Basingstoke sits in the centre of Hampshire, about 50 minutes by train from London Waterloo. It is not a destination most travellers seek out, but it serves as a practical base for exploring the surrounding Hampshire countryside.
The town centre was largely rebuilt after the 1960s and is dominated by the Festival Place shopping centre. The historic character of old Basingstoke was mostly lost to post-war redevelopment, which makes it an underwhelming stop compared to nearby towns like Winchester or Salisbury. The Willis Museum on the Market Place does a decent job of telling the town's story from Roman times onward, and just outside it stands a bronze Jane Austen — the novelist grew up nearby. The ruins of the Holy Ghost Chapel just north of the railway station and the rebuilt streets of the Milestones Museum are the other things worth a stop in town.
The surrounding area is more rewarding. The Vyne, a National Trust property a few miles north, is a handsome Tudor mansion with a chapel containing rare Renaissance glass. The earthworks of Basing House, the great Tudor house slighted by Cromwell, lie a short walk east of town. The North Downs Way and various country walks are easily accessible from town.