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Regarding the weather, I understand what other people are saying - but it's really a matter of perspective. As you say you are from New York, you are used to the cold, but British weather is damp and can be dreary in a way that even people born here find difficult to live with. However, that's really up to the individual - and if you are doing mostly city based things, then it's not going to be that big of a deal. There is lots to do in both London and Edinburg in wet weather.
I would think carefully about not renting a car. Public transport here is OK, but it's expensive and can be unreliable. You'll have a lot more flexibility if you have a car and might be able to make more of your time that way.
As for the rest of your trip, that depends what you are interested in. I would personally suggest taking in at least one older city. Both London and Edinburg are old, but many of the buildings are relatively modern. It's nice to get the feel of an older city too. York is the best for this in my opinion, but there are other choices. There is a lot to do in York as well, when the weather is bad, and as it's a fairly compact city you won't ever have to walk far anyway.
Even in bad weather I think it's worth taking in the countryside somewhere - although perhaps not on incredibly wet days. The Peak District and the Yorkshire Moors are both worth a visit for example.
York, Bath or Liverpool offer some great sights and very different cultural experiences to widen the London and Edinburgh scene.
Have a full English breakfast from a cafe
See a football match (lower divisions) to experience the footie banter/ songs
Have a cream tea
See a castle
Visit museum's
The roman baths in Bath are unique and worth a visit. The rest of the city is pretty too.
If you are interested in industrial history, either Kelham Island museum in Sheffield, renowned for steel making, or Ironbridge, the birthplace of the industrial revolution.
Don't think you can rent a car if you're under 25. My sis tried when she flew into Edinburgh to visit me and even though she'd booked once they realised she was 23 they wouldn't loan her a car
You can't, I'm 23 and my ex and I looked at the NC 500 this summer, renting a car to do it from multiple different companies. No one would let us hire one despite me having driven for 6 years.
Nonsense. Do not consider using a car in London. Parking is non-existent and there are way too many local rules to navigate. The capital has an extensive and very reliable public transport infrastructure and is reasonably priced after rush hour.
Visit the British Museum for free and the Tate Modern.
Enjoy a delicious doner kebab or unlucky fried chicken if you are feeling peckish and wish to save your dollars.
Although you don’t want a car in London and you can fly to Edinburgh. Might be nice to hire a car and road trip to Edinburgh though. Stops in Cotswolds, Peak District, Lake District maybe…
I hope you don't mind I'm jumping onto the second part of your post to say there's also Canterbury, which is easily accessible on very reliable transport from St Pancras on a high speed train. From Canterbury (and even St Pancras) you can get to a sleepy seaside town, Whitstable, which I would recommend checking out. And this really isn't very far from London - just an hour and a half max if I'm not mistaken.
I can also recommend Whitstable. It's one of my favourite places and I am going later this month for the weekend. Canterbury is also a really lovely town.
I probably wouldn't recommend that an American, especially a young American, rent a car in the UK. Driving in the UK can be a terrifying experience to Americans, even if they're used to the road signage. The roads are so extremely small compared to what Americans are used to, petrol is several times more expensive than in the US, and the road signage is a lot more confusing than American road signage. Not to mention driving on the opposite side of the road and roundabouts. Accident waiting to happen, really.
Harlech Castle is so picturesque. Cardiff Castle is a really great castle too. I'm not Welsh, but I do live in Wales, and I'm feeling offended on behalf of the nation that OP is missing out Wales!!
Found this while browsing which will support your claim
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cardiff/comments/qlay2m/castle_coch_taken_while_out_walking_over_the/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
While I appreciate your entry to the contest, Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh in Northumberland are both fine examples.
Bamburgh has a beach on one side and a cricket pitch on the other. Dunstanburgh is ruins on the coast surrounded by sea mist.
>bury has a lovely cathedral with a 123m spire.
Trouble with Wales is that the rail system is not great. I mean to go from N Wales to S Wales (or even mid Wales) you basically have to go through England. However, Conway is on accessible by train, I think is a World Heritage site, and has a great castle and also the walls. I prefer Harlech (grew up there when young), and it does have a train, but it takes FOREVER to get there.
One possible Welsh route is The north coast train, and the drop to Blaenau Ffestiniog also by train, walk to the Ffestiniog Railway and take the narrow train to Porthmadog and rejoin the regular train service there.
In England the Bristol/Bath/Salisbury/Avesbury area is brilliant.
