The practical side of planning your trip – from flights and car hire to accommodation, attraction passes and maps.
We have been planning and booking our trips to England ourselves for many years. For an individual trip through southern England, there are a few things we always need:
✓ Flights
✓ Car hire
✓ Accommodation
✓ Tickets and passes for attractions
✓ Maps
Over the years, we have found a number of providers and services that we consider useful when planning a trip through southern England. Here we show you the options we use or recommend when organising our own journeys.
Finding the right flight to Southern England
For most international visitors, London is the easiest gateway to southern England. But which airport should you choose? It depends on where your journey begins.
- London Heathrow (LHR) is usually the best choice if you are planning a longer road trip through southern England. It has an enormous choice of international connections and is particularly convenient if you are planning a longer itinerary that continues west towards Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon or Cornwall.
- London Gatwick (LGW) can be an excellent alternative if you are heading for Sussex, Kent or the south coast. For a tour of the eastern part of southern England, it can save you from driving through London and the M25.
- Other London airports Depending on the airline and your itinerary, London Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN) or London City (LCY) may also be options. They can make sense if you find a particularly good flight connection, but they are generally less convenient for a southern England road trip.
If you are heading directly to the South West, a regional airport may save you a considerable amount of driving. Bristol is useful for Somerset, Dorset and the northern part of Devon, while Exeter is particularly convenient for Devon and parts of Dorset. Cornwall Airport Newquay is the closest airport to many destinations in Cornwall, although international connections are more limited.
Airport London Heathrow (LHR) Best for: Longer trips through Southern England Main advantage: Huge international choice |
Airport London Gatwick (LGW) Best for: Sussex, Kent & South Coast Main advantage: Convenient for eastern/southern England |
Airport Bristol (BRS) Best for: Cornwall & Devon, Dorset & Somerset, Cotswolds & Exmoor Main advantage: Avoids London |
Airport Exeter (EXT) Best for: Cornwall & Devon, Dartmoor & Somerset Main advantage: Deep in the Southwest, close to Devon & Dartmoor |
Airport Newquay (NQY) Best for: Cornwall Main advantage: Closest to many Cornwall destinations |
Compare flights
Flight schedules and prices vary considerably depending on where you are travelling from and when you visit. We therefore recommend comparing several connections before deciding which airport works best for your itinerary.
We use TRIP.com to compare flight options and different airlines.
Birling Gap (East Sussex)
Hiring a car in England
For many journeys through southern England, hiring a car is the easiest and most flexible way to get around. Public transport can take you to the larger towns, but many of the small villages, gardens, coastal viewpoints and other places we recommend are much easier to reach by car.
If you are travelling to England from overseas, driving on the left-hand side of the road may take a little getting used to. After a short while, however, it usually becomes much easier than expected.
Our advice: take your time when leaving the airport, especially if you have just arrived after a long-haul flight. The first roundabouts and unfamiliar road signs are usually the most challenging part.
One thing we strongly recommend is choosing a car that is not unnecessarily large. Some of the country lanes in Cornwall, Devon and other rural parts of southern England can be surprisingly narrow, and passing oncoming traffic can sometimes be challenging. A compact car is often much more comfortable than a large vehicle.
A few things to check before booking
When comparing car hire options, don’t look only at the daily price. Check the insurance included, the excess, mileage conditions, fuel policy and the exact pick-up and drop-off arrangements. If you are arriving at an airport, also check where the rental car company is located and whether a shuttle bus is required.
For longer trips, one-way rentals can also be useful – for example, picking up a car near London and returning it in the South West.
Why we use Trip.com for car hire on international trips
We use Trip.com to compare car hire options from different rental companies. One feature we particularly like is the possibility of choosing offers with free cancellation. This can be useful when planning a trip several months in advance, as you can secure a car and still change your plans if necessary.
Free cancellation is available for many bookings, but the exact conditions depend on the rental company and the individual offer. Always check the cancellation deadline and the booking conditions before making your reservation.
Finding the right place to stay
Choosing where to stay can make a big difference to a trip through southern England. It is not only about finding the right hotel – choosing the right location can save you a lot of driving and make it much easier to explore the places you want to see.
For a road trip, we usually prefer to choose a convenient base and explore the surrounding area from there. In some regions, however, staying in a small village or coastal town is part of the experience itself.
Where you stay matters
Southern England is not a huge area on the map, but driving times can be surprisingly long. Narrow country roads, busy coastal routes and the many places worth stopping at mean that a base which looks close on the map is not always as convenient as it seems.
