Advice for British Isles trip

[WideReceiver]

We’ll be in London and Dublin for about 3-4 days each in spring and one day in Edinburgh. I have Lonely Planet books and will seek suggestions at TripAdvisor and other sources. Further advice for attractions, accommodations (Edinburgh is taken care of) and food. For our trip to Japan and Tokyo I found the Facebook groups to be very helpful.

We like history, culture, beer lol, and scenery.

Food in London and Dublin is horribly expensive. We might seek hotels/B&Bs with breakfasts and eat out for one meal each day. Any other advice on eating out?

We haven’t searched accommodations yet. My wife has been to Dublin but I haven’t. She is somewhat familiar with the city. We’ve never been to London.

Thanks for any advice.

[Bill Bumface]

We did a loop for our honeymoon many years ago that was Edinburgh -> Stirling -> Belfast -> A castle you can stay at reasonably in the middle of Ireland (Kinnitty) -> Cork -> Dublin -> York -> Edinburgh.

We planned to go further north in Scotland, but there was so damn much to see near Stirling that we never made it. You can buy these national park pass like things that let you in all the castles their parks service oversees. Renting a car is a must, as tons of them are off on their own. Every day was castles, pub, castles, pub, bed. It was awesome. Stirling was a great base, and a neat small city as the former capital of Scotland.

Belfast was festinating. Go walk through The Falls and Shankill Road. This is something that wouldn't have been a good idea in the 80s, and now is totally safe but still gives a good glimpse into The Troubles. The Giants Causeway was super cool to check out in the area as well.

Ireland was great, but we also lucked out and had blue skies the whole time. The Cliffs of Moher were gorgeous. Tons and tons of nice towns all over the place (Kilkenny, Limerick etc).

We skipped through Wales, just had lunch there, so can't comment on what we missed out on. I loved York. The old centre is OLD. Everything is leaning and ancient and it was super cool.

Have fun! I plan on a do-over of that trip at some point, it was great.

[Slava]

First, just ignore the currency conversion. If you spend your trip thinking about how many dollars that beer is, or whatever, you’ll drive yourself insane. I’m not saying just throw away money, but just be prepared to spend more than you would for some things here.

The museums in London are all free. Basically, everything amazing is there because they pillaged everywhere else in the world, so they let you come and visit your things for free! I would highly recommend the British National Museum and National Gallery if you like those kinds of things. The British National is really impressive, and areas like the Egyptian and Assyrian exhibits are really incredible.

Overall, the UK is a fantastic place to visit and London is an incredible city.

[MegaErtz]

Ireland is not part of the British Isles, and the Irish people find it extremely offensive when Canadians refer to is as such.

Dublin is a great town to party in. When exactly in spring will you be there?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

First, just ignore the currency conversion. If you spend your trip thinking about how many dollars that beer is, or whatever, you’ll drive yourself insane. I’m not saying just throw away money, but just be prepared to spend more than you would for some things here.

The museums in London are all free. Basically, everything amazing is there because they pillaged everywhere else in the world, so they let you come and visit your things for free! I would highly recommend the British National Museum and National Gallery if you like those kinds of things. The British National is really impressive, and areas like the Egyptian and Assyrian exhibits are really incredible.

Overall, the UK is a fantastic place to visit and London is an incredible city.

Agreed, lots of great Museums and lots to see. Skip the 'Touristy Crap' like waiting in line for The Eye of London, etc.

The Tower of London is very cool, go to some of the open markets and get a proper English breakfast from a sweaty man in a wife-beater that you cant understand.

Oh! And for the Love of God...do NOT go to the Tate Modern Art Museum. The price of admission is an absolute ripoff...even though its free. Its 90 minutes of your life you'll never get back and theres a non-zero chance you'll hate it so much and seriously consider ending your life.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Ireland is not part of the British Isles, and the Irish people find it extremely offensive when Canadians refer to is as such.

You'd think they'd find it extremely offensive when people of any nationality refer to it as such, I wonder why Canadians get singled out.

[troutman]

Mind The Gap!

[MegaErtz]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

You'd think they'd find it extremely offensive when people of any nationality refer to it as such, I wonder why Canadians get singled out.

Might have something to do with Canadians thinking they're better than Americans, and loved worldwide.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Might have something to do with Canadians thinking they're better than Americans, and loved worldwide.

Well, that’s just factual. There’s a reason Americans travel with Canadian flags or maple leaf pins.

[undercoverbrother]

Go North

Wonderful country and people

I’ve been around a bunch of places in the UK most enjoyable nights was being at a lock in Bridlington, close second was a night out with my uncle (RIP) at his working man’s club in Brighouse.



