St Albans
A Roman city twenty minutes out. A free cathedral, the ruins of Roman Verulamium and a huge park with a lake, all walkable in an afternoon.
FREE
The lowdown
St Albans is the easiest escape on this list, barely twenty minutes from St Pancras, and it hides a Roman city. The huge cathedral is free to walk into, the medieval streets tumble downhill and at the bottom lies Verulamium Park with its lake and the remains of the Roman town.
You can see Roman walls, a mosaic and the old hypocaust in the park for nothing, then climb back up for a pint in one of the contenders for the oldest pub in England. A full historic day out almost on London's doorstep.
Getting there from London
The cathedral, the Roman park and the lake are free. It is the closest of all these trips.
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