BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm going to Europe for two weeks and I want to see as much as possible. I have a good friend in London that I'll be staying with for a few nights but I also want to travel around a bit. Coming up with an itinerary is difficult. I'd like to go to as many places as possible but unfortunately I have limited time and funds. Originally I was thinking of London-Edinburgh-Glasgow-Dublin. With a day trip or two from London to Canterbury or Brighton...
Now I'm thinking London-Paris-Dublin and Edinburgh would be ideal. Is it worth going to any of these cities for just two nights? Should I just focus on the UK?

quote:

Should I just focus on the UK?

Yes. The continent will be there the next time you go. I promise.

Allow me to second static on this one. There's plenty to keep you busy in the UK for two weeks.

There'd be more than enough in the UK to keep you busy for two months or longer.

Slow down. Wanting to see "everything" is a very common mistake, the result is seeing practically nothing except the insides of trains, cars and planes, stations and airports, perhaps including a few short glimpses at the most crowded tourist traps.

sleepychick, if your funds are limited, why not spend less time in the big cities and try out some of the smaller places in the UK. Your money will go a lot further that way.

For example, assuming that London is a given, why not go to just Edinburgh and supplement it with Durham or York (if you are into history) or Newcastle or Leeds (if you want some city-life and shopping) on the way up. You'll find that accomodation and stuff is much less expensive outside the big tourist cities.

DAy trips are a great idea, but bear in mind that unless you get a britrail pass or the like, train travel in the UK is mind-blowingly expensive. And the cost depends on which stations you go through. For example, a half hour journey out of london can often cost twice a half hour journey out of bristol as you will be using a london station. If you are going to pay point to point, you might be better off moving from place to place and using bus services instead.

If you want some ideas, give us an idea of the sort of experience you are after eg history, night-life, countryside.......

Well if it's your first time in the UK. Then I think that is a bit ambitious. Don't forget to schedule some time to hang out with your friends in London. And London itself is bit to aborb.I made a similar trip like this to the London 4 years ago. I would suggest using London as your home base and making day trips to Bath & Stonehenge (there a tour there), Oxford or Brighton, Dover, Windsor, and other small cities. This is probably the more enjoyable route. There no need to rush through these cities your first time around. Drop me a note if you want. I'm in Brooklyn, too.

I would have thought it would be nice to see a little piece of Europe and especially depending on what time of year this trip is, be a good chance of some better weather in heading to Spain or Portugal and seeing both of those could be somewhat cheaper than tripping around the UK, you could probably afford on of the budget airline flights that do UK to Spain routes.

You might even decide that you could fit in doing Paris for a few days on the way back.
Your friend will understand if you are keen to do something like that and may even decide to go with you if that was possible.

I spent a total of about 3.5 weeks in the UK this last summer as a backpacker, and loved it.

I moved around A LOT - usually not spending more than 2 days or so in each place I stayed, and it worked out great. However, this depends a lot on the type of traveler you are. If you are someone that likes to get into a city, settle in, and make yourself at home for a week at a time, you might want to reconsider your plans. But if you enjoy seeing a lot and don't mind traveling every few days, then you'll have a blast!

As far as the BritRail pass goes - I would very highly recommend one. I paid $300 (US) for an 8-travel-day BritRail pass, and it paid itself off in one trip (Edinburgh -> London, $300 (US) ). Double check your travel routes, and make sure it is worth your money - but I would be very surprised if it is not.

Also, I also recommend that you visit some of the smaller and more country towns, as was suggested above. Places like Bath, Wells, most of Somerset, and York are fantastic, and have a lot to do. I wouldn't consider a trip to the UK complete without seeing at least some of these towns. I enjoyed these places far more than the central hubs like London.

Also, I would recommend against Canterbury. Not really a whole lot to do there.

Let me know if you have any questions. The UK is fantastic

quote:

Originally posted by gonorth:
heading to Spain or Portugal and seeing both of those could be somewhat cheaper than tripping around the UK

I agree... I've spent less money on weekends to Bratislava and Porto then on a weekend to Bristol. There are so many cheap budget airline flights from london. but then again i suppose it's nice to go round the uk as well. and i would definitely spend quite a few days in london, it's amazing (although expensive!)

You could easily spend two weeks just in London, let alone all those destinations. I would suggest a short trip to amsterdam though

Brighton is definetly worth going to though, but make sure its near the weekend so it will be alive.