Places to stay in England and Scotland

[crazyme5kids]

My daughter and her friend are going to be traveling around England and Scotland in May and June for 3 weeks. They will probably go to Paris too. They are just starting to plan where to go and what to see. They are talking about staying in youth hostels. Now, I must say this part of the plan makes me uneasy. Has anyone traveled this way? What was your experience with it?

Can anyone recommend some inexpensive, clean, safe places for them to stay at? Any places to avoid? Great places to see and eat at? Also, any hints on how to get around cheaply (and safely)? They want to travel all over the countries if that helps. They bought a bunch of travel guides, but first hand experiences are always helpful. Anyone?

 

[clarabelle]

Its been years since I have been -but England has great public transportation.
You can get to many places by train.
A Brit Rail pass may be a good idea.
Also the subways (the tube) are good there as well.
I have just done the regular tourist stuff
Tower of London, Windsor Castle, etc...
Most of these things are very easy to get to. I am sorry it is been too long for me to be of any help with restaurants or places to stay. Food will be expensive and there will not be unlimited refills on drinks. The portions will probably not be as large either. But I think that is a good thing.

In Paris my favorite museum is the Musee' D'Orsay. Sorry I cannot be of more help. Maybe someone else will step up to the plate

 

[Alice Sr.]

Perhaps you could post this question on the UK board also.

 

[tiff13]

They can find very cheap transportation anywhere: trains, busses, bikes, walking. We bought a train passes in Germany that allowed us to use any type of transportation during specific dates.
I stayed in youth hostels and felt realitvley safe. We locked our doors ofcourse. It was a great way to meet people.The downside is youth hostels usually have public restrooms and showering area and you have to keep an eye on your stuff. If thats not up their alley, they can look into youth hotels. They are much like hostels except you have a private bathroom. They are more expensive but way cheaper than hotels.

 

[mssocks]

It's been a while but -----

We stayed in bed and breakfasts in London, Scotland and Ireland. We had the rail/bus passes. Whenever we arrived in a station we went to the Tourist Desk and they helped you pick out a place. They called right then and there and gave you directions and a receipt. I loved this way of traveling. We stayed in Braemar Scotland which is where the Royals are near, so we did make arrangements for that one at home. And for the one in Edinburgh which we used as a home base. Sometimes you are staying in someone's actual home ( they still keep a private living area ). Very educational for the exposure to cultural differences. "You mean you don't keep milk in the icebox??"

Food - try small local places. Don't expect American made items. A sandwich will have butter and one slice of lunchmeat. Go to the local pubs and groceries. Gee I wish I were going.....

Recommend:
Braemar to Inverness route for the Scottish Highlands
Oban
Stirling
Edinburgh - would live here if I could

For England - London ( B&B here as well, booked from home )

Ireland: Galway-Salthill area, and Donegal

France - Chenoceaux (sp?) Chateau, Paris

Switzerland - Tun, Interlochen, Zermatt

Italy - Florence, Rome, Sorrento

 

[caitycaity]

They are talking about staying in youth hostels. Now, I must say this part of the plan makes me uneasy. Has anyone traveled this way? What was your experience with it?

yes, i stayed in many hostels when i was in europe during college.

we never feared for our safety, but a few members of our party did have things stolen and some of the places we stayed in could have been cleaner. i would recommend bringing flip flops for the showers and no valuables. for money and credit cards, buy a money belt that you can keep on you while you sleep, or make sure you are in a room only with those in your traveling party that locks (sometimes in a hostel you will have to share a room with others not in your party).

i'm sure your daughter will have the best time! it was one of the best times of my life.

 

[Laura]

I've stayed in two different hostels as a college student, one in Paris and one in London. I stayed in dorm style rooms with total strangers and traveled alone. There were lockers in the rooms to keep your stuff so it wouldn't get stolen. The big thing is to make sure the hostel is in a safe area of the city, but I think they usually are. I had absolutely no problems whatsoever at either hostel, and breakfast was included. I wouldn't go that route again, but that's only because I have more money now (well, that and a husband).

