London Day Trip: Arundel

Highlights: castle; picturesque town; cute shops
Duration:six to ten hours
Exertion level: low to moderate
Accessible by: train

Arundel Castle

The massive Arundel Castle towers over a quaint Victorian village just a short train ride from London. Photo: Berto Garcia.

Arundel is a tiny, picturesque English country town in West Sussex. It's on a hill, just a few miles inland from the sea, and it even has a majestic castle to call its own. The castle, 700 years old, frames the town in a stunning manner. Without a doubt, Arundel is one of the more fairytale-like villages in West Sussex.

To see

Arundel knows that it's a bit of a cute kitty. This means that the town has its share of good restaurants, antique and objet shops, and tourist-primed nooks. The castle may be the biggest draw, but the town itself has plenty of draws for visitors.

While Arundel's castle is 700 years old, the city itself only dates, for the most part, back to the Victorian era. Don't be concerned by this. The entire village, while not as heartstoppingly gorgeous as the castle, is worth several hours of lollygagging.

For more information about Arundel, check out this helpful guide. Also check out the official Arundel Castle site.

Getting there

A roundtrip train journey between London and Arundel takes around 90 minutes, and costs as little as £24.10 for a Cheap Day Return fare. Such fares apply for weekday travel at non-peak times.

More day trips

Looking for more getaway suggestions? Check out this article for more day trips from London, including excursions to the beach town of Brighton and to Oxford, home of Oxford University.

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