Here are the most popular destinations for day tours from London. I have listed them according to area, and you can combine them to suit your needs. Personally, unless you want a very early start or late finish, I think that two destinations in a day work best. This gives you enough time to explore your chosen destinations. Three destinations in a day will normally only allow time for short stops. Some day tour itineraries from London are starting to include three far-flung destinations. If your time is VERY limited, this can work, but remember that you may end up spending more time travelling than visiting.

As well as guiding your tour, I can also help you plan transport, and lunch stops in charming country pubs.

WEST OF LONDON

Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is an official residence of the Queen. A typical tour to the castle will take half a day from London, and you will tour within the castle walls, and then visit the State Apartments, rooms used by the Queen for official occasions, and St George's Chapel. At certain times of the year you might also get the opportunity to visit private gardens.
There's lots more to see in Windsor if you can take a full day. A short walk from the castle entrance is the Long Walk, the ceremonial approach to the castle. In the town itself is the Guildhall, where Prince Charles & the Duchess of Cornwall married in 2005, to be followed a few months later by Sir Elton John & David Furnish. Across the River Thames is Eton, famous for its school, which can be visited at certain times of the year. This is where Prince William & Prince Harry were educated. Just outside Windsor is Runnymede, where King John agreed to the Magna Carta. In the Windsor Great Park, Savill Gardens and Frogmore House, Gardens & Mausoleum (burial place of Queen Victoria) are open at certain times of the year. Boat trips are available on the River Thames.

Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is particularly associated with the lives of Henry VIII, and William III & Mary II. In 1604 King James I commissioned a new translation of the Bible here, which was published as the King James Bible in 1611. Hampton Court is also famous for its gardens and its annual Flower Show. A typical tour will take half a day from London, during which you will see Henry VIII's Great Hall, Chapel & the Tudor kitchens, King William's apartments and Privy Garden, the Great Vine & the Maze. If you can spend longer, then there's lots more to see.

Bath
Bath is one of the most beautiful & historic cities in England. It is best known for its Roman baths, its fine 18th century architecture, and its association with the novelist Jane Austen. A typical tour will include an overview of the city and a visit to the Roman Baths.
If you have the time, there's lots more to see. Bath Abbey is a beautiful Gothic church, full of interesting memorials. No I Royal Crescent is a museum that allows you to see inside one of the most elegant Georgian houses. The Pump Room is a perfect venue for lunch or afternoon tea. I've even heard it said that Bath has some interesting shops!
A visit to Bath combines quite comfortably with Stonehenge, or more unusually, with a visit to Avebury Stone Circle & Silbury Hill. To add a third stop to a Bath day tour reduces your time in Bath to just a visit to the Roman Baths, and in my opinion that doesn't do justice to Bath!

NORTH WEST  OF LONDON

Oxford
Oxford is home to England's oldest university. A typical tour will include a walking tour of the city centre, taking in some of the more important university buildings and colleges, and a visit to a college to see how the students live & work. On the tour you will hear about many of the famous names associated with the university, including JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Harry Potter. A walking tour of Oxford can be designed to focus on your own particular interests.
A visit to Oxford combines quite comfortably with Stratford-upon-Avon, an hour's journey across the Cotswold Hills. If you want a more leisurely day, Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, is a short distance from Oxford, as is Bladon, where Churchill is buried.

Stratford-upon-Avon
Birthplace, home & burial place of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is a charming country town. A typical tour will include an overview of the town, showing you the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the church where Shakespeare is buried, and Shakespeare's family homes. You could then visit one or two of these homes, typically Shakespeare's Birthplace or Anne Hathaway's Cottage. You might also visit the church where Shakespeare is buried.
With a little more time you could picnic on the banks of the River Avon or have lunch at the Dirty Duck, visit Hall's Croft where Shakespeare's daughter Susanna lived with her husband Dr John Hall, or stay to see a play.
A visit to Stratford-upon-Avon combines comfortably with Oxford or Warwick, or a closer look at the pretty villages of the Cotswold Hills.

Warwick
Warwick is best known for its castle, and most tours to Warwick visit the castle rather than the town. It has something for everyone - military fortifications, arms & armour, dungeons & torture instruments, a ghost, state rooms & beautiful gardens, and a full programme of special events.
With a little more time you could explore the town's antique shops, visit the church where JRR Tolkien got married, or the beautiful church where Queen Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is buried; or you could see some of the lovely gardens, including the Mill Garden, with its beautiful views of the castle and river.

SOUTH WEST OF LONDON

Stonehenge
Stonehenge is England's best-known prehistoric monument, and for many visitors, it's a monument not to be missed. A visit to Stonehenge combines well with Salisbury, or Bath, or if your time is limited, with both.
But did you know that Stonehenge is just one of many prehistoric monuments in the area, now designated the 'Stonehenge, Avebury & associated sites' World Heritage Site? Spend a little longer at Stonehenge, and walk to the Cursus or to some of the Bronze Age burial mounds. Take a short drive to see the remains of Woodhenge and Durrington Walls. Visit the Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum to see some of the archaeological finds from Stonehenge. Drive on to Avebury to see a stone circle that, in its own way, is as impressive as Stonehenge. See the man-made Silbury Hill. Go inside the West Kennet Long Barrow, a Neolithic burial mound. Drive back to London via the Uffington White Horse........ having found a thatched pub for lunch. You probably won't fit all of that into one day, but if your group is interested in prehistory then there's lots to see.

Salisbury
Most tours to this attractive medieval city make the beautiful 13th century cathedral their focus. With a little more time you could lunch in the Refectory Restaurant in the cathedral cloister, and look up through the glass roof at the soaring cathedral spire. You could visit the Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum's Stonehenge Gallery, or Old Sarum, the Iron Age hill fort on the outskirts of Salisbury. Or you could drive out of town to a riverside pub for lunch, and then visit the lovely Heale Garden.
A visit to Salisbury combines comfortably with Stonehenge, or with Wilton House, home of the Earl of Pembroke, Longleat House, home of the Marquess of Bath, or Stourhead, one of the most beautiful landscape gardens in England. Stonehenge, Salisbury cathedral & the Roman Baths at Bath are a classic combination if you want to fit a lot into your day.

SOUTH EAST OF LONDON

Canterbury
Canterbury is a walled medieval city, for centuries a destination for pilgrims, drawn here by the tomb of the murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. A typical visit will include a walking tour to explore the city's narrow lanes, and a visit to the cathedral. I am a accredited cathedral guide, so can offer you a guided tour there, too.
With a little more time, you could follow the city walls, visit the ruins of the abbey founded by St Augustine, or visit the medieval Eastbridge Hospital, which provided lodging for pilgrims.
A visit to Canterbury combines comfortably with Leeds Castle, Dover or Rochester.

Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle has been described as 'the loveliest castle in the world', and I don't think I'd argue with that. Once home to medieval queens, the castle as we see it today was the creation of Lady Baillie. It reflects her interests, and still has the feel of a special family home, while recalling its royal past. A half day visit from London gives you time to explore the gardens, the maze, the Duckery & Aviary, the Dog Collar Museum, as well as the castle itself. Check the castle events calendar; you may want to stay for a concert.

Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are a fine vantage point for looking across to France (on a clear day!). Fortifications have been built on top of the cliffs since Roman times, and a visit to Dover Castle will take you through 2000 years of history. The highlight is the tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels, the planning centre for the Dunkirk Evacuation in 1940. Down in the town, the Roman House can be visited in the summer, or there's the Bronze Age boat in the Dover Museum.