Fancy getting out of London for a day, but not sure where to head? Here are a few reasons to (temporarily) leave London in February 2025, including half term activities and Valentine's Day celebrations.
See our Beyond London section for further inspiration for trips out of London for a day, a weekend or longer.
EXPLORE THE UNEXPLAINED: Start the month on a spooky note, joining a team of paranormal researchers and historians at Colchester Castle and the nearby Hollytrees Museum. Find out about the tools used by the Victorians for paranormal investigations, and compare them to their modern-day equivalents, as you explore the buildings after dark. Browse our guide to visiting Colchester for other things to see and do while you're there. 1 February (Essex)
ROCHESTER COCKTAIL WEEK: Raise a glass to January being over at Rochester Cocktail Week, which actually spans nine days, and offers anyone with a festival wristband £5 cocktails at several venues around the Medway town. Nearly 20 venues are confirmed as taking part at time of writing, from traditional pubs to tapas restaurants and live music bars, with each serving at least one special £5 cocktail... which adds up to a boozy start to the month. Find other things to do in Rochester while you're there — it's a charming town. 1-9 February (Kent)
SNOWDROP AND PLANT FAIR: Though it's better known for its bluebells, Hole Park does a fine line in snowdrops too. Head down there the first Sunday of this month for the annual snowdrop and plant fair, where specialists and experts sell their wares. It's the only chance to visit the gardens before they officially reopen for the season in April. Seek out other places to see snowdrops in and around London. Likewise, Hedingham Castle in Essex offers snowdrop walks on selected dates in February. 2 February (Kent)
FAIRY TALE TRAIL: Get the kids out in the fresh air with the Fairy Tale Trail at Painshill, on the London-Surrey border. Pick up a trail sheet on the way in, and look out for familiar characters as you explore the grounds, home to a crystal grotto, a gothic temple and a ruined abbey. Never been to Painshill before? Watch this video for an idea of what to expect. 8 February-2 March (Surrey)
MARS: Prolific celestial artist Luke Jerram is back in action, this time installing Mars: War & Peace in Rochester Cathedral. The seven-metre-wide artwork uses NASA imagery of the surface of Mars on the illuminated spherical sculpture, accompanied by a brand new soundtrack. Even better, it's free to visit during the day. Check the website for evening openings and special events including live music beneath the sculpture. 11 February-8 March (Kent)
DARK SKIES FESTIVAL: Stargazing, storytelling, talks and walks are all part of the South Downs Dark Skies Festival, taking place in and around the South Downs National Park near Brighton — a designated International Dark Sky Reserve. If that gets your stars shooting, find out more about stargazing in and around London. 13-23 February (Sussex)
VALENTINE'S STARGAZING DINNER: London's most romantic restaurants not adventurous enough for Valentine's? Do your wooing at a special stargazing dinner at Waddesdon Manor, which begins with a four-course meal with wine pairing. That's followed by a stargazing experience led by astronomy experts in the manor's grounds. 14 February (Buckinghamshire)
VALENTINE'S STEAM TRAIN: Alternatively, whisk your loved one away on a steam train. The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway on the Kent coast offers a steamy Valentine's dinner. Board at New Romney and enjoy the ride to the End of the Line restaurant at Dungeness, where you'll enjoy a four-course meal before catching the return train. 15 February (Kent)
MODEL VILLAGE REOPENS: The enchanting Bekonscot Model Village reopens following its winter closure, just in time for February half term. Wander among a huge model railway, 1.5 acres of gardens and finely detailed model buildings set in the 1930s, including the world's tiniest tube station. From 15 February (Buckinghamshire)
DINO DETECTIVE: Go digging for fossils, learn how to identify dinosaur eggs and hunt out dinosaur nests at Wakehurst, sister property of Kew Gardens. Nature Heroes: Dino Detective runs throughout February half term, aimed at three-seven year-olds and their families. 15-23 February (West Sussex)
BLUEBELL ON ICE: What's better than ice skating? Ice skating in a locomotive shed! Bluebell on Ice at the Sheffield Park end of the Bluebell Railway heritage line is just that: an ice rink within the shed where the locomotives are prepared for their journeys. You can add a ride on a vintage steam locomotive onto your ice skating ticket, to really make a day of it. 15-23 February (Sussex)
EARTH PHOTO: International photography exhibition Earth Photo goes on display in the grounds of Hever Castle, showcasing 112 images and 13 videos by 31 photographers and 13 filmmakers from around the world. View images with themes of environment, nature, people, forests, and the varied impacts of climate change — and take part in other climate-centric activities for Eco Week. Hever Castle's grounds also open for snowdrop walks this month. 15-28 February (Kent)
MAGNOLIAS IN BLOOM: Spring (hopefully) begins to blossom this month, including the magnolia collection at Borde Hill near Haywards Heath. Magnolias in Bloom is a chance to take a self-guided walk through a collection of 180 different varieties of the plant, including a 60ft tall specimen. Probably worth checking the website for this one, as flowering seasons have been erratic in recent years. 15 February-13 April (west Sussex)
