Places to stay in England and Scotland

[VSL]

Well, I don't live in England or Scotland, but I do live in the UK (Wales)!

Budget I really have nothing specific, but remember that the UK is an expensive place and I believe that currently the exchange rate is at about $1.00/£0.60 (or £1.00/$1.60).

Places to stay Look into the chain hotels. Some have been mentioned, but we also have Holiday Inn's here (everywhere).

Safety Stay together, stick to well-lit areas, etc. Also, I can't remember how old you said that your DD and her friends are, but the legal drining age here is 18, so if she is around that age, maybe speak to her about that?

Travel We have pretty good public transport in the UK, and there are bus stops and railways everywhere.

Places to visit I'm afraid I don't have much info on Scotland, but London in England is a must. The London Eye, IMO, isn't up to much (I just remember a lot of building roofs!), but the Tower and stuff is amazing (and, BTW, the place where they tell you that Anne Boleyn was beheaded is actually about 50m off... tut tut!). Maybe they could get tickets to see something in the West End? And there are lots of galleries and museums if they'd be interested in that kind of stuff.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks again for all the replies. The girls are 20 years old, so yes I'm sure they'll be hitting the pubs. Are there rail passes that are multi-nation ones? If so, how much do they cost and what countries are included? How much does it cost to take the train from London to Paris (round trip)? I hope they try to see other countries while they are there, but they don't think they will have enough time.

What are not to miss cities/towns and things to see or do? How much time should they allow for each place?

 

[DisneyStar006]

Here is the Eurostar website (Train from London to Paris)
Eurostar It depends what time of day they want to go, but fares start from £39.50 one way and the journey takes just under 3 hours

I would say that the girls would need at least 3 full days in London to see the main highlights, and the same for Paris, not sure about Edinburgh and Glasgow, I'll leave that up to Cat (Welcome to the DIS by the way Cat )

Bear in mind that day trips can be taken out to a lot of places from cities like London, as there are loads of tour operators who offer them. A good example of this is Windsor, which is only about 20 mins from London, and the city is very compact so can be easily seen in a day. Bath could also be easily done as a day trip from London, I have even spoken to tourists who have been Liverpool as a day trip (although that would be a long day)

I also have to agree with a pp who suggested National Trust sites, even just to visit they are beautful and interesting National Trust Website

If your daughter decides to travel by train, I would highly recommend the Young Persons Railcard Young Persons railcard website I have one (I'm also 20 ) and it has really saved me a lot of money, you just need a passport to prove you are under 26 to buy it. It costs £20, but you save 1/3 off all rail travel, which is well worth it. I checked on the FAQ and it said it is available to visitors from overseas:

8. Can visitors to Great Britain buy the Young Persons Railcard? Yes, provided they are aged 16 to 25. However, purchase can only be made from a staffed rail station in England, Scotland or Wales. The Railcard can be purchased at Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport rail stations, but is not available at London Heathrow Airport. You will be required to complete an application form, provide proof of age, one passport size photo and payment. The Railcard will be issued for use straightaway and is normally valid for 12 months.

I hope you like Chicago!

Thank you! I can't wait to go!

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Are there rail passes that are multi-nation ones? If so, how much do they cost and what countries are included?

The multi-nation ones used to be called Eurail passes and didn't include the UK. Britrail was UK only. I don't know if any of that has changed now with the EU. We used Britrail passes to travel from city to city, then within cities, we either walked or took cabs or the Underground. The Underground (the Tube) in London is fabulous. Maps are clear and it's very easy to navigate. We'd buy a daily pass (I remember how much those were... 1.70 pounds in 1987), and you could use it to get around all day long. I believe BritRail/EuRail passes had to be purchased ahead of time, before arriving. Here's a website. Hmm, it says it's good in 18 countries, but clicking on the link brings you to a map that shows more than 18 countries, so I don't know exactly which are covered. Anyway, if this one works for them, page down to "Eurail Pass Youth". The girls are young enough for that less expensive one. Second class accomodations are fine on the trains.

Here's a website for Britrail pass.

I hope they try to see other countries while they are there, but they don't think they will have enough time.

What are not to miss cities/towns and things to see or do? How much time should they allow for each place?

I'm not sure if they'll have the time, either, depending on how much they want to see. My friend and I spent 3 weeks in just England and Scotland, and it was a good pace. We saw a lot and weren't rushed. That's the way I like it, but some would rather spend less time in each location, seeing more different locations. It depends on what the girls would rather do.

Let's see how well I can remember our itinerary. (I know I have a journal somewhere, but finding it might take me all day!)

Started in London, and spent about a week there. Saw the Tower of London (one of our faves), Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace (changing of the guard is cool), took a boat ride down the Thames to Greenwich, London Dungeon (not so sure I'd recommend that one), Houses of Parliment, St Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, took a day trip to Windsor Castle (loved that as well), a transportation museum(??), Kensington Gardens, shopped, pubbed and clubbed it a bit.