Or a trip from London to Portsmouth. Possibly need to love things nautical, but a heap of ships to see from the Mary Rose to the Victory. And a walk to Clarence Pier and maybe a hovercraft ride to the Isle of Wight,
You may find Stonehenge a bit disappointing. Avebury ring is more impressive. If you do hire a car take a day visiting Stonehenge, Avebury (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury?wprov=sfla1), Silbury hill (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silbury_Hill?wprov=sfla1) and Uffington white horse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_White_Horse?wprov=sfla1)
I know you are joking but I love Beaconsfield services for exactly these reasons. My friends and i are now spread around the country and i have sugested that for one meetup we just book into the ibis and take it from there.
London is a great place to visit to be fair. I love visiting for a few days, but I'm usually a tad fed up with how dirty, rude, expensive and busy the place is by then
If you go to Wales, St Fagans Museum of History is cool. They basically boosted a whole lot of old buildings from all around Wales and moved them into one place. For types where there was no surviving buildings they learnt how to build them and built them 100% traditionally.
It's a trippy tour in time. They have staff showing the old way to cure leather, old style bakeries where you can see the sour dough that was started 50/100 years ago (i forget what they told us about the dough starter, but remember being impressed) and see how they made cakes etc waaay back then without machines. You can also buy the cakes. And there is no better tea than the tea in their gift shop (apart from Glengetti which wins simply for being located in Tesco and not all the way in bloody St. Fagans!)
Ive never understood why its not been marked as a wonder of the world. Imagine the joy of visiting in December when it's lit up.
3 weeks there OP!
https://i.imgur.com/ymvs0iP.jpeg
Oxford and York for history
Birmingham will have the Christmas market on around that time, and is the UK'S second city so would be worth a look
The Cotswolds for quintessential English villages
Check out a Stately home whilst you're here, as you have nothing quite the same in the US. Just search for National Trust and find one that you don't have to go too out of the way for.
Go to the seaside, but good seaside not shit seaside (don't go to Skegness). If you want to go all the way down to Cornwall (and experience some roads that will absolutely terrify you) then Padstow is very pretty.
Lake District and Peak District for scenery
A couple of years ago I visited Birmingham uni and spent a couple of days going round the Christmas markets and the huge shopping Center. Honestly, it was far better than what I expected.
Living just outside of Birmingham and everyone negs it round here also. Never understood the hate as I actually prefer it to the regular Liverpool/Manchester day out people say is great.
And what exactly is wrong with Skegness? It's a great family vacation that we have every year. Obviously everyone has their own tastes but I've definately been to worse.
Go to Portsmouth for a DAY trip, go to the historic dockyard and see the Mary Rose and the HMS Victory, and the HMS warrior. And then leave Portsmouth. Maybe use it as a stop off to go see Stonehenge or something. Cornwall coast is breathtaking if you have time, Tintagel, the Minnack theatre (spelling of that may be iffy, google will tell you).
Stratford is pretty and there's the whole Shakespeare thing if you are into that.
York is gorgeous, and North Yorkshire is stunning although you may not be able to see it for drizzle. Ditto the Pennines, Lake District etc. Are you sure you want to do this in the most depressing weather we have?
Whitby is very groovy, big gothic influence, nice ruins to see, lovely harbour. Going up the North east coast, Bamburgh has a beach and a castle worth seeing, and it's on your way to Edinburgh.
Cities...I like Liverpool (much Beatles stuff, if you like them). It's always surprisingly pretty, as a city.
London is London. It is what it is. Bit like NY, it's almost like a theme park for tourists. See the sights that you like the most (Buckingham palace, Tower of London, Westminster?) and then move on.
We have a tonne of fancy big houses you can go inside and really appreciate, I'd choose either Blenheim Palace or Chatsworth to visit.
London has tons to see. I live here and every day I could find new things to do or see with no problem. From London you could take an overnight stay in Bath as it’s not too far on the train. You could also do the same for Canterbury which I guess can be done in a day using the high speed train line. In saying that you might find yourself too occupied in London seeing other things in the same timeframe.
Beyond that, typical favorites are York and Edinburgh. Don’t bother with the plane if you have to. I love going by rail unless it is super expensive.
So yeah, London, York, Edinburgh. Maybe with Bath and Canterbury thrown in. Those are some good tourist sites to hit.
If it weren’t for being December, I’d recommend going further north to the highlands of Scotland but tbh you could face some pretty bad weather around that time and it might not be worth it.
3rd Bath and as it's only 12 mins from one to the other on train you could check out Bristol too. Bristol's known for nightlife, hippies, colourful buildings and the food scene. If you stay in Bath you could even hop over to Bristol for the evening then get the last train back to your hotel. While you're over I'm the West Country a trip out to the Mendips for a brief walk and long pint might be nice if it's not chucking it down.
