Sunday Days Out by Train

Whether you’re hanging out with family, the best of friends or your better half, the chances are you’re looking for something to do that’s either a little different or a reliable crowd-pleaser.

Well, you’re in luck. We’ve rounded up some options that will have the desired effect on whoever it is you’re spending your Sunday with.

And that’s not all. When you travel by train to one of these gems with a Railcard – which saves you up to 1/3 off your rail fares – you can also enjoy 2FOR1 entry with Days Out Guide.

How’s that for a Sunday to remember?

Sundays out for families

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

This is a no-brainer for a fun-filled Sunday with the family. Highlights include The Story Centre, which has an abundance of creative activities to choose from, the Wondrous Woods, where your little ones can enjoy a sensory storytelling experience, and, it goes without saying, the Soho Gallery, where Dahl’s iconic writing hut can be found.

Nearest station: Great Missenden

Cadbury World

• Get 20% off with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Bring your mini chocolate-munchers to Bournville’s Cadbury World for a literally delicious Sunday treat. Here you and your kids can discover how classic Cadbury chocs are made, ride the Crunchie Rollercoaster in the 4D Cinema and tackle the art of chocolate piping head on. And, yes indeed, courtesy of the Cadbury World Shop, you can also bag yourself some chocolates to take back home on the train.

Nearest station: Bournville

Blackpool Tower Circus

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Roll up for a Sunday display of nostalgic fun and wide-eyed wows at the Blackpool Tower Circus, one of the oldest permanent circus shows in the world (they’ve been entertaining crowds since 1894!). Expect plenty of laughs courtesy of clowns Mooky and Mr Boo, as well as heart-in-the-mouth, edge-of-your-seat spectacles thanks to audacious acrobats performing daredevil stunts.

Nearest station: Blackpool North

London Transport Museum

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

For everything and anything to do with the capital’s rich transport history, the London Transport Museum beckons. And it’s the perfect destination to head to on a rainy day in the city. Highlights include a dedicated playzone for little ones, an underground train simulator that puts your kids at the wheel of a tube train, and impressive displays of iconic forms of transport, from a double decker electric tram to the legendary red Routemaster.

Nearest station: London Charing Cross

Sundays out for couples

Kew Gardens

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Romantic outdoorsy Sunday days out don’t get any better than a scenic stroll around Kew Gardens, which is described as being “the most biodiverse place on Earth”. Here you can watch spring ferns unfurl in the Palm House and wander through flower-filled trails in summer. When autumn arrives, Kew’s arboretum of 14,000 trees create a leaf carpet for foot crunching walks, while in winter you can amble along a spectacular light trail.

Nearest station: Kew Bridge

Brighton i360

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Glide above the seagulls for an epic seaside view with your loved one onboard the Brighton i360, the resort’s iconic tower. Found by the historic West Pier, it takes you 138 metres high, giving you a 360-degree panorama of the sea and across the city to the South Downs. Make it even more special with a couple of glasses of sparkling wine at the onboard Sky Bar.

Nearest station: Brighton

Walmer Castle and Gardens 

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Treat your sweetheart to a romantic day out at Walmer Castle and Gardens in Kent – a former fortress-cum-country house – where you can roam in and around its lush gardens. The Broadwalk’s “yew cloud hedge” will charm, but it’s perhaps the landscaped Queen Mother’s Garden, featuring a decorative pool and hawthorn trees, where you’ll end up spending most of your time.

Nearest station: Deal

Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

For an idyllic day out for 2, featuring a welcome dose of art, good food and nature, book a trip to Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village in Compton in Surrey. Think symbolic Victorian era paintings by George Frederic Watts, the Watts Welsh rarebit in the tea shop and 18 acres of woodland (try the Watts Gallery loop to West Warren and East Warren trail).

Nearest station: Guildford

Sundays out for friends

Thorpe Park Resort

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Looking to enjoy a high-octane Sunday with friends? You won’t go far wrong with a trip to Thorpe Park, dubbed “the UK’s most thrilling theme park”. Here you can ride Stealth, a roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 80mph, and feel the g-force of Nemesis Inferno, “an inverted vertical loop coaster”. For something a little different, sign yourself up to the Black Mirror Labyrinth, a visually stunning maze that takes you into a dystopian future.

Nearest station: Staines

Bridgerton Tour of Bath

• Get 20% off with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

If you and your pals are fans of the runaway success story that is Bridgerton, and now find yourselves utterly captivated by Regency era England, a Bridgerton tour of Bath will be right up your street. Over a period of 2 hours you’ll visit key locations from the show, such as Lady Danbury’s home and Madame Delacroix’s shop, listen to stories about the making of the Netflix winner, and be taken to one of the city’s most papped spots.

Nearest station: Bath Spa

The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience (Manchester)

• Get 50% off with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Assemble a team of friends for a Sunday like no other at The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience, where, across 4 larger-than-life zones – Medieval, Aztec, Industrial and Future – you will be tasked with figuring out a set of quirky challenges against a seemingly unfair timer. If it’s a ridiculous, physically active and mind-boggling Sunday you’re after, this is it.

Nearest station: Deansgate

The Edinburgh Dungeon

• Get 2FOR1 entry with National Rail’s Days Out Guide(external link, opens in a new tab)

Hop on the train with your pals for a day trip to The Edinburgh Dungeon, where you will come up close with fiendish characters that bring the city’s gruesome past to life. There’s lots to do here, whether it’s finding your way through a maze of mirrors, riding a boat into the Caves of Galloway or getting shivers down your spine as you face the Dead Drop ride.

Nearest station: Edinburgh