Never been to Reading, but went to Arsenal/Spurs at Emirates last November and I was surprised at how expensive the tickets were and hard to locate. That is North London Derby, so harder than usual, but the resale market was not like here. Great experience though! Make sure to take the tube.

Reading is a good base, but I'd definitely use some of the free time to get outside of Reading itself.

Henley-on-Thames would probably be my first choice. Great little town on the river, good pubs and restaurants, and easy to spend a few hours walking around. If you want to play golf, Henley Golf Club is worth looking into. It's visitor-friendly and would make for a good morning.

For castles, Windsor Castle is the obvious choice and an easy half-day. Highclere Castle is another optionit's the actual Downton Abbey house. If your wife is a Downton fan, that might be better as something to do together.

For restaurants, I'd look at:

• London Street Brasserie - probably my pick for a nicer dinner in Reading, with a good location on the river.
• The Reading Room at the Roseate - a little more upscale.
• Thames Lido - a unique option...You can swim, grab a drink, and have dinner there.
• Hope & Bear or The Griffin - good options if you just want a pub, pint, and proper pub food.
• If you make it to Henley, Shellfish Cow would be my seafood pick. Otherwise, I'd just find one of the pubs around Market Place and make an afternoon of it.

Feel free to reach out with any questions (for this portion or London), happy to help!


P.S. this is my favorite WWII history tour in London: Private London WWII Tour | Imperial War Museum & Churchill War Rooms

Nice English countryside, but Reading is not particularly picturesque or historic, just a typical working / college town with a few good pubs and nice walks along the Thames. Nice enough if you haven't spent much time in England but it's easy to take the train to London Paddington Station (~45 min) or visit Windsor (as already mentioned).

Things to do relatively close by - I'm assuming you will have a car?

1. Oxford - 26miles away. tons of things to see in Oxford
2. Blenheim Palace and Churchill's grave in Bladon - just a bit past Oxford.
3. Newbury racecourse - check your dates and see if they are having horse racing
4. Windsor Castle
5. Bath
6. Stonehenge
7. Hiclere castle (where they filmed Downton Abbey) is only 25 miles from tadley.
8. The Bell Inn, in Aldworth. This is probably the most old-world local pub I've ever been to. My son-in-law who grew up in the area took us here. Great place to grab a beer and ploughman's lunch and sit outside.

I recommend a day trip to Edward Jenner's home