Upcoming trip to England (May) - any tips are appreciated! Lots of questions! (rent, hotels)
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Wait until Yorkshire for fish and chips. Far better than in London. Great pubs in Yorkshire too with lots of atmosphere.
You're setting a pretty tight schedule - you'll be exhausted on Saturday and probably pretty tired on Sunday too. Tower of London is great but you'd be surprised how long it can take to get around and how tiring it will be to be on your feet there for so long. The bus tour suggestion is a good one. Second or third the advice to avoid driving from London. Also be aware that the Yorkshire area is full of very narrow roads, both through the dales and through villages and towns with people parked on all sides. It takes time to learn the edges of the car and not risk sideswiping someone.
Check out the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate set in 5 acres of gardens, looks lovely. I traveled on the trains last year to Yorkshire ,yes it is pricey but very comfortable, it was quick and easy. Hope you have a lovely time.
Wait until Yorkshire for fish and chips. Far better than in London. Great pubs in Yorkshire too with lots of atmosphere.
You're setting a pretty tight schedule - you'll be exhausted on Saturday and probably pretty tired on Sunday too. Tower of London is great but you'd be surprised how long it can take to get around and how tiring it will be to be on your feet there for so long. The bus tour suggestion is a good one. Second or third the advice to avoid driving from London. Also be aware that the Yorkshire area is full of very narrow roads, both through the dales and through villages and towns with people parked on all sides. It takes time to learn the edges of the car and not risk sideswiping someone.
Good hint about the fish and chips and the pub.
My travel agent recommended this gig called an "Elizabethan banquet" while in London. Frankly, it sounds very touristy, which I HATE. Anyone ever been to something like this?
My husband and I are going to take an Ambien to try to sleep on the flight over. We fared well a couple of years ago when we went to Germany, with an evening flight arriving around noon. Actually, we were OK - but we did crash and burn that evening about 7 pm. The next day we felt terrific.
That's good info about the Tower. That's the main thing I want to see in London, and I do not want to shortchange myself on that tour. I guess the three main things are St Paul's, the Tower, and Westminster Abbey - considering we have such a short time in London. I will be coming back again the next year and will probably have more time.
I was really hoping to see Hampton Court but it sounds like that may be pushing it.
Let me ask something. What do YOU GUYS recommend for a London schedule if you have two half days and one full day there? (PS I love museums but they are very time consuming so I don't want to bog down in them this go round.)
As for the driving, my husband lived and worked in Scotland outside of Edinburgh for nearly a year so he feels comfortable with the driving. Also, I lived in Germany (rural Germany - Spessart Mountains region) for several years, where the roads are very narrow and people park all up on the curb and that sort of thing. I myself am too nervous to drive in the UK because of the "wrong side of the road" thing (sorry!), but my husband said he feels comfortable with it so I am putting my life in his hands~!
London: take a river trip from Westminster pier - downstream to Greenwich or upstream to Kew. Best fish & chips in Yorkshire (& therefore the world, obviously): Whitby.
Bronto - I will definitely do the Whitby thing - my daughter has mentioned Whitby so I think we are going there. Is there an abbey there? Anyway, Whitby is a town, right? If so, it's on the to do list!
London river trip - OK, I am a huge fan of British history, especially Tudor history, but really even before that all the way through the Jacobean age especially. That's why the Tower fascinates me - I can't imagine going to London and not touring the Tower. How long are those river trips and what would one see on a river trip? I mean, it sounds relaxing. Actually, my dream vacation is a houseboat down the locks system for a month in England, so of course I like the idea of a river cruise, but considering that I only have two days in London - wouldn't that eat up a lot of time? Or is it so interesting that it doesn't matter that we're not actually getting out and exploring the sites on foot?
Bronto - I will definitely do the Whitby thing - my daughter has mentioned Whitby so I think we are going there. Is there an abbey there? Anyway, Whitby is a town, right? If so, it's on the to do list!
London river trip - OK, I am a huge fan of British history, especially Tudor history, but really even before that all the way through the Jacobean age especially. That's why the Tower fascinates me - I can't imagine going to London and not touring the Tower. How long are those river trips and what would one see on a river trip? I mean, it sounds relaxing. Actually, my dream vacation is a houseboat down the locks system for a month in England, so of course I like the idea of a river cruise, but considering that I only have two days in London - wouldn't that eat up a lot of time? Or is it so interesting that it doesn't matter that we're not actually getting out and exploring the sites on foot?
If you want a nice seafood lunch in Whitby try the Magpie Cafe Restaurant has a great reputation. Yes there is an Abbey on the cliffs a bit of a climb up the steps but you are young. Have a look at Whitby Jet jewelry. Staithes and Robin Hoods Bay two pretty fishing villages close to Whitby.
We would pick up the car at Heathrow the last day we're in London and bypass London to drive to Harrogate. My gosh, the train tickets are EXPENSIVE from London to Harrogate!
The thing to know about train tickets in the UK is that prices vary wildly depending on when you book and what sort of ticket you buy. An open return from London to Harrogate is £257, but if you book in advance through, for example, Cheap train tickets, get UK train times & fares | thetrainline, it will be a fraction of that - I just put in your approximate times and the price quoted for a 'Super Off-Peak' return is £100, and this ticket is still quite flexible. If you're prepared to commit to a specific departure time, there are currently fares available of around £40 return.
I would go as far as to say that taking the train, rather than driving, will give you a radically different, and better, view of the English landscape.
The thing to know about train tickets in the UK is that prices vary wildly depending on when you book and what sort of ticket you buy. An open return from London to Harrogate is £257, but if you book in advance through, for example, Cheap train tickets, get UK train times & fares | thetrainline, it will be a fraction of that - I just put in your approximate times and the price quoted for a 'Super Off-Peak' return is £100, and this ticket is still quite flexible. If you're prepared to commit to a specific departure time, there are currently fares available of around £40 return.
I would go as far as to say that taking the train, rather than driving, will give you a radically different, and better, view of the English landscape.
Well, this is good to know. I would much rather pick up the car in HARROGATE rather than in London, and ride the train from London to Harrogate. I don't mind being at the station at a specific time.
I am really ignorant about this whole train thing. Say I buy two round trip tickets to Harrogate and back, for specific dates and times. Do we show up at a specific train station? Could it be one very close to our hotel?
Coming back to the airport, the train ticket thing would be ideal because we HAVE TO be at the airport three hours before our flight boards. So could we go from Harrogate directly to Heathrow Airport? Please say yes! LOL
The more I think about it, the more it sounds like we should ride the train from the hotel to Harrogate, and then buy another ticket from Harrogate to the airport for the return trip. I really have no idea how to do this - I guess our travel agent can help us.
Actually, you know what - we won't need a car in Harrogate - my daughter has a car that seats 8. So that would take that expense completely off if we could ride the train from London to Harrogate.
I got on that website that you mentioned, George and Bill, earlier this morning and was totally confused by it! I just want to say "Here is my hotel. Where is the nearest train station? I want to board there and go to Harrogate on such and such a day at this particular time. Then four days later, I want to get on a train in Harrogate and go directly to the airport. How much will it cost me to ride in comfort but not luxury?"
If you want a nice seafood lunch in Whitby try the Magpie Cafe Restaurant has a great reputation. Yes there is an Abbey on the cliffs a bit of a climb up the steps but you are young. Have a look at Whitby Jet jewelry. Staithes and Robin Hoods Bay two pretty fishing villages close to Whitby.
Awesome! My daughter really likes Whitby so I will tell her that I'd love to check out Magpie's!
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