Photo: DeFacto (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Buckinghamshire
Wondering what to do in Buckinghamshire? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip.
🎟️ This weekend near Buckinghamshire
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 10:00
Oxford Victorian Christmas Market
Broad Street, Oxford · 19.6 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 20:00
Lock & Key Singles Party in Oxford @ The Varsity Club | 40s-...
The Varsity Club, Oxford · 19.5 mi
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Fri 13 Nov · 20:00
Gentleman's Dub Club / MK11 Milton Keynes / 13.11.26
MK11 LIVE MUSIC VENUE, Milton Keynes · 20.3 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 21:00
Stanton Warriors - Milton Keynes
Unit Nine, Milton Keynes · 21.8 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Aquariums
20.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Deep Sea Adventure
Deep Sea Adventure is a LEGO® City ride where you board a submarine and join the Deep Sea Explorers on a mission to discover a lost underwater city. Along the way you'll spot shark...
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Museums & Galleries
3.5 mi from Buckinghamshire
National Paralympic Heritage Centre
Sports museum in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
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3.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
James McCudden Heritage Flight Centre
4.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Museum
Discover Bucks Museum, formerly the Buckinghamshire County Museum, is a museum in the centre of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, England. It displays artefacts pertinent to the histo... — Wikipedia
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4.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Roald Dahl Children's Gallery
The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery is a hands-on space inspired by Roald Dahl's stories, offering discovery activities and science-themed play for families. It's open at weekends an...
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5.2 mi from Buckinghamshire
The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is an independent charity-run museum in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, built around Roald Dahl's own archive and creative legacy. You can...
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5.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Haddenham Museum
Haddenham Museum is a small local-history museum housed in the Old Schoolroom behind the Methodist Church in the High Street, in the village of Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. Inside y...
6.6 mi from Buckinghamshire
Natural History Museum at Tring
The Natural History Museum at Tring is a Victorian-era museum in Hertfordshire with six free galleries packed with over 4,000 taxidermied specimens, from mammals and birds to fish,...
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6.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Tring Local History Museum
Tring Local History Museum sits in the small Chiltern market town of Tring, a place with roots stretching back to prehistoric times and a mention in the Domesday Book. Here you can...
7.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Thame Museum
Thame Museum is housed in the town's former Magistrates Court House, built in 1861, on Thame's historic High Street. Inside you'll find nationally important Tudor Wall Paintings di...
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8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Chair Making Museum
High Wycombe Chair Making Museum tells the story of the town's remarkable chair-making heritage, when the area once produced 4,700 Windsor chairs a day. A guided tour explains the...
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8.3 mi from Buckinghamshire
Long Crendon Courthouse
Long Crendon Courthouse is a 15th-century two-storeyed timber frame building located in the village of Long Crendon near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, and now a National Tru... — Wikipedia
8.5 mi from Buckinghamshire
Wycombe Museum
Wycombe Museum, often known as The Chair Museum, explores the history of High Wycombe and its famous furniture-making heritage through a collection of over 20,000 items, including...
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8.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Pitstone Green Museum
Pitstone Green Museum is a heritage park set in the former buildings of a Victorian farm near Ivinghoe Beacon, in Pitstone, Buckinghamshire. On its Open Days you can explore more t...
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8.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Pann Mill
Pann Mill is the last operating water mill on the River Wye, with mills recorded on the site since at least 1086. Run by a heritage restoration charity, it's cared for by dedicated...
9.5 mi from Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre is a railway museum operated by the Quainton Railway Society Ltd. at Quainton Road railway station, about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Aylesbury in Bucki... — Wikipedia
9.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Amersham Museum
Amersham Museum is a small, independent, volunteer-run museum based largely in a medieval hall house, exploring the town's past through hands-on displays. You can sit at a Tudor di...
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10.1 mi from Buckinghamshire
Dacorum Heritage
Dacorum Heritage is the Accredited Museum for the Dacorum area, based in a converted fire station in Berkhamsted since 1993. Unlike a typical museum, it operates as a museum store...
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12.6 mi from Buckinghamshire
Marlow Museum
Marlow Museum is a small, volunteer-run community museum in the heart of Marlow, telling the story of the town and surrounding villages through objects spanning pre-historic times...
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12.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Leighton Buzzard Railway Museum
Leighton Buzzard Railway Museum is a narrow-gauge heritage railway and collection telling the story of First World War battlefield supply lines. You can see WDLR No 778, the only w...
12.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Milton's Cottage
Milton's Cottage is the Chalfont St Giles home of poet John Milton, opened as a museum in 1887 and one of the oldest writer's house museums in the world. Inside you'll find first a...
