Hampton Court Palace is the finest Tudor palace in England and one of the best day trips from London. Henry VIII seized it from Cardinal Wolsey in 1529 and spent lavishly on its expansion; the Great Hall and the Tudor kitchens (where meals are prepared for live demonstrations) give a vivid sense of life at court.
The palace is vast and easy to get lost in, which is part of the experience. The famous hedge maze in the gardens has been sending visitors the wrong way since the 1690s. The astronomical clock in Clock Court shows the hour, month, solar sign, phase of the moon, and the number of days since the year began — designed for a court that had rather more time than we do.
Trains run from London Waterloo to Hampton Court directly in about 35 minutes. The walk from the station to the palace gates takes five minutes.