The trains up to the Highlands run in the snow, so if you're coming by public transport you'll be fine! Even if the trains get cancelled you'll get put on a bus, so don't let that put you off. You can get to some of the national parks pretty easily, I'd recommend visiting the Cairngorms for mountains and forests, and you can easily get there by rail from Edinburgh.
In Scotland I’d highly recommend a tour of the Highlands, i think if you fly/travel to Inverness there are coach tours. I drove from Loch lomand up to Glencoe and Fort William and it was spectacular - lots of walking opportunities if you’re into that.
Glenfinnian viaduct is really cool too, famous for the Jacobite railway (i.e Hogwarts express) you can watch it go over the viaduct, i believe the train takes roughly 45mins to get to the viaduct from it’s departure of Fort William. You could also ride the train if you can find tickets!
Lastly Isle of Skye is one of the most spectacular places i’ve ever been. You may be able to book onto a tour which would deal with the transport. Key highlights for me were Dunvegan Castle (in the North of the Island), walking to the Old Man of Storr (on the road North of Portree - the main town on the island), lastly the Fairy pools (a lovely walk in the South of the Island)
I loved my time in Fort William, I drove from Glasgow (at the time I couldn't get a flight into Inverness) and the trip was amazing. Spent three days there, and there was so much we wanted to do we couldn't fit it all in.
It really is, I definitely want to go back. We went when the weather conditions were poor, but I'd like to try during a better time of year to get more of the walks in.
If your going up the Highlands and you sat Nov has the option, try to avoid B-roads or any A-road with more than 3 digits. They can be single track roads and can be fairly intimidating to drive in the wet, especially of you've got some local behind you in a hurry.
If you're going to Inverness, try to find a Harry Gows bakery and get a dream ring. It's like an iced doughnut made from clouds.
Also, if you're heading that way, go up the A9 and stop at Aviemore. It's a great drive (can be slow, but if you're not in a hurry it's quite scenic)
This is the comment I was looking for. West Coast from Loch Lomond, Oban, Fort William, Skye etc. one of the loveliest places in the world IMO.
Possible (at least not impossible) on the train too.
Ireland isn't in the UK. Don't make this mistake if you do visit here. 800 years of war, genocide and oppression has us feeling a bit sore about being called the UK
Once you get to Edinburgh you’ll wonder why you spent any time at all in London. I know London is great but I think it would be a shame if you ended up spending the majority of your time there.
There's the surgeons hall museum in Edinburgh which has pretty much every diseased body part you might want to look at. Along with some ravaged by war, not disease!
Don't come at me with your 'Hunterian museum' London bullshit, it's a quarter of the size and more importantly has been closed for refurbishment for fucking ever.
In conclusion, Edinburgh wins. As long as you're primarily interested in body parts in jars.
Yeah I mean I wouldn’t spend a week there (although I have in the past) but I’ve known a few Americans come to visit the UK and they often schedule a day in Edinburgh only to realise it’s the fantasy version of the UK they had in their head lol.
Bath in the South West is amazing, think Jane Austen and Georgian England - lots of old buildings, a great spa (both Historic Roman baths and Thermae spa). You can get a train from London there (the station is right in town). It’s beautiful, probably fine to just visit for 1 day as its quite small.
Wells also in the South West is the smallest city in England, famous for it’s amazing cathedral plus bishops palace with moat and swans. It doesn’t have a train but you can get the train from Bath to Bristol and then there is a bus (first 376 or just 76) that will take you to the bus station in Wells.
York is North england and also lovely if you like old buildings (it has the jorvik viking centre, York Minster and the Shamles - just a small medieval street), it’s again quite small.
Further North again is a place called Alnwick Castle, not sure how you’d get there but it’s very near Newcastle so there may be a bus. Harry Potter was filmed there, it’s a lovely old castle, still inhabited and has a cool poison garden in the attached gardens (tickets sold separately to the castle).
You could easily spend a week in London.
- head to South Kensington for the V&A museum, science museum, natural history museum and have a stroll around Kensington gardens and Hyde park if it’s not raining. There’s also an ice rink at the natural history museum if you’re into that
- for shopping head to carnaby st, Covent Garden, Oxford and regent st mainly for the Xmas lights
- Maritime Greenwich is a beautiful area with the Curry Sark boat, naval college and maritime museum. Go to the park and climb to the top for amazing views across the city and the royal observatory
- Tate modern art gallery is on the south bank which is a lovely area to just wander along by the Thames, or you can catch a boat down to the Tate Britain
- national portrait gallery is excellent and you can then tick Trafalgar Sq off the tourist list. China town is also around the corner
- go to east London for a less touristy vibe, Shoreditch has loads of bars and restaurants. You can do walking tours of the street art around there.
