During our week long visit to London, we stayed in the city almost the entire time (Yes! There is that much to do). The only excursion we took outside of London area was an Evan Evans tour to visit the Windsor Castle, City of Bath, and Stonehenge. Just a reminder, this is by no means a comprehensive London travel guide. This London travel guide is written for those who might go to England one day and want ideas on what you can see and do based on my own experience. The guide will be shared over 6 posts:
London Travel Guide – Day 5
One of the most famous landmarks in the UK is Stonehenge, so we can’t possibly visit without seeing this cultural icon that’s over 5,000 years old. However, Stonehenge is a bit far so most tours stop by other locations along the way. The tour we joined stopped by Windsor Castle, the Roman baths in Bath, with the Stonehenge as the last stop. Come on, let’s go!
Windsor Castle
Our first stop of the tour was the Windsor Castle. It is roughly a 1-hour bus ride from London to Windsor. The Queen was actually at the castle the same time we were but visitors are not allowed to enter the section where the Queen resides. We were secretly hoping we could catch a glimpse of her royal majesty. The castle was grand and magnificent and our heart were racing with excitement as we saw it from the bus.
The tour buses park about 10 min walk away from the Windsor Castle.
On the way to the castle, visitors pass through the Windsor Royal Shopping mall with restaurants, coffee shops, and gift shops.
Replica steam locomotive – The Queen
Visitors have to line up to enter the castle, as many tour groups were there it takes a bit of time to enter (15-20 min for us).
Like many other attractions in the UK, there is a digital audio player that accompanies the tour.
The beautiful garden on the castle grounds.
Part of the castle where the Queen was at. The Windsor Castle is where the Queen spends her weekends.
Unfortunately, there is absolutely no photography allowed inside the castle. As part of the tour, the visitors tour the State Apartments, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, and Semi-State room.
The decorations and palace rooms were the grandest of all the castles we visited. The Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is every girl’s dream, it is over 3 feet tall with working lights, hundreds of pieces of miniatures, and many items are 1/12 replica of the same items in the Windsor Castle. Even the toilets in doll house are flushable!
On the castle grounds, there is the St. George’s Chapel. Photography is not allowed inside the chapel as well.
At the end of the tour, you exit the castle near St. George’s Chapel.
City of Bath
The second stop on the tour, we stopped by the city of Bath to visit the Roman Baths. Bath is about 1 hr 45 min away from Windsor so make sure you have something to keep you occupied on the bus, or take a short nap. UNESCO added The City of Bath as a ‘cultural site’ to its World Heritage List in 1987.
The hot spring in Bath was first discovered 836 BC by a British King. After the Romans invaded England, the temple was constructed at the hot spring around 60-70 AD and built up over the next 300 years.
The current visitor entrance lobby was built in 1897.
Map of the Roman Site.
The Great Bath.
As part of the tour, visitors are free to walk around the entire structure.
The Sacred Spring.
The Roman Baths are actually below modern street level.
Reconstructed model of the Roman Bath.
Once underground, visitors walk on an elevated platform through the ruins.
Hot spring still flows today at the location.
Some of the rooms have computer generated graphics projected on a screen, showing the visitors how the rooms were utilized (augmented reality).
After touring the Roman Bath, we had a short time to walk around the city of Bath. The grand Bath Abbey near the Roman Baths.
The scenery around the city was very peaceful and scenic. One of the landmarks in the city is the row of shops built over the river on the Pulteney Bridge.
On the Pulteney Bridge, there are shops, cafes, and restaurants visitors can browse through.
Stonehenge
The last stop of the tour is UNESCO World Heritage Site – Stonehenge. It’s about 1 hour from the city of Bath.
We heard visitors used to be able to drive up to Stonehenge, however now visitors have to park in visitors parking lot and take the shuttle to see the stones.
It’s about 6-8 min ride on the shuttle, or you can choose to hike the 1.5 mile long road as well.
There’s a protective ring around the stones so visitors can’t touch them.
You can see in the photo above, compared to the visitors, the stones are massive. They are about 13 feet high and 6 feet wide, weighing 25 tones each.
Even today, historians can’t figure out what the Stonehenge is for. All that’s known is it was built over many hundred of years and could be used for healing, religious purpose, or even funerals. Fun Fact: There are hundreds of stone circles in the UK, and Stonehenge is just one of them (the most famous one).
Hope that was a fun filled Day 5 for you. If you missed previous London Travel Guide, you can start reading here. On Day 6, we’ll visit different parts of London that’s fun to just walk around!
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