I much prefer the North to the South

[troutman]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termin..._British_Isles

The terminology of the British Isles comprises the words and phrases that are used to describe the (sometimes overlapping) geographical and political areas of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the smaller islands which surround them. The terms are often a source of confusion, partly owing to the similarity between some of the actual words used but also because they are often used loosely. Many of the words carry geographical and political connotations which are affected by the history of the islands. The inclusion of Ireland in the geographical definition of British Isles is debated.

[SutterBrother]

1) Rent a car. It'll take 30 min to flip your brain to driving on the opposite side of the road. I reviewed some youtube videos on traffic circle etiquette, and after driving there, am of the opinion they are far superior to lights. You can get a lot of places by train or rideshare, but if you want to deeply visit and remote areas, you'll need your own wheels. It added a lot to our trip to have that. Never use your horn (English manners), and give way to the larger vehicle if you are in a single lane rural road and find oncoming "traffic".

2) Trains are easy and fun. Use them for longer trips, and spend a couple extra pounds for first class. Went from London to Cambridge and back, and it was safe, easy, and relaxing (with a great view of the country-side).

3) Bovington Tank Museum and the Imperial War Museum (London) were both spectacular modern facilities for anyone interested in WW2. My 11 year old was entertained throughout by the modern tech of firing tank cannons, and deciphering Enigma codes. The entire purpose of my trip was to attend "Tankfest" at the Tank Museum, and it didn't disappoint in the slightest. The UK embraces it's history.

4) Stage shows in West End London are busy and full of tourists, but the performances are top notch, and the theatres are small and intimate so you get a huge bang for your buck.

5) Keep your voice down, and never EVER cut the queue (although that's more advice for Americans than Canadians who probably wouldn't do those things).

6) Visit the coast whenever you can. Imagine Nelson sailing out there or a flight of Spitfires roaring overhead. Best fish n chips you can find.

[marsplasticeraser]

London and Edinburgh are both tremendously walkable, and that’s honestly the best way to get a feeling for the cities.

Also, think of London as a series of villages connected together. Each with a high street.

A great and easy walk is the Thames path from London bridge to the eye. A couple of hours and you see a lot. But honestly walk everywhere. Don’t worry too much about streets. Just get a general direction and go.

[Puppet Guy]

Originally Posted by SutterBrother

6) Visit the coast whenever you can. Imagine Nelson sailing out there or a flight of Spitfires roaring overhead. Best fish n chips you can find.

I have to vouch for the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth - Mary Rose, HMS Warrior (a genuinely overlooked and underappreciated ship), and of course the currently-under-restoration Victory. Portsmouth reminded me a lot of Halifax.

Make sure you enjoy as many English beers as you can.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Ireland is not part of the British Isles, and the Irish people find it extremely offensive when Canadians refer to is as such.

Dublin is a great town to party in. When exactly in spring will you be there?

Yeah, well they're wrong. I know Ireland likes to focus on the distinction between the rest of the British Isles and themselves, but they are absolutely part of the same archipelago which happens to not care about borders or colonialism:

Spoiler!

[WideReceiver]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Ireland is not part of the British Isles, and the Irish people find it extremely offensive when Canadians refer to is as such.

Dublin is a great town to party in. When exactly in spring will you be there?

We’ll be there in May. My statement of Ireland being part of the British Isles was geographical, not political and I won’t debate it. Our cruise is billed as a British Isles cruise.

[Barnet Flame]

Dublin is very walkable. You mentioned liking beer and culture, obviously the Guinness tour has both, but it's hardly a killer insight!

Given you have four days, spending at least one of them outside Dublin may be of interest. A day trip to Glendalough is well worth it - it is beautiful there. Anther option would be taking the train up to Belfast (very reasonably priced and a comfortable journey) - again, very walkable and I can't speak highly enough of visiting the Titanic Exhibition - it is one of the best tourist attractions I've ever visited. https://www.titanicbelfast.com/explore/.

In London, I'd advise against hotel breakfasts - generally they are overpriced and bland - there are countless better options no matter where you're staying in London. For a short economical and a great viewing experience, I recommend going on the London https://londoncablecar.ventrata.site...iAAEgInE_D_BwE. But don't bother with any of the packages, just walk up and get a return or one way ticket. If doing one way, I recommend taking the DLR to Royal Victoria Docks and taking the cable car to the O2 arena where there are lots of shops and restaurants.

Enjoy!

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Ireland is not part of the British Isles, and the Irish people find it extremely offensive when Canadians refer to is as such.

Dublin is a great town to party in. When exactly in spring will you be there?

