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Tudor
\nPhotograph: Shutterstock <\/p>\n

For a bit of culture, head to the 90-year-old Mayflower Theatre a short walk from the station. Les Mis\u00e9rables\u00a0has been here, as has Hairspray and West Side Story. It also attracts major music and comedy acts, with Kate Bush, Rolling Stones, Jimmy Carr and Ricky Gervais all having graced the stage. For art, make a beeline for Southampton City Art Gallery<\/a>, where you\u2019ll find a wide\u00a0array of European and Renaissance work, and John Hansard Gallery<\/a>, home to an internationally recognised collection of contemporary art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And to keep you fuelled on your day out, we recommend Spanish tapas overlooking the river at La Regata<\/a>, deli dining at The Pig in the Wall<\/a>\u00a0(from The Pig <\/a>hotel group), a big dirty burger at 7Bone<\/a>, a wholesome vegan meal at Cafe Thrive<\/a> or a pint and pub grub (and live music) at Dancing Man Brewery<\/a> on the Town Quay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When\u00a0you\u2019ve had enough, you can always head to one of our other favourite places for a day trip nearby \u2013\u00a0New Forest Wildlife Park<\/a>. The Bluestar 6 bus<\/a> will pick you up from Southampton and take you on a scenic tour of the Forest. Two birds, one stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UK August bank holiday travel disruption: all the major motorway closures and train cancellations to watch out for this weekend<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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