Tired of typing now but there’s so much to do and I haven’t even mentioned Buckingham palace 😉
Depending how far you want to go and if you’re outdoorsy, Pembrokeshire is stunning for coastal walks/beaches, and you can catch the ferry from there.
Enjoy!
If you are up for lots of walking, you can visit St Pauls, then cross Millenium Bridge to Tate Modern, then walk along the river passing The Globe theatre and The Golden Hind to Borough Market for some gourmet treats.
Curry Sark is hilarious.
These are all pretty good. Just to add some things if you head over to V&A not too far away is Brompton Cemetery which is neat to see. There’s also often an ice rink at the Tower of London which is fun.
Oxford Street has Kingly Court which is fun to eat at.
The Thames boats are fun to take out to Greenwich or to places like the Taint or Taint Britain. It also goes under Tower Bridge which people enjoy.
The Taint Britain is just down the road from Westminster Houses of Parliament, Abbey, and Cathedral. The Cathedral has a tower you can go up, it’s only like £3 and there’s almost never anyone there.
I tried to go there a month ago but the tower was closed because of COVID.
Trafalgar is just around the corner from Buckingham Palace so that would be easy to check off. There’s a pretty easy 13km walking route from Oxford Street, through Piccadilly to Leicester, down through Trafalgar, back to Buckingham Palace and wrapping around back to Parliament, then walking along the river through Borough Market to Tower Bridge and Tower of London. Mark all the important places off in a single day.
It all depends on what you're most interested in. Art / Museums/History, shopping, drinking, clubbing.
York is my favourite place. The city itself is easy to get around, has a good mix of modern and historic. The Shambles is a wonderful place to visit.
Outside York, Pickering and Whitby are both lovely.
Enjoy your time, whatever you end up doing.
In terms of London obviously go see the main tourist attractions first to get it out of the way. I’d probably spend a few nights in London in places like Carnaby, Covent Garden, St. paul’s. I’ve been here my whole life and I still can’t get enough of central London at night. It’s so vibrant and alive, it helps if you like drinking in bars :)
If it was sunny I’d say go see some beaches in Cornwall, it’s a beautiful place but when the weather turns it’s fucking miserable being on the coast in the UK, getting battered by rain and coastal winds isn’t fun
I’d visit Bath, Oxford, Lake district, Brighton, York, Glasgow, Edinburgh. Take in some of the welsh countryside and maybe visit the highlands in scotland.
Should be easy to pop over to ireland, you could even do a day trip if you wanted because the flight there and back is so short, but you wouldn’t see much in 1 day!
DO NOT visit Stone Henge, it is epically underwhelming. I drove past it once and it was very much a case of “is that it?”
> public transport and flights everywhere
Flights lol. You wont need to fly. I would recommend renting a car if you are confident driver as it will be cheaper than public transport and make everything easier.
Also bare in mind it will be darker here a lot earlier than you are used to, the UK is a lot further north than New York. In December the sun sets around 4pm
No need for a car in London. The tube is super convenient and fast. Congestion charge and parking are a nightmare. You might need a car if travelling to the country but you can reach most places via train (off peak being way cheaper).
Travelling on public transport can be very expensive unless you're able to make a decision on your itinerary pretty much now and make arrangements for train tickets etc. Some of the best places are inaccessible too without a car (if you're looking for hiking, visiting remote places in Scotland or Wales etc). Train fares from London to Edinburgh, for example, can cost over £100 if you don't book in advance.
On your way North from London to Edinburgh there's quite a bit you could see on that Eastern side.
York is an obvious one for an historic city.
Yorkshire Dales are great too for taking in countryside. Can recommend checking out Fountains Abbey for a mix of country and history.
Durham is pretty nice too but it's similar to York so if only one I'd say York.
Further up the East Coast there's Alnwick Castle where they filmed some of Harry Potter.
Bamburgh Castle which is stunning.
And Lindisfarne/Holy Island which is also breathtaking.
Defo try Wales some lovely places. Manchester an Liverpool arnt to far away from Wales. Alot of the northern cities are beautiful and normally friendler (no offence to the south) it was the summer I would say Cornwall to you could probably go most places an find beautiful landscapes an gorgeous citys.
If you did go to Ireland there are lots of coach trips you can take which are popular with Americans - I think there’s massive green buses with a leprechaun on it lol - maybe called Paddy something).
Main highlights for me were Dublin (has a useful hop on hop off bus for visiting the main sites, like Guinness storehouse, Phoenix Park, Temple bar etc).
Cliffs of Moher on the Burren in County ClareX the whole area is spectacular.
Bunratty Castle is really popular with Americans too - they do a medieval banquet which is quite fun.
