Would love some help with UK trip plans!

[Here4fun]

Very excited to be taking the Disney Med cruise this June with DD (12) and DN (21). We have each added to this trip, making our time on the road close to 4 weeks. After the cruise we are going to Barcelona to see Port Aventura for 2ish days. Next we will visit DL Paris for 2ish days. When we leave there we are headed to the UK for 7 days. We want to go to Alton Towers for 2ish days, see Legoland and Windsor Castle and be in London to do the Harry Potter studio tour and see a show in the West End. This is where I would LOVE some advice from those that know. By the end of this trip we will be moving much slower and don't know how best to go about what we want. Alton Towers and days in London are a must, while Legoland and Windsor castle could be dropped if necessary. Would it be better to come from Paris by train or plane? Which mode of transportation would land me wherever would make my next step easiest? I was originally thinking of Windsor to Alton to London and at the end of those days we head back to the states. Does the order make sense or would there be a better way? How best (and by this I mean easiest) for us and all of our luggage to get to where we want to go? I thought about renting a car, but am not sure how I would do with the driving on a different side of the road. And where do drivers sit in the UK, right or left side of the car? Has anyone come to the states and rented a car? How did you do? I would really prefer to know of a company that would we could hire a driver to take us from point A to point B to point C. I know I've asked a lot, any and all help is most definitely appreciated!!!!! Looking for some great tips! Thanks.

 

[ellataylor]

hi there,it sounds like a fab trip you have planned!

Did you realise that Alton Towers is in the midlands part of England, so approximately 3 hours drive away from London? I would definately recommend hiring a car if you are set on going there as getting there on public transport is quite difficult,it is actually in quite a rural ( but beautiful) setting.Alternatively you could get a train from London to Stoke-On -Trent and get a cab. Also i would suggest staying either onsite or in a nearby bed and breakfast for 1 or 2 nits as its too far for a day trip really unless you like very early starts and a late niht!

I live in London and have flown and taken the train to Paris. I think the train is actually less hassle and quickest. You board the eurostar at London St.Pancras (quite central in london) and you are in central paris in 2 ours 15 mins. You can also get a train direct to DLP i believe but have not done this.

however if you flew into heathrow from Paris then Windsor and Legoland are very close (maybe a 15-20 minute drive) from the airport. You could then do your few days in Alton Towers and then drive back to London, return your hire car, and enjoy some days seeing the sights in London.

When we travel abroad we almost always hire a car and have so the couple of times we have holidayed in Florida. The change in driving sides can initially be quite daunting but i have been quite surprised how quickly i become accustomed to it. I personally think it depends on how confident a driver you are. If you generally feel nervous when driving then i would think again.

I hope I have been of some help, i know you can amass a lot of questions when travelling somewhere new. Please let me know if I can help any further. happy planning

 

[Dimplenose]

Remember Harry Potter tickets need to be booked in advance. There is nowhere to buy them at the venue.

Alton Towers is about a 3 hour drive from London. Could you fly from Paris to East Midlands Airport and hire a car from there (about 1 hour drive to Alton Towers). The get train back to London once you have returned the car.

There are two good theme parks run by the same company as Alton Towers but much nearer to London. Chessington and Thorpe Park ( a few bigger rides here).

My children grew out of LEGOLAND by the time they were 10. But it is a different experience from other theme parks.

Windsor Castle takes at least half a day to do it justice.

Sounds like a tiring and fun trip!

P.S. most cars in UK have manual gear change so if you prefer an automatic you will need to ask for it.

 

[Chilly]

As Libby said you will need to ask for an automatic car if you go down that route. Brits drive in the USA all the time with no issues, remember here we have roundabouts and you can't turn on a red light.

You can get the train direct from DLRP to London which is really easy.

If you don't want to hire a car you can get coach tours from London to Windsor and Harry Potter for example this company does them but they are pretty expensive and long days http://www.goldentours.com/London/day-trip-from-london?page=2
And here's one that does LEGOLAND http://www.city-discovery.com/london_tours/search/Legoland?gclid=COf4sLve0b0CFTHItAodpQIAVQ

For Alton Towers you could get a train to Birmingham and then a coach from there but that would take a while. http://www.nationalexpress.com/wherewego/attractions/alton-towers.aspx
The Alton Towers Hotels are expensive and nowhere near as nice as Disney hotels.

