Cities or locations to take in-laws who are from outside the UK.

[TheKatzKlaws]

Would love suggestions on a place to visit for a couple of days with my husband and his parents. They are from Albania and have never been to the UK (and in his mums case outside of Albania!). They are from a very rural community so I think a big urban city might be a bit much, but a nice historic town/city and somewhere with beautiful scenery.

We live in London and I am also 6 months pregnant so nowhere too far or difficult to get around in. We will be taking the train as we do not drive.

Thanks everyone!!

York? I am pretty sure you can get a train direct.

Do you want to go somewhere you can hang out for a few days, or just day trips? or both.

Winchester is a nice day trip from London. Ditto Brighton.

For a few days, I'd do Bath. It's a lovely city, very pretty, easily accessible by car or train and has lots of interesting places to visit, nice shopping etc.

Oh, and Oxford and Cambridge are always popular choices too. Foreign visitors love the history, the punting etc etc.

Oxford is great for a day trip - easy train journey and v walkable town centre. Chuck in a pub lunch on the river, stroll around the covered market and tour of one of the colleges/the Bodleian plus a trip up St Mary's tower (if they've got good legs!) and job done.

Cambridge is an easy day trip from London, less than 50mins on a direct train from Kings X.

And then for an overnight/longer stay I think Bath, as it’s quite different to Cambridge.

The Yorkshire Dales! - if you had a car.

What about a coach trip to the Cotswolds? Or train then buses. Coach trips get a lot of flack but they are comfortable, get you to lots of pretty places with minimal hassle and afford great views on the journey thanks to the elevated position and massive windows.

The Cotswolds has beautiful scenery and chocolate box, quintessentially English villages.

Cambridge and/or Oxford definitely tick your 'accessible from London' brief. Bath, York etc are also nice, but you'd need to stay a couple of nights to make it worthwhile.
The South Downs are beautiful - Beachy Head and all around there (although I guess you might not want to walk too far?)

Places like Whitstable would show a different side of the UK - nice little quirky seaside town.

How about Kew Gardens for a London day out. And I'd definitely have a day seeing the sights in London, seeing as you live there!

I would definitely say Cambridge. There are museums, tea rooms, colleges, the river, walks….it’s a real mix and feels very “English”.

York is my go-to for non-British visitors but it’s not that far for us. You would want an overnight if coming from London.

The Cotswolds seems over touristy, there are places must as nice in Sussex downs, coast etc. Amberley, Lewes, country parks and gardens.

Edinburgh or York if you want a few days away

Windsor. Quick and easy to get to. Lovely town, nice river and the small matter of a sodding great Castle.

Wow. Thank you for all these suggestions. Great ideas. Oxford, Cambridge and Bath sound like good shouts.

Made me realise how little of the UK I've seen, considering I was born here! 😬

An excuse for more weekend breaks I think!

If you can get there, Stonehenge or Avebury (bit less stressful than SH) are also obvious places to go

Secret London have lots of suggestions for this type of thing.

Canterbury and Whitstable would make a lovely short trip away, plenty of history, pretty scenery, cafes & pubs, shopping, to fill two or three days, and close to London.

A trip down the Thames to Greenwich would be an interesting day out, and more relaxing than doing the central London sights on foot, or by bus.

Everyone has already suggested the places I was going to. Some train lines do offer discounts for travelling together, but there is also the twotogether pass. Its £30 and you get 1/3 off train costs. Just not at peak times. It also lasts a year. You don't need to be on benefits, just need to travel togethter to claim it. DH and I travelled the 4hrs from London to Edinburgh on the train, and made back the cost of the pass in that 1 trip.

Your in laws might get a pensioner discount, but I don't know the rules around non EU pensioners?

https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk/

Whilst I agree with Bath it is not flat although there is a hop in hop off bus that might take care of some of the hills

Day trips - Rochester - cathedral and castle
Canterbury - cathedral and pretty town
Portsmouth (get train to the harbour station) historic dockyard Mary Rose/Victory etc
Chichester - pretty town and Roman villa at Fishbourne easy to get to by train
Arundel - castle and pretty town
Oxford as pps have said.

Further afield

Bath possibly taking in Stonehenge on the way - if doing a couple of days there is also Wells nearby
York very easy on the train

Exactly this 😂 and the train station is right next to the castle. A very short walk over the bridge into historic Eton.

I'm assuming you are also doing some London. For first time visitors the open top bus is great. Gives a real sense of how the city fits together and you are lifted above the busy streets. You can often get discounts on the discount sites..

Another vote for Windsor, even if you don’t go into the castle, you can’t miss it ! Also walk around the cobbled streets just outside and as a PP said , walk over the bridge up to Eton or do the long walk up to the iron statue.

Canterbury or Rye. Bath if you don't mind going slightly further.

Cambridge - lots of people abroad have heard of it, it's an easy day trip and there are always some colleges open. Then go punting.

We found our family who lived abroad wanted to see things that looked typically 'English' - so Tower of London, Windsor castle, the Cotswolds, thatched cottages, a stately home, a classic pub lunch

If you think Britain as shown in a Richard Curtis movie, that sort of thing.