It is therefore worth looking beyond the most popular destinations. Accommodation a few miles outside a well-known town can sometimes offer better value and a quieter setting, while still being within easy reach of the places you want to visit.
A typical village in southern England – and the nicest B&Bs are found in houses like these.
Hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses
We particularly enjoy staying in small hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses when travelling through England. A traditional Bed & Breakfast can be much more than simply a place to spend the night.
Breakfast is often served in a small, informal setting, and it is not unusual to start the day with a conversation with your hosts or other guests. You may get recommendations for a nearby pub, hear about a place you might otherwise have missed, or simply have one of those small encounters that become part of the memory of a trip.
For us, this personal atmosphere is one of the things that makes travelling through England so enjoyable. If you have never stayed in a traditional English B&B before, we would definitely recommend trying it.
Hotels.com offers a wide range of accommodation in southern England, from conventional hotels to guesthouses, inns, B&Bs and apartments.
We particularly recommend comparing the location as well as the price. A slightly more expensive room in a convenient location can sometimes be a much better choice than a cheaper hotel that requires a long drive every day. And many properties offer free cancellation, but the conditions vary, so always check the cancellation policy before booking.
Holiday cottages – a very English way to stay
If you want to experience a more traditional side of England, staying in a holiday cottage can be a wonderful alternative to a hotel. A stone cottage in a village, a former farmhouse in the countryside or a small house near the coast can make your accommodation part of the experience itself.
Having your own kitchen and living space also gives you much more flexibility. For a longer stay, a cottage can be particularly convenient for couples, families or small groups – and it can be a great base for exploring a region by car.
Some cottages are in villages or small towns, while others are tucked away in the countryside. When choosing one, it is therefore worth checking its exact location and thinking about the places you want to visit during your stay.
Finding a holiday cottage
Holidaycottages.co.uk offers a wide range of holiday cottages throughout England. If you like the idea of staying in your own cottage rather than a conventional hotel, it is well worth browsing the available properties in the region you are planning to visit.
Save money on attractions and admission fees
If you are planning to visit several historic sites, gardens or country houses during your trip, one of the visitor passes offered by English Heritage or the National Trust can be worth considering.
Both are separate organisations, so their passes cover different properties. If you are planning to visit several places managed by either organisation, it is worth checking which sites are included before deciding whether a pass makes sense for your itinerary.
This is what makes a trip to Southern England so special: a beautiful country house and garden waiting to be explored.
English Heritage – explore England’s history
Southern England is full of castles, historic houses, prehistoric monuments and other places that tell the story of England. Many of them are cared for by English Heritage.
If you are visiting England from overseas and plan to see several English Heritage sites during your trip, the Overseas Visitor Pass is worth considering. It gives unlimited access to more than 100 historic places for either 9 or 16 consecutive days, including famous sites such as Stonehenge and Dover Castle.
The pass can be particularly useful if you are travelling around England rather than staying in one place. Depending on your itinerary, the cost can be recovered after visiting just a few sites. The pass can offer good value if several English Heritage sites are already part of your itinerary.
Remember that the pass is only available to overseas residents and that you will need proof of overseas residency when collecting it. It also does not cover every special event or partner attraction, so check the current conditions before buying.
National Trust – gardens, historic houses and countryside
If you love English gardens, historic houses and beautiful countryside, the National Trust is hard to overlook. Many of the places we enjoy visiting in southern England are cared for by the National Trust, from historic country houses and gardens to stretches of coast and countryside.
For visitors from overseas who are planning a touring holiday, the National Trust Explorer Pass can be an interesting option. It is available for 4, 8 or 14 days and gives access to many National Trust places during the selected period. Standard parking at National Trust car parks is also included.
The pass is particularly worth considering if several National Trust properties are already part of your itinerary. Before buying, check the current list of participating places, as some properties are excluded and some visits require advance booking.
Maps for exploring Southern England
Google Maps is excellent for finding your way from one place to another. But if you want to explore the countryside on foot, discover smaller paths or find places away from the main roads, a detailed printed map can be invaluable.
We particularly like the maps published by Ordnance Survey (OS). Their detailed Explorer maps show footpaths, rights of way, viewpoints, car parks, pubs and many other useful features. They are especially useful for walks and hikes, but can also help you get a better feel for the landscape and the places you are visiting.
For many destinations in southern England, an OS Explorer map is a useful addition to your travel plans – particularly if you intend to spend time walking or exploring the countryside.
The OS Explorer series is available as traditional printed maps covering individual areas of England. Choose the map for the area you are planning to visit and take it with you – no battery, mobile signal or internet connection required.
View of the Kingsbridge Estuary from Salcombe