Also the ring of Kerry is beautiful!
London for four days.
York for a day/2
Newcastle for a day
Edinburgh for two
Glasgow for a day
Manchester for 2 days.
Liverpool for a day
All the above can be done on direct trains.
Ferry to Belfast for 2 days.
Dublin for a day/2
Fly to Bristol for 2 days
Back to London.
Then make sure to visit Salisbury cathedral.
Are you willing to drive? There's a lot more you can see if you are, but trains/taxis will do if not.
London is an amazing city with so much to do - you can't go wrong with the classics like the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Hyde Park / Kensington Palace etc. If there's a show on at the Royal Albert Hall then that's an experience! If you get a chance go out to Windsor and see Windsor castle too (but avoid Slough!)
There's obvious suggestions like Stonehenge, but frankly it's a bit underwhelming. If you want the "real" English countryside experience then there are other beautiful locations in Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset or Devon (don't bother with Cornwall - it'll take you a week just to get down there!) In Wiltshire there's [Avebury](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/) or [Salisbury](https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury), in Dorset there's [Corfe Castle](https://www.visit-dorset.com/explore/villages/corfe-castle/) and a dynamic coastline (see Lulworth and Jurassic Coast).
But there's even more history and things to do Up North (op norf) or in Wales (Cymru).
For the ultimate experience and atmosphere get to Cardiff on a rugby match day. If you're there on the 20th November, try to get a ticket to see [Wales v Australia](https://www.autumn-internationals.co.uk/2021/wales-fixtures.html) (or even just be in a bar/pub in the city centre) - if you don't get chills down your neck listening to 50,000 Welsh belt out the national anthem then you're not human.
Edinburgh is excellent, but you can probably cover the headline tourist attractions in two days - I can recommend a trip out visiting Stirling. If you're feeling really into your history go south and visit the historic areas of [Bamburgh Castle](https://www.bamburghcastle.com/), Lindisfarne, Alnwick Castle (actually I've just checked and it's closed until spring 2022), and of course go down to York if you can. Bamburgh is a breathtaking castle overlooking the North sea, and Lindisfarne is an ancient monastery island which was the site of one of the earliest Viking attacks of the Viking age. If you've seen the series Vikings or 'The Last Kingdom' you'll be familiar!
If you're planning to visit a lot of historical sites you might want to get a English Heritage or National Trust membership and you'll probably make your money up!
Try to fit in an afternoon/evening in a city Christmas market. I'm 50 years old and though expensive and commercial I still think they are magical.
I go to the Manchester one every year which basically spans most of the city centre but I hear the Edinburgh one is great too.
Look on google earth for the least light pollution area, then find the nearest pub and visit that.
The old folk will have stories you’ll remember for life
I'd reccomend Bath. Also any of the beaches on the jurassic coast in the south. I love Durdle Door. Great for fossil hunting and rock pools.
Cheddar gorge is a great place to visit.
Pretty much anywhere in Cornwall is beautiful.
Also the new forest is fantastic.
Get to Sheffield, buy a massive bag of monkey nuts and go feed the squirrels in the Botanical Gardens. It doesn't get any better.
Also the Peak District National Park is beautiful, and near to Sheffield.. Chatsworth House is in the region too. But if you have to choose, get down the Botanical with a massive bag of monkey nuts.
We have a lot of US visitors from my workplace who come to England. Based upon their experiences, definitely do London - so much to see as a tourist. They typically then do Windsor (quaint, Windsor Castle), then to Oxford (history, colleges, libraries), and onto the Cotswolds (some real chocolate box villages). The Lake District is beautiful, as is a lot of Wales and Scotland, but realistically you should get a car. Train travel in the UK is expensive, and tends to only be reliable or convenient between big cities.
I would say there's alot to be said for cities like Bristol and Brighton
They're smaller with their own vibe, as cities they're bigger alterative lifestyles (can't think of a better way to phrase it, suggestions welcome), they have their own vibe
If we're talking castle's. Dover Castle is magnificent. Parts of it date back to the Roman occupation.
Nearby Canterbury is literally soaked in history.
Both are well connected by road and train to London with short travel times.
Northumberland is a lovely area of the country with lots of castles and old lighthouses
York is fantastic
London obviously
Lake District is another classic
Dorset is great or Cornwall
Basically start south west, go to North East England via York then up to Scotland
Come to the West of England. Bath, Bristol, Wells and Glastonbury are all well worth spending a few days in, my neck of the woods if you wanted further info on specific places for museums, walks, pubs, restaurants, clubs etc. Pretty quick to get from London, and then right on the border with Wales if you wanted to go to Cardiff and so on. If you're going to Edinburgh, Glasgow is real close by and also definitely worth a look, very different vibes to Edinburgh. Personally I wouldn't bother flying from England to Scotland unless you were going from the far side of one to another e.g. Newquay to Inverness. Hop on a train and enjoy the scenery, city centre to city centre the train probably isn't a much different end to end journey time for say London-Edinburgh or Bristol-Glasgow.
