Day trips out of London
This soaring Gothic confection in Kent -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- is the Mother Church of the Anglican faith. Check out where Thomas Becket was martyred, duck underground to the multicolumned crypt and marvel at the breathtaking stained-glass windows, including one from 1176. Before jumping back on the London-bound train, explore the town’s picture-perfect medieval center, stopping at the Roman Museum and Canterbury Heritage Museum. Great old pubs abound, including the wood-beamed Parrot where Bishops Finger ale is recommended. Info here. (Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images)
Luring Londoners since the playboy Prince Regent began building his onion-turreted Royal Pavilion here in 1815, Brighton is the Britain’s coolest seaside city. Start at the Pavilion -- now a museum of gaudy palace interiors -- then get lost in the labyrinthine Lanes and North Laine areas. Lined with indie shops, galleries and restaurants, this back-street tangle warrants an hour or two of on-foot retail therapy. Then hit the wind-whipped seafront: Eschew the ankle-breaking pebbly beach for Brighton Pier’s slot machines, fish and chips and neon-pink, toothache-triggering peppermint rock. (Tabatha Fireman / Getty Images)
