OP here, Thank you! Tons of choices , now I actually have to find time to look through these. The vacations are mostly for us, I am sure kids wont remember most of it, but then hopefully they would get to travel on their own when they grow up and make more memories!

Windsor is great. We also loved Salisbury/Stonehenge. The cathedral at Salisbury is lovely.

Anonymous wrote:Back in the day, we did Bath, Statford on Avon & Stonehenge. Two 17 y/o and one 15 y/o, though so older than your kids.

I must have done this exact same day bus trip (not with kids). Loved it.

Warwick is another great choice.

You can actually "glamp" at Warwick castle. It looks fun!

Dover is neat because you can also see the white cliffs of Dover. The castle is good and there is also a really good exhibit in the tunnels about the Dunkirk evacuation. Extremely good.

Warwick castle is very Disney-fied. I didn’t like it much, but I’m not s kid. Our kids liked enough I guess. They had a neat bird show and trebuchet.

I loved Bletchley Park. If your kids are at all interested in history. It’s my favorite museum in England. I love the park setting. I prefer this museum over the war rooms.

We did the HP studio tour and went to Windsor. My kids loved both; Windsor was my favorite part of the trip

Back in the day, we did Bath, Statford on Avon & Stonehenge. Two 17 y/o and one 15 y/o, though so older than your kids.

Windsor
Oxford
Cambridge
Brighton
Chichester
Tunbridge Wells
Canterbury
Colchester
Bath
York

Choose from any of the above. York is furthest away but has a fast train service.

Brighton!

In addition to the pier you can take the bus out passed the marina and walk along the chalk cliffs. Super easy by train.

Warwick Castle, Blenheim Palace, rowboats in Stratford upon Avon.

They offer day trips from London to the Cotswolds, fwiw.

Lol! Great minds alike, PP.

We were just there with boys that age and honestly, the Harry Potter studio tour was SO fun for them. Obviously not quite the cultural experience you probably had in mind, but they tell everyone about it. There are plenty of tour buses that can take you there from Central London.

Does it have to be uniquely memorable? I hate to say this your children will remember almost nothing of London. But if they are Harry Potter fans take them to one of the endless tour s they have of the different sites from the books or go to the Studio Tour of where they're made. Also there are the adventure playgrounds:

https://www.visitlondon.com/tag/adventure-playground

You can do all these things in the US but with kids that young, there isn't that much for them to do that is unique or memorable that can only be done in London. You could go to a northern village and let them try jellied eel. They might remember that!

Honestly, there are so many but I wouldn't miss going to Cambridge and going for a punt.

We are in London late June for 5-6 days, and would like to take a day trip out on country side. Family of 4 , 2 boys 9 & 5. Any recommended places? We love castles, lakes, ocean, historical and unusual places. Drivable places would be a big plus!