Then we went to other cities for 1 or 2 days each:
Salisbury (beautiful cathedral), and the closest city from which to visit Stonehenge.
Windemere (I think). A town in the lake district, a beautiful area where we just hiked and enjoyed nature
Bath. Ruins of Roman Baths were found under this city and excavated. Very pretty and interesting to see.
York. A beautiful walled city said to be one of the most haunted cities in England (??) Took a "ghost walk", a tour of the city's most haunted sites. Very touristy, but fun.
Edinburgh. The castle was beautiful! Didn't do much else touristy here, as we had some friends living there at the time and just hung out with them, mostly.
Inverness. Beautiful city in Northern Scotland. Did the tourist tour of Loch Ness. Looked for Nessie, but couldn't find her.
Glasgow. The Burrell collection is amazing. We really enjoyed looking at this interesting collection of many different things. Went to some gardens whose name I can't recall. (lots of gardens in many UK cities, I don't think I can remember the names of any of them!) "The oldest house in Glasgow", Provand's Lordship, was interesting as well.

Hmm, that's all I'm remembering. I may have missed a city or two, but I guess that's probably the stuff I liked the most, since I'm remembering it off the top of my head, nearly 19 years later!

I remember that we just got the 15 day BritRail pass, since we spent a week in London and wouldn't need it there.

Food -- tell them jacket potato is a baked potato, crisps mean chips and chips mean fries. A brolly is an umbrella and if they're looking for a bathroom, look for the "W.C." (water closet), or the loo.

Hope they have a great time.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Aloha!
Not sure if anyone posted this yet...

www.ricksteves.com then click on 'Grafitti Wall'..

There are hundreds of posts with all kinds of suggestions, many for young adults or women travelling without a group!

My DS used this for his class trip to Greece in JAN...it was priceless!

 

[Catananche]

In Edinburgh, I'd recommend the castle (the big one, that is, there are a couple others), Mary King's Close (haunted, creepy, underground passageways, a ghost walk (I'd recommend The Witchery tours, pretty funny), the two art galleries on The Mound are free, as is the National Museum (great for rainy days, they should check out the freaky Millenium clock on the hour). There are tour buses which you can board at regular bus stops around the Royal Mile and Princes St. If they like boats, the Royal Yacht Britannia is now permanently docked at a shopping mall in Leith, and open for tours. For coffee and cakes: Patisserie Florentine (near St. Giles Cathedral) and the chocolate cafes on the Royal Mile (Plaisir du Chocolat). Just ambling down the hill from the castle to Holyrood Palace (the Palace of Holyroodhouse, to be correct, but no-one calls it that) can be intriguing, lots of closes (passages) and historic buildings and museums (and lots and lots of tartan tat....). There's a pub near the Tron kirk which often has live folk music, the name will come to me... Rose St is well known for pubs (same rules apply for girls drinking anywhere, don't leave drinks unattended, be wary of accepting drinks from guys unless you see them coming directly from the barperson). If they're into Knights Templar/ Da Vinci code, the Rosslyn Chapel is just a couple of miles outside of Edinburgh in the village of Roslin, and local buses go there (it has it's own website). And the website edinburgh org is good, as is visitscotland (still can't post URL's). There are restaurants, bistro-style, that serve Scottish food, such as A Room In Town: don't worry, it's not just haggis! David Bann's is a well-regarded veggie place.

Around Scotland, I love Loch Lomond and Glencoe on the west, and if they have time I'd suggest trying to visit the Isle of Lewis or Skye. It's possible to do a route like: Glasgow-Edinburgh-Inverness-Ullapool ferry, 2.5 hours-Isle of Lewis (Stornoway)-down thru Harris-ferry from Tarbert to Skye-Portree-Fort William-Glencoe-Loch Lomond-Glasgow. If they do go to Lewis, I can recommend things to do, places to stay etc. It's a small country, albeit packed with places of interest, so it's possible to see a lot of it in a relatively short time.

And in England, I'd agree that there's tons to do in London, and I'd second Bath (afternoon tea in the Pump Room, yum). I had a lovely day recently in Windsor, which is possible as a day trip out of London. There are YHA hostels right in the centre, South Kensington and Earls Court are very convenient for the tube, and for museums. Don't know if I can add anymore about accomodation, but they'll probably find that they can save money by hostelling it in the expensive towns (Edinburgh, London etc) and splash out on hotels or B&B's elsewhere.

Hey! They could go to Disneyland in Paris! I went on a great hen weekend there! I've heard there are other things to do in Paris, but I wouldn't know

Cat

 

[VSL]

I'd completely forgotten about Bath!

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks for the advice and help. I will show this to my daughter and see if she has any questions.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

In paris we rented an apartment..since it is just the two of them they could probably get something inexpensive. Probably not as cheap as a hostel..but cheaper than a hotel and it would be "there own".

We googled "vacation apartments Paris" and any derivitative I coudl think of. We stayed about a half mile or so down the road from Notre Dame.

I'm a chicken and felt very safe staying in Paris this way.

 

[golfgal]

When I was in college it was very common for those on study-abroad programs to time their travel using their Eurail passes at night so they would sleep on the train thus saving money on the hotel or hostel. They didn't do it every night but it would save several nights of hotel money. Most stayed in various hostels and were fine.