 

[queendisney]

I was originally thinking of Windsor to Alton to London and at the end of those days we head back to the states. Thanks.

Just in case you didn't realise, there is a place called Alton but its in the South. There are trains that go from Windsor to Alton but its NOT the Alton as in Alton Towers...

Also Harry Potter is not actually in London itself. But you can book the coach from London when you book the tickets. It is a fantastic day out and well worth the visit. I am about to book it for the 3rd time.

Have a great time

 

[Here4fun]

Thank you all for such good advice. I think I will be renting a car and driving us to our desired destinations. This way we can come and go when we are ready. I'm very happy to know about asking for an "automatic" car, while I can drive a manual, it's been a while and I'd prefer to concentrate on the beautiful sights vs when it's time to shift gears. I will be sure to order my tickets to Harry Potter. We don't leave for our vacation until mid June, so keep any suggestions coming!

Thanks again!

 

[scoobydooby]

Hi there. I live a few miles away from Alton Towers and it is not at all accessible by public transport. It is actually in a tiny village! There are two hotels in the grounds and I'd say they are similar to Disney value resorts. One of them has a spa and the other a great swimming complex, especially for children. I'd do two days here and stay overnight in one of the hotels. That will give you early entry to Alton towers which is very worth having and will allow you to stay in the park till closing when it is also empty.

I agree the train from Paris to London is the way to go.

Sounds great fun!

 

[Lolsmum]

I definitely agree with the posters recommending the train to London. It's so much easier.

Unless you have a major love for Legos, I would skip LEGOLAND. It's really aimed at younger kids. Mine are 6 and 8 and I don't see us going frequently for much longer.

I'm an American married to a Brit, and while I agree it is possible to go either direction and drive I think it is generally easier for Brits to drive in much of the US than for us to drive in the UK. It's not just the other side of the road and the roundabouts, but the narrower roads and lanes. After my dad driving here last month in a rental car, I would strongly advise an automatic unless you are really set on a manual. Switching sides of the car you sit on does make it harder.

 

[sky13]

I would vote for Eurostar for Paris to London - there're direct trains from both central Paris (Gare du Nord) and from Disneyland Paris (Marne La Vallee) into central London (St Pancras). There are also indirect trains from Disneyland Paris to London (simple changeover at Lille). Eurostar tends to be expensive if you don't book when tickets are first released though so you might want to have a quick look for your dates...

Alternatively - flying works too and can end up cheaper. However keep in mind that the airports may be out of town (e.g. Charles de Gaulle is about a good 45 min to an hour from central Paris, and same for London Luton and Stansted from central London), and you might then also have to pay for the airport transfers. I think when I last tried to fly between Paris and London about 5 years ago the central Paris to Charles de Gaulle RER cost us 10+ Euros each - which was enough to make up the difference in the ticket cost between flying and the Eurostar...

I have also done a day trip to Alton Towers - I live about 50 minutes by train from London, and I went through London to get to Alton Towers and back. I just pulled up my train tickets from that journey and it looks like this:

6.55 am London Euston - 8.24 am Stoke-on-Trent
8.33 am Stoke-on-Trent - 8.57 am Uttoxeter
(Then a bus from Uttoxeter to Alton Towers - think we got there just in time for opening at 10 am. Then a bus from Alton Towers back to Uttoxeter)
6.58 pm Uttoxeter - 7.23 pm Derby
8.01 pm Derby - 9.34 pm London St Pancras

That was a fairly exhausting day, though fun. Train tickets for journey above were probably around £30-40 booked in advance (more expensive on the day as I remember). They also did 2-for-1 admission tickets to Alton Towers if you had travelled there by train (http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/default - also works for a number of things in London if you have train tickets for the day)... Oh and if at all possible do not go on a weekend day!

I drive where I am, but I would avoid driving in central London if at all possible - always looks like a bit of a nightmare to me!