This is a guide to the best of Southern England, including the best places to see and do in the area.
Southern England allows for prehistoric monuments, Georgian cities, wild coastline, and university towns to fit in an area small enough to travel through without brutal days of travel. This is a detailed list of what to do based on what you’re searching for.
## History and Architecture
### Stonehenge and Salisbury
Match up the world’s most famous historic site with Salisbury Cathedral, which houses the world’s best preserved copy of the Magna Carta. They are both within one day’s travel from each other.
### Bath
The centre of the city is Roman Baths; the uniform Georgian architecture is the real attraction; the Royal Crescent can’t be overlooked. Clinch it off at the Thermae Bath Spa, Britain’s only naturally hot spring waters.
### Winchester
Ancient capital of England, yet rivalled by Salisbury in terms of cathedral, and in terms of genuine claim to the Round Table legend at Winchester Castle’s Great Hall, which is frequently neglected in favour of Oxford in terms of its ancient history.
## University Towns
### Oxford
Stroll the colleges that had a history-shaping impact, including Christ Church, Magdalen and the Bodleian Library. For a lazy full day make a trip to the Ashmolean Museum and a punt on the River Cherwell.
## Coast and Countryside
### Jurassic Coast
A 96-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site which flows through Dorset and East Devon and is renowned for fossil discoveries at Lyme Regis and for the natural limestone arch at Durdle Door.
### The Cotswolds
Honey-stone villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water, Bibury and Chipping Campden present the postcard image of England—Thatch, Stone Bridges, Slow Pacedness.
### New Forest National Park
Free roaming ponies roam towns and heath alike. One of the easiest national parks in England to cycle, it is flat and has well marked trails.
### Dartmoor National Park
Granite tors and wild ponies and authentic wilderness. Less noisy and less civilised than the Cotswolds or Peak District – more suitable for serious walkers than for day-trippers.
## Seaside Towns
### Brighton
The most vibrant area on the south coast – the Indian inspired architecture of Royal Pavilion, the maze-like shopping district of Lanes and the nightlife which out competes most UK cities of its size.
### Isle of Wight
Short ferry trip from Portsmouth or Southampton to The Needles chalk stacks, seaside Victorian towns and Osborne House, former summer home of Queen Victoria.
## Off-the-Radar Stops
### Lacock, Wiltshire
An entire village owned by the National Trust, largely left in its 18th century look and used in various film sets but not quite as much as the more popular villages of the Cotswolds.
### Rye, East Sussex
The old cobbled streets of medieval buildings, set on a hill over looking Romney Marsh, which is always overlooked in favour of Canterbury or Brighton.
### Exmoor National Park
Less populous and smaller than its neighbour Dartmoor, fantastic coastal cliffs at Valley of the Rocks and wild red deer herds.
## Suggested Routes
### Long Weekend (3–4 Days)
Bath → Stonehenge/Salisbury → Cotswolds, all easily linked by car within a 90-minute radius of each other.
### One Week
Oxford to Cotswolds to Bath to Stonehenge/Salisbury to Jurassic Coast to New Forest to Brighton returning to London.
### Ten Days
Include one quiet detour (Lacock or Exmoor) and Winchester, Isle of Wight to the above week long ride.
## Practical Tips
There are direct train connections from Oxford, Bath, Brighton and Winchester from which to base yourself.
Rent a car for anything else: Cotswolds villages, Dartmoor, Jurassic Coast, New Forest etc. are much more easily accessible by car.
Visit May–June or September for good weather and not many people during the peak summer season.
## Final Word
Southern England is a land that is better experienced as a hodgepodge of experiences than a single theme trip, so combine one of its historic cities, one of its wild country lanes, and one of its coastal towns, and you’ll find it has more to offer in your allotted time than its diversity indicates.