KNIGHT SCHOOL: Children aged six+, and adults, are invited to study at Knight School at Hedingham Castle. During your hour-long session, members of Knight's Tower Medieval Combat School teach you how to fight like a knight... using padded weapons so that nobody gets hurt. Find out more about Hedingham Castle before your visit. 17-19 February (Essex)
PRINCESS AFTERNOON TEA: The Ice Queen, the Voyager Princess and the Glass Slipper Princess host a princess afternoon tea at Wivenhoe House near Colchester during half term. Munch your way through sweet and savoury treats and take part in storytelling and singalongs, as well as meeting the princesses and having a photo taken with them. 19 February (Essex)
FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL: Polly Toynbee, Helen Charman, Iain Sinclair, Kate Mosse, Pam Ayres, Zandra Rhodes and Michael Rosen are all on the line-up for Faversham Literary Festival, taking place across nine days at various venues around the town, including the Guildhall and Faversham Assembly Rooms. 21 February-2 March (Kent)
SCALLOP WEEK: Heading to the British seaside is perhaps an odd suggestion for February, but seafood fans should go to Sussex for Rye Bay Scallops Week. Various restaurants in and around the town are serving up special dishes to show off local scallops. Want to make a weekend of it? Here's our guide to things to see and do in Rye. 22 February-2 March (East Sussex)
RESISTANCE: Margate's Turner Contemporary gallery opens Resistance, an exhibition of photos portraying protest through the years, from the Suffragettes to protests against the Iraq War, via the Battle of Cable Street, gay rights marches and anti-nuclear protests. FREE, 22 February-1 June (Kent)
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WHALES AT WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL: Dive into Winchester Cathedral — an impressive place to visit at any time — for Whales, an immersive art installation featuring tree sculptures of sperm whales hanging from the cathedral's Nave. Various special events coincide with the installation, including talks and live music. Until 26 February (Hampshire)
WINTER BEER FESTIVAL: The Chappel Beer Festival boasts over 70 cask ales, plus ciders and perries, and takes place at the Chappel Goods Shed — part of the East Anglian Railway Museum, which shares a location with Chappel & Wakes Colne Station. 27 February-1 March (Essex)
THE AGE OF AI: The ever-intriguing Bletchley Park opens a new exhibition, The Age of AI, which is funded by the UK Government. It delves into how artificial intelligence will affect our futures from chatbots to smart speakers, and how codebreakers such as Alan Turing pioneered the technology we're still using today. Opening February (Buckinghamshire)
FAMILY TREASURES: View rooms in the private apartments at Blenheim Palace, which have largely been hidden from public view until now. Family Treasures takes you through the family dining room, the smoking room and other areas on the private side of the palace. Opening February (Oxfordshire)
Book now for later in 2025
A heads-up on upcoming events which are likely to sell out. Start planning the rest of your 2025!
JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE: As part of the Jane Austen 250 celebrations taking place around Hampshire all year, Winchester College is opening the usually-private 8 College Street to the public on selected dates over the summer. The house, where Austen spent the final weeks of her life, will contain displays and artefacts telling the story of the author's links to Winchester (she's buried in the cathedral nearby). (4 June-30 August, Hampshire)
PAINSHILL LIVE MUSIC LATES: Across several evenings in June and July, Painshill holds Live Music Lates, with various cover bands and tribute acts performing sets by renowned artists including The Beatles, Take That, The Who, Kate Bush and Duran Duran. Spend a summer's evening on the lawn watching the show, and either bring a picnic or buy food once you arrive. (18 June-10 July, Surrey)
BLENHEIM PALACE ROOF: From May 2025, and for a limited time, there's a chance to go on the roof at the glitzy Blenheim Palace and enjoy views across the grounds from up high. A special viewing platform will be installed as part of the roof restoration project. Tickets for this one aren't one sale yet but we expect they'll be popular, so keep an eye on the website for further info. From May (Oxfordshire)
TULLEYS TULIP FEST: For the second time, Tulleys Farm near Crawley is holding a tulip festival, and if it's anything like last year, tickets will be gone as soon as they go on sale. The best way to make sure you get tickets is to sign up to the mailing list. The first batch goes on sale on 31 January, with future releases TBC. (Exact opening dates TBC depending on flowering, West Sussex)
Further ideas for trips from London
Our Beyond London section is packed full of ideas for getting out of the capital for the day, or even for a long weekend. Our picks for this month:
- IWM Duxford — sibling venue to London's own Imperial War Museum, a family-friendly, largely indoors place to view all manner of aircraft, including an original Concorde. Ideal for a February half term day out.
- With the Jane Austen 250 celebrations getting underway, embrace the spirit with a literary-themed day out, visiting the former homes and work spaces of various famous authors and poets.
- From 2 February, 47 stations outside London become reachable by contactless card. Check out our roundup, which features three destinations you can visit this way from February — and three more from later on in 2025.
- And if you're looking to escape the London winter, how about a few days in Gibraltar? It's got monkeys and incredible viewpoints, and even London-style red phone boxes... and the temperature tends to average a few degrees above London.