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13.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Stanley Spencer Gallery
The Stanley Spencer Gallery is an art museum in the South of England dedicated to the life and work of the artist Stanley Spencer. It was opened in 1962 and is located in the Thame... — Wikipedia
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Theme Parks
4 mi from Buckinghamshire
Go Ape Wendover
Go Ape Wendover sits at the highest point of the Chiltern Hills, offering treetop high ropes and ziplines amid vibrant forest scenery. You can take on the testing Treetop Challenge...
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11.5 mi from Buckinghamshire
Bekonscot Model Village
Bekonscot Model Village is the oldest original model village in the world, set in 1.5 acres of immaculate gardens filled with finely detailed miniature buildings capturing 1930s ru...
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20.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Legoland Windsor
Legoland Windsor is a LEGO-themed park in Surrey with over 55 rides and attractions, including the duelling coaster Minifigure Speedway, a LEGO City Driving School, and Adventure G...
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21 mi from Buckinghamshire
Gulliver's Land
Gulliver's Land is a theme park resort in Campbell Park, Milton Keynes, designed for children aged 2-13. You'll find rides in Western World and the JCB Zone, plus a Dinosaur and Fa...
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25.2 mi from Buckinghamshire
Go Ape Bracknell
Go Ape Bracknell sits in Swinley Forest, offering high ropes, zip lines, Segways and axe throwing for a range of ages and abilities. You can take on the legendary Tarzan Swing and...
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26.9 mi from Buckinghamshire
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is a large theme park in Surrey, built around the UK's tallest and fastest rollercoaster, Hyperia, plus other record-breaking rides like Stealth, Nemesis Inferno and Co...
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28.3 mi from Buckinghamshire
Go Ape Salcey Forest
Go Ape Salcey Forest is a treetop adventure park set in an ancient Northamptonshire woodland, offering high ropes courses and zip wires for families. Younger children can try the e...
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Water Parks
16.9 mi from Buckinghamshire
Wet n Wild Oxford
Oxford Wet n Wild sits on the freshwater Queenford Lakes at Berinsfield, offering an Aqua Park, paddleboarding, kayaking, open water wild swimming and kids' summer camps, plus a la...
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21 mi from Buckinghamshire
Splash ‘n’ Play
Splash 'n' Play is an outdoor splash park at Willen Lake in Campbell Park, Milton Keynes, with over 60 water features including a super splash bucket, water tunnel, sail boat, wate...
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21.7 mi from Buckinghamshire
Plastic Playground Wake Park
Plastic Playground Wake Park is a wakeboarding destination in Horton, offering both a Cable Lake for cable wakeboarding and a Boat Lake for wakesurfing, waterskiing and wakeboardin...
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Zoos & Wildlife
8.8 mi from Buckinghamshire
Waddesdon Aviary
Architectural structure in Waddesdon, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
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12.9 mi from Buckinghamshire
Whipsnade Zoo
Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo located in Whipsnade, near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos that... — Wikipedia
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19.5 mi from Buckinghamshire
Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park is a wild animal park set across 360 acres, home to hundreds of exotic and endangered species. You drive your own vehicle through the Road Safari, passing rhino,...
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22 mi from Buckinghamshire
Beale Park
Beale Wildlife Park is situated by the River Thames, between the villages of Pangbourne and Lower Basildon in Berkshire, England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections... — Wikipedia
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25.4 mi from Buckinghamshire
Hanwell Zoo
Hanwell Zoo, formerly known as the Bunny Park, is a small community zoo in Brent Lodge Park in Hanwell, home to animals such as meerkats, flamingos and Hatari the porcupine, alongs...
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28.3 mi from Buckinghamshire
Bucklebury Farm Park
Animal park located in Berkshire, England
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Where to stay near Buckinghamshire
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Buckinghamshire
Haunted Britain
Buckinghamshire is a county of big houses, small lanes and the sort of day out you can plan over breakfast and still be home for tea. There's one proper county museum, a model village that children have been loving for generations, and a long list of stately homes and parkland estates — some open, some private, all worth knowing about before you set off. Here's how to put it together sensibly.
Best for families
Start with Bekonscot Model Village. It's the obvious family choice in Buckinghamshire and it earns that, because it works for the full age range: little ones get a miniature world at their eye level, older children get the detail and the model railway, and adults get somewhere to sit while everyone else wanders. It's largely outdoors, so it rewards a dry day and sensible shoes.
