My family and I will be heading to London on March 21 for 10 days. Mostly in London but a few days going to Dover, Brighton and Stonehenge. I'll try report back what was good or bad.
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Thanks for all the suggestions for far. I think we are going to skip Tintagel and Stonehenge. I'd still like to get to Wookie Hole but that's more for nostalgia than anything. Looking at outbound flights from other countries we are now also considering trying to leave via Munich. Paris and Frankfurt are just to pricey.
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Originally Posted by Coys1882
Shame! I suggest it all the time but it never works out for anyone
How much time do you think you'd have to spend there for it to be worthwhile? I need to do some more looking into this. Since we have decided to not bother with Tintagel it may be doable.
Thanks for all the suggestions for far. I think we are going to skip Tintagel and Stonehenge. I'd still like to get to Wookie Hole but that's more for nostalgia than anything. Looking at outbound flights from other countries we are now also considering trying to leave via Munich. Paris and Frankfurt are just to pricey.
How much time do you think you'd have to spend there for it to be worthwhile? I need to do some more looking into this. Since we have decided to not bother with Tintagel it may be doable.
Try Amsterdam. We are kind of in the same position. Unfortunately KLM is reasonably priced, unless you choose one way, in which case the price triples, for some reason. We are thinking of flying in to Gatwick(Westjet), and taking a flight from Amsterdam back to Gatwick at the end of the trip.
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They have signage on the road that says 'Look Left' but still....keep your head up.
I scared the crap out of my buddy by yelling "look out" every time he stepped on the street.
Lots of good suggestions on this thread. I'd second York and if up that neck of the woods would add in a visit to Newcastle. Outstanding for a night out pretty much 7 days a week. Even if you aren't partaking in the festivities yourself, people watching there is fun.
If you are travelling by train, it can be nuts expensive if you just turn up at the station and buy tickets immediately prior to travel. The ticketing system is insane with, and I'm serious, hundreds of different ticket prices between destinations.
Buy advance tickets as they tend to be the cheapest. They can be bought up to 6 months before travel and tend to get pricier the closer to date of travel. But even bought the day before travel, you can make serious savings.
If you do travel to tourist attractions by train, a lot of them offer 2 for 1 deals if have a train ticket. Here is a link to some deals you can get.
Also, I highly recommend you take the Gondola (cable car) across the Thames. The cabins are exactly like the gondola at Sunshine Village. It's called the 'Emirates Airline' and takes you back and forth from Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks. It is a great way to go to the O2 arena. I go there and eat at Five Guys. You can also get a ticket to climb up the outside of the O2 (which reminds me, that would be a good treat for my son, it's his birthday this weekend.
If you are doing the London Eye, then make sure you bundle the ticket with other attractions. Right next to the Eye is the Aquarium and London Dungeon. It may sound lame, but the London Dungeon is a fun experience and really covers a lot of London history in an immersive way. It is also another good rainy day option, and sunny, given it is on the bank of the Thames and Parliament. It is also covered in the 2 for 1 deal in the first link.
Re: Stonehenge they just opened a brand new visitor center / Museum there which does a great job to explain the landmark and various theories around it. Does suck that you cannot walk up to it, but still a must see if you go that way.
Bath for 2 days is a great stop. Go to Sotto Sotto if you make the trip. One of the coolest places I have eaten, and some of the best Italian I have ever had outside of Italy.
If you go to Paris, make sure to see the Catacombs. Very cool tour, unless you hate small, dank, tunnels that are full of bones.
Also in Paris is a Canadian Bar called The moose. Watched the Flames play Philly in that bar (they put it on for me)
So many recommendations, but half the fun is finding the experiences yourself.
Re: Stonehenge they just opened a brand new visitor center / Museum there which does a great job to explain the landmark and various theories around it. Does suck that you cannot walk up to it, but still a must see if you go that way.
Bath for 2 days is a great stop. Go to Sotto Sotto if you make the trip. One of the coolest places I have eaten, and some of the best Italian I have ever had outside of Italy.
If you go to Paris, make sure to see the Catacombs. Very cool tour, unless you hate small, dank, tunnels that are full of bones.
Also in Paris is a Canadian Bar called The moose. Watched the Flames play Philly in that bar (they put it on for me)
So many recommendations, but half the fun is finding the experiences yourself.
There is a "your mom" joke in here somewhere...
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Re: Stonehenge they just opened a brand new visitor center / Museum there which does a great job to explain the landmark and various theories around it. Does suck that you cannot walk up to it, but still a must see if you go that way.
It's nice they put up a visitor centre to explain things however the new setup is one of the major problems with Stonehenge. You used to be able to pull over on the side the road and get a good view of the rocks for free. Now the road is closed and you have to drive around to the visitors centre and pay £15 to take a bus to the rocks. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, England is an expensive country.
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Thanks for all the suggestions for far. I think we are going to skip Tintagel and Stonehenge. I'd still like to get to Wookie Hole but that's more for nostalgia than anything. Looking at outbound flights from other countries we are now also considering trying to leave via Munich. Paris and Frankfurt are just to pricey.
How much time do you think you'd have to spend there for it to be worthwhile? I need to do some more looking into this. Since we have decided to not bother with Tintagel it may be doable.
Couple of days would be great - weather should be good, you said June right? Spend a day in Norwich and a day on the broads - fab!!
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I am originally from the UK, have lived in London and go back to visit every couple of years:
Usually best value is to fly return to London. Travel in and around Europe is cheap and taking a flight with one of the budget airlines is very easy. Just took a quick peak at prices and currently British Airways has return flights for $651 all in (out is direct into Heathrow, return is via Dallas). This is a good price and I doubt you'll get any cheaper for a scheduled airline into Heathrow in June (better location than other options).