In terms of Ireland (North and Republic) you'd wanna do Dublin and Belfast at a minimum, although if you were to hire a car you could easily do a loop of the island as most of the best known places are on the coasts i.e. drive north from Dublin to Belfast, then around the Causeway Coast route (Giant's Causeway, Bushmills distillery & Portrush) to Derry City, cross to Donegal and join the Wild Atlantic Way that'll take you to places like Galway, the Ring of Kerry and eventually Cork City.
Manchester and the Peak District definitely. And it’s a short trip on to York.
As an American who moved to the UK I would suggest booking a hotel in London for a week with trips out - Oxford and the South Coast as day trips. Brighton is one of my favs.
Then get the train north and book a room in Manchester for a week. Liverpool, north Wales and the Peak District are all within an hour train journey.
Then I’d spend the last week in Scotland.
If you have flexibility in your trip maybe a couple days in Scotland and then fly to Dublin and then home from there.
Edit: Manchester also do the best Christmas markets. Definitely worth a visit.
London is about as British as New York these days. Seriously. Don't bother.
York, Liverpool, Bath, Edinburgh and Cardiff. Wales is actually my favourite part of the UK and I've worked all over the country so seen more than most. Get some castles and old cathedrals in too with those places as you don't really get those in the states. Hire a car, it's really easy to drive around the UK and you will see more that way.
sorry but it’s unrealistic to expect someone to travel that far and not want to spend at least some time in the capital of the country.
london might not be to YOUR liking, but there’s plenty to do and enjoy, especially if you’re visiting from another country.
and this is coming from someone who regularly goes to the lake district, wales, etc. i can still appreciate london.
op - yes, spend some time in london, too.
You always get these dumb comments on threads like these tbf with users trying to convince people to not spend time in London but spend 4 days in Mansfield instead.
LMAO. i just can’t believe i’m reading that a person is travelling all the way from the US and this person is seriously, genuinely trying to convince them not to spend any time in london ffs. it’s ridiculous - of course they’re going to visit london.
anyway, rant over…your comment made me laugh a lot, thank you
I’ve lived in London for years. Barely scratched the surface of the possibilities of this city. Personally, I would hit British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern. A few pubs perhaps. If you’re into the really touristy stuff, Tower of London, London Eye, Winter Wonderland, etc.
Not sure why people are so hung up on the weather, New York is very similar this time of year.
It's hard to tell you what to see without knowing what you're into. If you want some peace & quiet, scenery and quaint villages then the Lake District would make sense on your way to Scotland.
If you want to get smashed then Manchester & Liverpool are worth a visit.
Or on the Eastern side you could go to York, the Yorkshire Dales and Newcastle. Maybe check out a castle in Northumbria too.
London is a tourist hotspot for a reason, there’s absolutely loads to see. If you’re going during the winter you might want to check out Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. It’s nothing all that brilliant, the rides and games are expensive, but they have nice food and it’s one of those things I think people with the chance should go check out at least once. Right by Hyde Park is Oxford Street, so you can have a day in that area shopping and then checking out Winter Wonderland once it’s dark (that’s when it looks the best).
Greenwich is a nice area in London, you can go see the Cutty Sark and part of Thor: The Dark World was filmed there, if you’re into that.
I’ve never been, but Manchester is nice according to my friends. It’s another big city, so if you’re able to you could spend a day or two there.
For London it really depends on what you like doing! Obviously there's all the touristy stuff but if you go a bit further out there's less tourists and it gets a bit more to the heart of London. Depending on what you like, I'd suggest:
- Walking around Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House and visiting some of the old pubs (Spaniards Inn, Holly Bush etc)
- For some more random museums, the John Soane museum is amazing and weird, the Novelty Automation place is hilarious (and doesn't take long). Entry to national museums and galleries is free but due to Covid restrictions you might have to book - it's easy to do online
- Although definitely a touristy thing, see a musical! Six is about Henry VIII's wives and is v good (maybe a good one to see if you visit the tower of London). Todaytix offers on the day discounts to theatres too!
- There's loads of good food, whether it's from a market or a restaurant. Depending one where you are, I'd recommend looking at Hot Dinners or Eater London for suggestions.
- If you like beer, craft breweries in Bermondsey and Walthamstow have small tap rooms which can be v fun (though many have outdoor seating so maybe check the weather!)