There is a chain of hotels called Premier Travel Inn (http://www.premiertravelinn.com/pti/home.do), and it isn't very expensive. I stayed in one near Euston Station in London and it was really great for the price. There are lots of them scattered across the country.

I've also done a couple of bed and breakfasts in the UK, and they were just fine too.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Depending on when they are travelling in the UK, they might be able to get some deals on Landmark Trust and/or National Trust guest houses. These are neat because they have great historical significance along with kitchen facilities. We have friends that have stayed in Landmark Trust/National Trust houses every trip they've taken (and they go every other year), and they have found some amazing deals - often even cheaper than the hotels or B&B's. Now, sometimes these guest houses will be way more expensive, so it does involve a little research and travelling on the off-season. Some of them are also off the beaten path and not so acessible to public transportation. There's websites for each - just google "Landmark Trust England" or "National Trust England".

 

[mrsv98]

I stayed in a really nice hostel in Paris, it was outside the city center but close to the Metro, I can't quite remember but i think it was ina the 7th or 9th district.

In London, there was a nice YMCA type place in Bloomsbury right across from the National Gallery.

I stayed by myself all over England and always felt safe. Just tell them not to wander and stay in well populated areas, use common sense really, and they will be fine.

 

[Catananche]

Hello and greetings from Scotland! I'm brand new (to this site, that is), and this thread caught my eye.

I've done a lot of independent travel, mainly outside of Europe, and have frequently hostelled. I'm glad to say that I have never felt unsafe, and never had anything stolen, but I am cautious and never leave my backpack unpadlocked, if it's out of site.

Have you checked out the official Youth Hostel Associations websites? If you google yha and syha you will find the websites for England and Wales, and Scotland (I can't post the links). There are also independent hostels, but I'd suggest sticking to the YHA for those new to it.

The Bruntsfield hostel in Edinburgh, is in a nice area, and very close to the town centre. It's also the "hostel of the month" on the SYHA site. Can't say that I've stayed there (I live a few minutes away), but I've heard good reports. You can book dorm beds or private rooms on the websites. There are also some hostels in beautiful old buildings in spectacular rural locations.

Transportation should be easy. The large bus companies run safe, generally clean buses, and there are lots of trains. We also have the CalMac ferries to the Inner and Outer Hebrides, that can be fun too.

Apparently I can't post URL's (whatever that stands for) yet, so companies that have websites that I would recommend (ooh, poor grammar) are:
thetrainline, citylink(buses), scotrail and
calmac.

The Lonely Planet site (thorn tree forum) may also be of use, if you ask about specific towns.

Hope this helps! I'll be happy to answer any questions (if I know the answers that is....)

Cat

 

[DisneyStar006]

I've stayed in hostels in many countries and never had any problems. I would recommend taking a lock for backpacks/suitcases when they are left in the room during the day, but many hostels provide lockers for each person in the dorm.

With YHA's you can be sure that they are of a certain quality (usually very good) and they have them in most cities and a lot of tourist locations, and it is a very inexpensive way of staying in good parts of cities. Where as with cheap hotels, you need to be careful of the neighbourhood they are in. If your DD decided to go with YHA's, it would be worth purchasing a YHA card (They are called HI - Hostelling International in the US, but YHA's accept them in the same way as YHA cards) as it offers a few £'s discount off every night's stay and pays itself off within a few nights. Here is the YHA website http://www.yha.org.uk/ There are also many other independent hostels which are just as good as YHA's

The main advantage we found in hostels over cheap hotels apart from the price of course!) is that you get to meet so many people, and can share tips, advice etc. Also there is laundry facilities, which you don't get in many hotels.

As for places to avoid, the main thing is just to keep your wits about you, I found that we instictively knew if we were going in to a bad area (Looks more run down, cheaper shops etc) but most places are fine, even for two girls travelling alone, during the day. I live near London, and would happily go to most parts alone, its perfectly safe.

Hope that helps, your DD will have a fantastic time!