Pair it with the Buckinghamshire County Museum if you need a change of pace. A county museum is the easiest way to give children a sense of where they actually are — what was made here, who lived here, what the landscape used to look like — and it gives you something to point at later when you're walking past an old barn or a church tower.
If it rains
The Buckinghamshire County Museum is your first reach on a wet day: indoors, manageable in a couple of hours, and a good place to kill the worst of a downpour without anyone getting restless. After that, head for the houses. Stately homes are the great British wet-weather fallback — Claydon House, in National Trust care, is the sort of place where you can spend a long, slow hour inside and then dash between showers in the grounds. Halton House and Dorney Court are also worth checking, though opening arrangements vary considerably from one house to the next, so ring or check online before you commit to a rainy-day plan built around them.
Outdoors and green space
Buckinghamshire's outdoors is mostly estate country — parkland, avenues, river meadows and the kind of walking that doesn't need a map. Stoke Park is a landmark name with grounds in the grand landscaped tradition. Dorney Wood is the county's other National Trust entry, and Dropmore House and Harleyford Manor sit in settings that are as much about the land around them as the buildings themselves.
A word of realism: several Buckinghamshire houses are private residences, used for events, or open only on limited dates. Pednor House and Taplow Court both fall into the category of places worth researching rather than turning up at. Treat the grand houses as a list to check, not a list to assume.
Heritage, properly
If old houses are the point of the trip rather than a backup plan, Buckinghamshire gives you an unusual concentration of them:
- Claydon House — National Trust, and the most straightforward to plan around.
- Dorney Court — a long-standing manor house name in the south of the county.
- Halton House — grand, Victorian in spirit, with a strong sense of occasion.
- Taplow Court, Harleyford Manor, Dropmore House, Pednor House and Stoke Park — a run of estates that tell you a great deal about how this county was carved up and lived in.
How to group it into one good day
Two patterns work well. For a family day: Bekonscot Model Village in the morning when everyone's fresh, a long lunch, then the Buckinghamshire County Museum in the afternoon as the energy drops. For a heritage day: one house in the morning — Claydon House is the safest bet for guaranteed access — a walk in the grounds, and a second site in the afternoon only if the timings genuinely allow it. Two houses is a good day; three is a rush.
Where to eat
For a reliable cup of coffee and a sit-down between stops, there are three branches of Starbucks in the county holding top five-star food hygiene ratings — useful to know when you've got tired children, a wet coat and half an hour to fill before the next booking. Many of the houses and attractions run their own tea rooms too, but hours can be seasonal, so don't build the day around a cafe you haven't confirmed.
Turning it into a short break
Two or three nights is the sweet spot. Day one: the model village and the county museum. Day two: a stately home and a long walk. Day three: whichever house you couldn't fit in, plus a slow start. There are 109 places to stay on BritStays across Buckinghamshire, which gives you room to base yourself near the southern estates or further north towards Claydon House, depending on what you most want to see.
Practical advice to finish: book the houses before you travel, check seasonal opening for anything outdoors, carry cash in case of small car park machines, and keep one indoor option in reserve for every outdoor plan.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best attraction in Buckinghamshire for young children?
Bekonscot Model Village is the standout family choice in Buckinghamshire. It suits a wide age range, from toddlers looking at the miniature buildings to older children following the model railway, and it's mainly outdoors, so it's best enjoyed on a dry day.
Where can I go in Buckinghamshire if it rains?
The Buckinghamshire County Museum is the obvious indoor option and will comfortably fill a couple of hours. Stately homes such as Claydon House, Halton House and Dorney Court also give you indoor space, though opening arrangements vary, so check before relying on them as a wet-weather plan.
Which Buckinghamshire properties are National Trust?
Two of the county's listed places are in National Trust care: Claydon House and Dorney Wood. Claydon House is the more straightforward of the two to plan a visit around.
Are all the stately homes in Buckinghamshire open to visitors?
No. Several, including Pednor House and Taplow Court, are private homes or used primarily for events, and others such as Dropmore House and Harleyford Manor may have limited access. Always check opening arrangements before travelling rather than turning up.
Where can I get something to eat on a day out in Buckinghamshire?
There are three Starbucks branches in the county holding five-star food hygiene ratings, which make a reliable stop between attractions. Some houses and attractions also run their own tea rooms, but opening can be seasonal, so confirm in advance.
How many places are there to stay in Buckinghamshire on BritStays?
There are 109 places to stay on BritStays across Buckinghamshire, which gives you the flexibility to base yourself near the southern estates such as Dorney Court and Stoke Park, or further north towards Claydon House.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Buckinghamshire.