South East England

Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and other counties around London, with Oxford, Windsor, Brighton, the white cliffs and the countryside of the 'Garden of England'.

This region corresponds to the 'South East' of England's official statistical regions, including Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, the Berkshire unitary authorities, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and cities such as Brighton and Hove, Portsmouth, Southampton and Milton Keynes. London is surrounded by it but listed separately; Dorset and Wiltshire to the west belong to South West England, and Essex and Hertfordshire to the north belong to the East of England. Core highlights: Oxford's university colleges and the Bodleian Library; Windsor Castle; the seaside city of Brighton, with its Royal Pavilion and pier; the Seven Sisters white cliffs and Beachy Head in East Sussex; Kent's Canterbury Cathedral, Leeds Castle and the White Cliffs of Dover; Hampshire's New Forest National Park, Winchester and the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard; and the coastal scenery of the Isle of Wight. The South Downs National Park runs across Sussex and Hampshire and is ideal for hiking. Most places here can be reached from London by train in 1–2 hours, and a common plan is to use London as a base for day trips to Oxford, Windsor, Brighton and Canterbury; for a slower road trip, allow 4–6 days to link Kent, the Sussex coast and the New Forest. The seaside is crowded on weekends and during summer holidays, and country pubs and manor gardens are at their best in spring and summer.

Destinations

Itineraries