If you’re planning on day tripping from London but looking for something more engaging than Stonehenge – what are all those stones there for anyway? – consider a trip to England’s southeast and visit two historic towns in one day: Canterbury and Dover.

Just over an hour by rail from London Victoria station, enjoy trolley service and beautiful scenery on your way to the cathedral town of Canterbury. Founded before the first century AD, Canterbury is best known around the world as being the 14th-century destination for travelers in Geoffrey Chaucer’s literary classic, The Canterbury Tales.

Over one million visitors a year head to Canterbury Cathedral – the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury – which was founded over 1,000 years ago by St Augustine.

Besides the cathedral, which dominates the surrounding landscape, Canterbury is made up of a diverse array of architectural features from every era in British history. Portions of a city wall built during Roman rule, the ruins of a Norman castle and The King’s School – considered by many to be the oldest institution of learning in the country – offer visitors a leisurely walk through Britain’s steeped history.

When you’re done exploring the shops, galleries and cobbled roads off the High Street, grab a bite to eat at Old Weavers Restaurant – a centrally-located eatery for traditional English and Italian dishes starting at under £5.

From Canterbury, Dover is a straight shoot down to the coast. The town is famous for Dover Castle – the site of one of the oldest structures in Britain – the White Cliffs of Dover and its red pebbled beach from which, on a clear day, you can see across the English Channel to France.

The town contains many interesting features, like a 3,500-year-old wooden boat in the Dover Museum, a preserved Roman townhouse and passageways constructed for military ploys during Napoleonic times. For those with time, consider taking a ferry across the channel to France, which offers arresting views of the town’s cliffs from the channel as well as a French experience in Calais.

End the day at The Eight Bells pub in Dover for delicious food and affordable drinks before heading to Dover Priory and hopping on a train back up to London.

Those in on cheap flights to London should check out the National Rail website for great deals and discounts on day trips, such as this one to Canterbury and Dover, as well as many others throughout England and the United Kingdom.

Flickr Photo Credit: HBarrison