5 Days in England: The First-Timer Itinerary
Five day trips from London, extending our 4-day plan with a combined Bath-and-Stonehenge day. The order: Warner Bros Studio Tour, Windsor, Cambridge, Oxford, then Bath and Stonehenge together. Need a longer trip? See the 6-day and 7-day versions.
Book these before you go
- Warner Bros Studio Tour : entry from £56, zero walk-up tickets, lock in the date first
- Windsor Castle entry : £32 advance, £36 on the day, can close short notice for state visits
- King’s College Chapel : from £16.50, an early-bird discount rewards booking a week ahead
- Bath and Stonehenge day tour : the simplest way to cover both without juggling three trains
| Day | Day trip | Travel time from London |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warner Bros Studio Tour, Leavesden | ~20 min train to Watford Junction, then a £3 shuttle |
| 2 | Windsor Castle | 22-28 min (Paddington/Slough) or 55 min direct (Waterloo) |
| 3 | Cambridge | 45-49 min direct from King’s Cross |
| 4 | Oxford | 45-60 min direct from Paddington |
| 5 | Bath and Stonehenge | 1h15 direct to Bath Spa (Paddington); Stonehenge by tour or Salisbury train plus shuttle |
Day 1: Warner Bros Studio Tour
Euston to Watford Junction runs about 20 minutes, then the dedicated shuttle bus to the Studio Tour, £3 return, card only. Entry alone starts from £56, book through wbstudiotour.co.uk directly.
Day 2: Windsor Castle
Paddington to Slough then the branch line into Windsor & Eton Central runs 22-28 minutes, or direct from Waterloo in about 55 minutes. Book entry or through rct.uk , £32 advance against £36 on the day.
Day 3: Cambridge
King’s Cross to Cambridge runs 45-49 minutes direct. King’s College Chapel entry runs from £16.50 weekdays, plus a shared punt on the River Cam for roughly £12-20 per person.
Day 4: Oxford
Paddington to Oxford runs 45-60 minutes direct. Colleges like Christ Church charge their own entry with term-dependent hours; the Bodleian’s reading rooms and the Bridge of Sighs are free to view from outside.
Day 5: Bath and Stonehenge
Bath Spa is 1 hour 15 direct from Paddington. The Roman Baths use dynamic, time-slot pricing from roughly £20/$27 advance, rising toward the mid-£20s at busier slots, so book a slot rather than assuming a flat rate. Stonehenge has no station of its own; a combined Bath-and-Stonehenge tour
from London handles both legs in one booking, or you can build your own route via a Salisbury train plus a connecting shuttle. Standard Stonehenge admission through english-heritage.org.uk
runs £27.20/$37 and keeps you at a roped perimeter, not up against the stones.
Is one day really enough for both Bath and Stonehenge?
It’s achievable but tight, give real time to each rather than treating Bath as a quick stopover on the way to the stones. If you can spare a sixth day instead of folding this into a five-day trip, staying overnight in Bath and doing Stonehenge as a half-day the next morning is the better version of this same day. Our Bath page breaks down why the overnight is worth it.
Before you go
A car helps nowhere on this list except possibly the Bath-Stonehenge combination, and the tour option removes even that need. A contactless bank card or phone works like an Oyster card on the London legs. Pack an umbrella regardless of season.