Once there spend 3/4 days in London. Use public transport to get around and best value is to buy off peak zone 1-6 travel card that will get you to/form anywhere in Greater London, including Heathrow.
Stay near to Waterloo Station/London Eye or near the British Museum. If you're on a budget then area around Kings Cross Station is cheaper but you'll need to be a bit more careful with your surroundings. Lots of tourists stay near Paddington Station but it's not as central as my suggestions and I don't recommend it.
In terms of what to visit the list is endless. I'll base my suggestions on 'must sees' and your apparent interest in castles/historic things:
- London Eye
- Tower Bridge
- Tower of London
- Buckingham Palace (try to catch Trooping the Colour or one of the rehearsals)
- National Gallery
- British Museum
- Hampton Court Palace
Parks:
- St Jame's Park
- Regents Park (outdoor theatre is good)
Evenings:
- Covent Garden (Maple Leaf Bar to catch Stanley Cup finals!)
- Soho
- Leicester Square
- West End Show
Next, travel west of London into the countryside. I suggest renting a car for most flexibility. If you decide to use the trains you'll have to do lots of research and buy tickets in advance (since they privatized the railway there are a confusing number of private operators).
Base yourself in Oxford for a few days. Consider staying at Malmaison Oxford Castle for a truly unique experience. While in Oxford:
- Walking tour
- Punting from Magdalen Bridge
- Visit University Colleges and Parks and the Boolean Library
- Blenheim Palace
- Day trip out to Cotswolds
Next fly to Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Venice or to whatever European City you like the sound of best and spent a few days there. If you choose Paris, consider taking the Eurostar Train from London - it's very fast and there's nothing quite like it. Maybe squeeze in more than one city while you're in Europe? Then head back to London with possibly a final day or two of sightseeing before your flight back to YYC.
Good luck and with a bit of planning you should have a fantastic trip!
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Couple of days would be great - weather should be good, you said June right? Spend a day in Norwich and a day on the broads - fab!!
I'll second Norwich having lived there for six years. A real little gem of a city (large town) steeped in history going all the way back to the Romans. Beautiful medieval streets, spectacular cathedrals and the castle are all within walking distance of the market. Keep it simple and eat in the market, take your chip and muishy peas and sit in front of city hall and soak up the atmosphere. Consider the market as your hub. Everything you want to see is at the most a 15 minute walk from there.
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Here is some advice I got from a friend who was local at the time:
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Okay let’s try to get as much in as possible. For absolutely FREE. I’m going to make this a “walking distance tour”# If worse comes to worse we jump in a taxi for a couple of blocks and make sure you always have a tin of beer in your hand.
#
From Westminster, we have to go to Buckingham Palace (See the changing of the guards) in addition BIG BEN should be right outside your door
2/Hyde Park is right around the corner to see some nice artwork on a Sunday. Don’t stay too long there. Only mentioned it cause we are in the neighbourhood. We can skip Hyde park
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3/Head towards “Embankment” Along the Thames .. towards the London Eye.. can’t miss it,# huge Ferris Wheel. On the way *STOP at# The National Gallery. A FREE museum with some of the best paintings in the world
Van Gough, Picasso. Rembrandt, Salvador Dali. Monet# (Worth stopping here) Need a couple hrs. .. RIGHT THERE is Trafalgar Square must see and the Canadian Embassy nice place for a bathroom break.
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4/Keep heading towards the “EYE” enjoying street buskers, go North North East (NNE) still walking cut through COVENT GARDEN, stop for a pint and shop for a few trinkets…. on to Leicester Square, You will see theatre tickets all over this area, you may want to catch a show. SOHO (red light district) is attached to this square and china town for some awesome Dim Sum.
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Keep Heading NNE
#Piccadilly circus at night it breathtaking, quick stop in Hamleys and keep heading North North east to Oxford Circus. #
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This is a good full day… start early after a good English Fry Up Breakfast #and we should have only spent money on a few beer and food.# Keep your camera charged.
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Tried it 3 times. Fish was nothing to write home about. And "chips" are nothing like fries. They're like the new A&W fries that are consistently soggy.
Finally tried it a 4th time which was remarkable; but that was at a French restaurant so even though the experience was in England, it doesn't count as English Fish & Chips.
I loved walking around Windsor? Didn't pay to experience the Wimbledon stadium. In case you're going there, FYI, it's nowhere near the station. Highly suggest getting a data plan + uber.
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Originally Posted by Fuzz
Try Amsterdam. We are kind of in the same position. Unfortunately KLM is reasonably priced, unless you choose one way, in which case the price triples, for some reason. We are thinking of flying in to Gatwick(Westjet), and taking a flight from Amsterdam back to Gatwick at the end of the trip.
I did a few day trip to Netherlands (Amsterdam) via EasyJet. Do not recommend. There's a reason why it was discounted. On the way there, I received no notification that the flight was 1 hour delayed until I was checking in at the kiosk. On the way back, we sat on the tarmac for 1.5 hours unexplained why. The planes are old with zero entertainment; it felt like my corporate planes that go to fort mac. Plus I got a middle seat between two larger guys which solidified that feeling. Also, don't fly in/out of Luton if you're in London and plan on bussing/training. Pretty well the most inconvenient place to get to/from.
I took Easyjet once, about 17 years ago. No assigned seats, so as the bus unloaded, everyone just sprinted for the plane. When we landed, the pilot must have been way long, as we took the left off onto the taxi way so fast it felt like we were going to roll. Tires squealing, everyone getting tossed about....