Yes, Ireland technically is in the British Isles. You're probably thinking of the UK.

Spoiler!

But I know what you're getting at, because I posed a similar question on Twitter a few months ago, using the same terminology, and an Irish account said I'd end up in the ground if I said that over there lol. They just understandably don't like the B-word (even though they actually are in the British Isles).

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by WideReceiver

We’ll be in London and Dublin for about 3-4 days each in spring and one day in Edinburgh. I have Lonely Planet books and will seek suggestions at TripAdvisor and other sources. Further advice for attractions, accommodations (Edinburgh is taken care of) and food. For our trip to Japan and Tokyo I found the Facebook groups to be very helpful.

We like history, culture, beer lol, and scenery.

Food in London and Dublin is horribly expensive. We might seek hotels/B&Bs with breakfasts and eat out for one meal each day. Any other advice on eating out?

We haven’t searched accommodations yet. My wife has been to Dublin but I haven’t. She is somewhat familiar with the city. We’ve never been to London.

Thanks for any advice.

I love visiting London. It's been a handful of years since I last visited so some of my recommendations may be out of date. Aside from what basically amounted to a couple day trips where I'd meet up with a couple of my cousins before moving onto my main destination the last time I really visited was back in 2018 I had a great value AirBnB a block away from Pimlico Station that was great. Tail enf of the AirBnB golden age for that I don't think you'll be able to find again, sadly.

You can knock off a lot of the main tourist attractions and getting your walk on by going from Tower Bridge along the north side of the river the way round to Buckingham Palace then onto Parliament and Westminster Abbey (can do this in reverse as well, obviously). That will eat up your day and is really just sightseeing, so if you wanted to go in depth on anything like tours or going into the museums or galleries you'd want to factor that in as well. If you don't like walking, the Bus Tours are an efficient way to knock off the sightseeing before tackling the things you want ot focus closer on, but IMHO London is best experienced on foot.

The pubs and history aspect can be real easy to combine. The Historic pubcrawls guy can point you in a lot of good directions there. I do love that about London is that there's a lot of 'benign history' that can be experienced just by walking around, which isn't what everybody looks for but if it floats your boat you'll never tire of London, really.
https://historicpubcrawls.city/
One of my cousin's lives near Shoreditch which certainly has a vibe and isn't a bad area to people watch if you like that, but there were a lot of pubs we like in that area and around Spittalfield's market.

As for London accommodation, unfortunately I can't help that much. I did have the afformentioned AirBnB that was great but I've mostly gotten to stay with family who have pretty good locations when I have visited and for the 2015 Rugby World Cup I was there with my dad and he paid for the place we stayed at near Covent Garden. It isn't lost on me that one of the big reasons for my love of visiting London is because I've effectively been able to avoid the largest cost of it, so do take that into consideration.

Dublin doesn't have as much to do. I'd even dare suggest a trip up to Belfast to try and get some of that in. I've been to Dublin loads, but similarly it's visiting the cousins who live there before heading onto the west coast where most of the family lives. Or I'm seeing a rugby match. I don't want to knock Dublin but it's definitely not the most interesting part of Ireland.

There's the tourist circuit that's perfectly enjoyable: Guinness Brewery, Kilmainham Gaol, Trinity, 1917 tour, etc. but after that there isn't the same volume of 'stuff' as London has. Croke Park for a tour if the idea of the largest non-soccer stadium in Europe is interesting to you (has the history side of it as well). There are the pubs that specialize int he ceilidh experiences but the journey all the way over to Galway for an evening of drinking and traditional music and walking the Quays only to return the next day would be an experience as well. I mean, if the concept of a train journey is exciting to you then that is a legit option (albeit the journey isn't particularly scenic, the middle of Ireland is just green fields and bogland, if it's scenery you'd want then you'd need to plan a trip based around the Wild Atlantic Way). You could even sneak the Cliffs of Moher into the journey. Belfast is also a good option as an overnight journey. The walking tours and Black Cab tours about the Troubles are really good, the Titanic Experience is really great as far as tourist driven experiences go, and it's got some good restaurants and pubs to hang out in as well that don't get as out of control in price as Dublin.

Like London, I cannot help you with accommodation. I've never had to pay to stay in Dublin.

[PepsiFree]

I’ve been to Ireland several times and think the “extremely offended” and “put in the ground” comments are very funny. Some of the nicest, warmest people of any country I’ve traveled to.

You don’t have to worry about saying “the British Isles” lol, that’d be ridiculous. And probably based on some severely outdated stereotypes.

Referring to an Irish person as English is about as egregious as referring to a Canadian as an American or a New Zealander as an Australian. You’ll get corrected. The horror!