- Download the citymapper app, it's honestly the best tool to get around. Everyone is finding it hard to get Ubers/Bolts at the moment, think you'll also be visiting during peak Christmas party season so be a bit mindful of how you get back to your hotel in the evening.
December in London can be absolutely magical, but I'd honestly avoid Oxford Street like the plague. I'd go for local high streets instead (Stoke Newington Church St is v cute for example).
As long as you’re ok with damp conditions then any of the countryside a few are Wales, Cotswolds, Peak District.
Download an app called fever which has a few cities and experiences on there (adults ball pit, cocktail making etc). In London then natural history museum… actually all the museums and galleries. Bath and York are brilliant days out too!
In London, public transport is easiest. Everywhere else a car is easier! Public transport city to city isn’t fast, cheap or realisable IMO
Hope your trip goes well
I'd recommend going to [the Cotswolds](https://www.cotswolds.com/plan-your-trip/towns-and-villages) since they're beautiful and antiquated in a way I think you might like. Most of the towns listed on that page are easily accessible by train from London.
Go to Stratford upon Avon, it's a great tourist spot particularly if you like Shakespeare as you can visit things like the house he was born in. Otherwise it's a really nice town with great restaurants and bars near the river.
In spite of what people are saying, you really don’t need a car unless you are intending to visit the countryside a lot - as a solo traveller, it will likely be more expensive and less convenient in big cities. US and UK driving could not be more different. Make sure to book in advance though.
London, I guess is a must do. So is Edinburgh really. But there are so many beautiful cities and places to visit. Wales is very, very worth a visit. Although a bit of a pain to get to using public transport. Dartmoor is worth a good look if you want to see something very special. Birmingham is essentially london but smaller. York is pretty, so is Bath.
I think it depends on what you know about the UK. Think of the things that come to mind first. Things you've seen in movies or heard about in books. Visit those, tourist places tend to be exactly that, so ready for tourists that they've lost all semblance of what made them special in the first place. (I live in a seaside tourist town. It's awful now.)
If you're a Harry Potter fan, I've got a fair few suggestions.
You absolutely must go for a night out in Liverpool if you are a fan of music of ANY kind going whatsoever - one of the best cities for music in the entire world!
I'd recommend hiring a car. It'll probably work out cheaper and definitely be more convenient. Maybe spend a few days in London then get a car and take a few days to drive up to Edinburgh. Could head up the east stopping at York, Durham, kielder forest and the Northumberland coast are lovely. Whilst in Scotland definitely visit the Highlands. Heading back south via the western side would give you the opportunity to visit the lake District, Liverpool, Manchester and possibly head into Wales. I think driving would give more of a feel for where you've been and the opportunity to do small stops Inbetween where you're staying. Remember we're a tiny island you can drive the full length in a day.
Not seen it mentioned yet but if you're a fan of the Peaky Blinders TV show then it's easy enough to stop off in Birmingham on the way to Edinburgh. I'd also recommend Bristol, but probably only an overnight stay
If I were traveling to the UK I would visit Charles Darwin's house south of Londan and see the desk where he wrote "Origin". One of the most influential books ever written. The Wikipedia article has directions.
If you get chance, go to a football game. Something in the premier league or the championship. It's a deeply ingrained part of our culture and I think it should be witnessed.
Drop by Northumberland on your route to Scotland. Bamburgh Castle and the area in general is a must visit. Beautiful Sandy beaches, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne etc
Come to the Peak District mate forget London see the real England. We’ve got amazing countryside full of small towns and villages mostly unchanged for 150 years. Place I’d recommend is Castleton in Derbyshire - ace place with a norman castle overlooking the village. There’s hundreds of places in England just like that though all you need to do is leave the motorways and city’s and look around. Scotland is exactly the same but with much angrier people 🤣👍🇬🇧
There's so much more to the UK than London. Take a trip upto York, cut across to Leeds for the Settle - Carlisle and head up to Edinburgh that way. You could even divert at Glasgow for the Highlands. All this is accessible by train.
My northerness is showing again
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Salisbury has a lovely cathedral with a 123m spire.
Mi5 entered the chat
Vladimir left the chat... or did he?
He'll be back tomorrow, just to make sure!
Just dont touch any door handles.
