Day Trip to Jane Austen's House Without a Car

For lovers of English Literature, visiting Chawton, where you can find Chawton House and Jane Austen's House is a MUST. Here's everything you need to know to plan the perfect day trip to Jane Austen's House (the last place in which she lived) without a car.

Jane Austen's House in Chawton (JAH) is where Jane Austen spent the last 8 years of her life, and where she completed all 6 of her novels. Without JAH, we wouldn't have Pride & Prejudice, Emma, or Persuasion (3 of my favorite Jane Austen novels! I also like Northanger Abbey but could never get into Sense & Sensibility, I must confess. For the most iconic Jane Austen quotes, click here.)

Jane Austen's House is really a collection of 3 small buildings and a garden, located just 7 minutes away from Chawton House (which was owned by her brother Edward- he was the one who allowed his mother, Jane, Cassandra and a family friend to live at JAH- but only 3 years after they had lost their home...)

Each building is tiny- due to the small sizes, entry is limited to 12 visitors at a time so I strongly recommend booking a ticket before you go. You'll be asked to select a time when you book, after which you can linger for as long as you like. I stayed for almost 2 hours indoors and was not asked to leave. (I noticed 1-2 large tour buses visiting the house and when I spoke to a member of staff there and she told me that, other than when they close for renovations (usually during winter), there are visitors every day.)

When I spoke to a staff member, she told me that the houses had been much changed since Austen's time and no historical records remain- it was even turned into housing for labourers after Cassandra died! (I also share more about Chawton Village in the 1st edition of my Letters Along the Line snail mail club.)

Hence, what we see at Jane Austen's House today is a hypothesis of how the Austens had lived then, based on their letters. For example, when you walk up the stairs, the room to the left is marked as "Jane's bedroom" but I'd read somewhere else that Jane and Cassandra shared a room.

Despite this, you really get an insight into how Jane Austen lived by visiting JAH! You can see:

• the actual donkey cart she used to get about (though she often walked to Alton and Farringdon)
• her actual writing desk
• wallpaper that was recreated from fragments from when the Austens lived there (The curators have thoughtfully included samples of both the recreation and the fragment side-by-side for you to compare)
• some of the actual furniture they had used
• a quilt that Jane & Cassandra had worked on together
• and much more.

The online payment page looked a bit antiquated but payment went through OK- it's an annual ticket- (£14.50) they will give you a paper ticket and you add your name to it when you're at the house (vs CH which is £2 cheaper but not an annual ticket.)

Suggested Itinerary

I visited both Chawton House & Jane Austen's House on the same day but I really wish I had allocated a day for each, so am now planning to return!

If you're not a huge Jane Austen fan or not planning to spend much time in the Chawton House gardens, 1 day will be sufficient for both.

However, the gardens were the best part of a visit to Chawton House in spring (or summer, when the flowers are in bloom), so I recommend giving them ample time. (If you're visiting in winter, you could allocate less time for the Chawton Gardens since it would be too cold to linger, and paths may be more slippery.)

Suggested Itinerary

If you only have 1 day to visit both Jane Austen House & Chawton House, here's my suggested plan for the day:

910-10: Walk from Alton to Chawton (The walk takes about 10 minutes but I'm adding extra time for you to enjoy some of the cute cottages we see on the way, and some time to figure out the roundabout- I got a bit confused there.)

10-1130: Exploring the buildings of Jane Austen's House (If you're not planning to read the notices, you'll need much less time, as it's really only 6-8 rooms)

1130- 12: Sit & Enjoy the garden (or explore the gift shop if it's raining)

There is no cafe in Jane Austen's House but there is a pub and tearoom directly opposite- The Greyfriar and Cassandra's Cup respectively. Alternatively, you can also eat at The Old Kitchen Tearoom in Chawton House, which is about a 7 minute walk away. (That's Jane's brother, Edward's, house, so you'll literally be walking in her footsteps as she visited him!)

Just keep in mind that dinner options in Chawton are limited. Both The Old Kitchen Tearoom and Cassandra's Cup close early and The Greyfriars only serves dinners on Wednesdays- Saturdays. (Even on those days, it's not an all day kitchen FYI.)

You enter and exit through the gift shop, so no chance you'll miss it!

I found the selection a tad limited to be honest- I asked about several Austen books which they didn't have. (Perhaps I didn't get to discover everything due to the crowd in the small room.)

Personally, I preferred the collection of souvenirs in the Chawton House gift shop. (I noticed that they stocked slightly different things, perhaps to avoid direct competition.)

There is a direct train from London Waterloo to Alton, from which you can take Bus 64 to Jane Austen's House. (You can take 64 from Alton station and it stops a few minutes walk from the house. For less walking, see the last paragraph below.)

Alton is so close to Chawton that you could even walk there, in about 40 minutes. I've done it a few times on my own, and did not feel unsafe. There is only one bit, as you reach Chawton, where you have to go under an underpass, which feels more secluded, and which I would personally avoid doing after dark. Other than that, you'll either be walking next to a road, or houses.

Note that if you're taking Bus 64 back from Chawton to Alton, you'll need to cross a busy main road so I prefer to walk back.

For a bus that stops right outside Jane Austen's House, you can take Bus #38 from Petersfield, which is also a direct train from London Waterloo, of about 1h 11 minutes. However, it is very infrequent AND takes much longer- about 50 minutes. I'm only mentioning it for those who need to minimise walking!

Any questions about visiting Jane Austen's House in Chawton? Let me know!