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks everyone for the information! I'm going to show my daughter this thread. They are going for 23 days, two of which will be travel days, so 21 days to sight see and have fun.

What would be a good budget for them? I have no clue how much anything costs yet, so I'm thinking about $100.00 to $150.00 a day. Does that sound right?

Welcome to the Dis Cantananche!

 

[Laura]

Budget--dunno, it's been too long since I've been to Europe, and the dollar's not doing as well as it was when I was there.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Cat

Welcome to the DIS

 

[Alice Sr.]

I live near London, and would happily go to most parts alone, its perfectly safe.

I hope you like Chicago!

 

[Catananche]

Thanks for the welcomes!

I think your budget is about right, working out at £57-86 per day.

I worked out an upper-budget example day for Edinburgh:
Dorm bed £14
Breakfast at hostel £3
Bus to city centre, and return £1.60-2.00
Edinburgh Castle £10.50
Palace of Holyrood House £12.50 (£11 for students)
Sandwich lunch in a park £3-5
Royal Museum of Scotland - free
3 course dinner with coffee at Montpeliers in Bruntsfield £20 (google "montpeliers edinburgh" for sample menu, fairly typical for an Edinburgh bistro).

So that comes in within budget, with money left for snacks, laundry etc. Dinner could be much cheaper (McDonalds for £4!), and a lot of sightseeing can be done for free. There are lots of discounts for students, and travel passes can be cost-saving.

Smaller towns will probably be cheaper, but would need to account for travel fares (£18 bus fare Edinburgh to Inverness for example).

Ah! The sun is out: must garden!
Cat

 

[carolfoy]

Just jumping in to add that I'm a rail agent in the uK, if your dd needs any specific train times, fares, details of routes, whether theres engineering problems ( a common occurrence) on certain dates etc. Just PM me

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks! The girls will be flying into Glasgow at around 5:30 in the evening. Is there a place that you can recommend staying? I know they are also looking into B&Bs. How much time should they plan on spending in Glasgow before moving onto the next destination? They will be visiting Edinburgh too, so how many days should they plan for there? Would they be better off taking buses or is the train a better way to get around? Or is a combination of both better? Any areas they should avoid for safety reasons?

 

[Catananche]

I meant to ask: how old are the girls and what are their interests?

As for safety, the only areas in Glasgow and Edinburgh that I would be wary about, the girls, being tourists shouldn't be anywhere near! (As part of my work I visit some slightly rough areas, but would only feel nervous at night.) The basic advice is stick to well-lit streets, have money for a taxi (£10 should cover it, unless they're far away from their accomodation), and trust their instincts, as they would at home. I wouldn't walk across the Meadows (in Edinburgh) at night, although I can't remember the last time I heard about any problems there.

Travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh, I would probably take the train. Both the bus and the train stations are central for both cities, but I just like the train. Carol could confirm, I think they are every 15-30mins during the day. Otherwise I would guess that they'll end up using a mixture of trains and buses depending on routes.

Depending on what they like to do, I would say about three days for Edinburgh, dunno about Glasgow: I usually just do day-trips for shopping and concerts! But the Burrell Collection is good, and there's various Charles Rennie Macintosh sites of interest around, if they're arty. Glasgow's a friendly city, they may have fun with the accents!

If I hear of any hostel or B&B recommendations I'll pass them on.
Cat

 

[AnaheimGirl]

We loved staying in B&B's in England and Scotland. Sorry, it's been a long time, and I can't remember the name of any of them, but each time we got to a new city, we'd head for the tourist information center. Look for a little blue sign with a white "i" in a circle (hopefully that hasn't changed in the past 17 or 18 years!). We'd say we were looking for a B&B, and they'd find us one. They were always clean and comfortable, with friendly hosts. The breakfasts were always delicious and HUGE! So big, we wouldn't get hungry again until way after lunchtime, so it also saved us money on lunches. We'd usually grab a snack mid-afternoon (sausage rolls, mmmmm ) then have a normal dinner.

Tell your dd to have fun! It's a great experience for a young person to travel internationally.