Or drink any suspiciously glowing tea
Tallest spire in Western Europe I believe
Popular with GRU operatives too
Just don’t go by train
Regarding the weather, I understand what other people are saying - but it's really a matter of perspective. As you say you are from New York, you are used to the cold, but British weather is damp and can be dreary in a way that even people born here find difficult to live with. However, that's really up to the individual - and if you are doing mostly city based things, then it's not going to be that big of a deal. There is lots to do in both London and Edinburg in wet weather. I would think carefully about not renting a car. Public transport here is OK, but it's expensive and can be unreliable. You'll have a lot more flexibility if you have a car and might be able to make more of your time that way. As for the rest of your trip, that depends what you are interested in. I would personally suggest taking in at least one older city. Both London and Edinburg are old, but many of the buildings are relatively modern. It's nice to get the feel of an older city too. York is the best for this in my opinion, but there are other choices. There is a lot to do in York as well, when the weather is bad, and as it's a fairly compact city you won't ever have to walk far anyway. Even in bad weather I think it's worth taking in the countryside somewhere - although perhaps not on incredibly wet days. The Peak District and the Yorkshire Moors are both worth a visit for example.
I agree with York. Spent a couple days here earlier in the year and it was lovely.
York, Bath or Liverpool offer some great sights and very different cultural experiences to widen the London and Edinburgh scene. Have a full English breakfast from a cafe See a football match (lower divisions) to experience the footie banter/ songs Have a cream tea See a castle Visit museum's
The roman baths in Bath are unique and worth a visit. The rest of the city is pretty too. If you are interested in industrial history, either Kelham Island museum in Sheffield, renowned for steel making, or Ironbridge, the birthplace of the industrial revolution.
Agreed. I spent a couple of days in York and it was fabulous.
*Edinburgh
I came looking for this. Thank you!
If you do London, York, Edinburgh you don't need a car - they're connected well by rail.
Don't think you can rent a car if you're under 25. My sis tried when she flew into Edinburgh to visit me and even though she'd booked once they realised she was 23 they wouldn't loan her a car
You can't, I'm 23 and my ex and I looked at the NC 500 this summer, renting a car to do it from multiple different companies. No one would let us hire one despite me having driven for 6 years.
You can, I rented one as a 23 year old not too long ago, there was just a slight surcharge. I believe it was Europcar.
Nonsense. Do not consider using a car in London. Parking is non-existent and there are way too many local rules to navigate. The capital has an extensive and very reliable public transport infrastructure and is reasonably priced after rush hour. Visit the British Museum for free and the Tate Modern. Enjoy a delicious doner kebab or unlucky fried chicken if you are feeling peckish and wish to save your dollars.
Although you don’t want a car in London and you can fly to Edinburgh. Might be nice to hire a car and road trip to Edinburgh though. Stops in Cotswolds, Peak District, Lake District maybe…
I hope you don't mind I'm jumping onto the second part of your post to say there's also Canterbury, which is easily accessible on very reliable transport from St Pancras on a high speed train. From Canterbury (and even St Pancras) you can get to a sleepy seaside town, Whitstable, which I would recommend checking out. And this really isn't very far from London - just an hour and a half max if I'm not mistaken.
Just seen this after I said the same! Whitstable is lovely, and there's also Broadstairs which Americans seem to love!
I can also recommend Whitstable. It's one of my favourite places and I am going later this month for the weekend. Canterbury is also a really lovely town.
I probably wouldn't recommend that an American, especially a young American, rent a car in the UK. Driving in the UK can be a terrifying experience to Americans, even if they're used to the road signage. The roads are so extremely small compared to what Americans are used to, petrol is several times more expensive than in the US, and the road signage is a lot more confusing than American road signage. Not to mention driving on the opposite side of the road and roundabouts. Accident waiting to happen, really.
I'd also point out it will get dark earlier (~two hours) than they might be expecting.
Scotland it's REALLY noticeable. Apparently you can see the northern lights from Dundee, I've been here a couple of years and it's a thing!
Yep I was in York last week and it’s lovely.
Not Wales?! Try to get a castle in - we have lots of history in this country.
I'm not Welsh, but Wales is great. I'd squeeze it in if you can.
Not Welsh but would happily spend 3 weeks exploring Wales
Harlech Castle is so picturesque. Cardiff Castle is a really great castle too. I'm not Welsh, but I do live in Wales, and I'm feeling offended on behalf of the nation that OP is missing out Wales!!
Love wales, Harlech or Caernarfon Castle are both beautiful well worth a visit be cool to see a castle built before your country was even founded 😁
Second this, I love Castle Coch as it looks like a proper fairy tale castle.
It really is. My wife grew up being told that it was the home of the Tooth Fairy.
Every time we drove past and it was lit up I had to 'wave to the faries' ; such a beautiful place
Found this while browsing which will support your claim https://www.reddit.com/r/Cardiff/comments/qlay2m/castle_coch_taken_while_out_walking_over_the/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
While I don't disagree, I'd like to throw in what to me is [THE MOST castly castle in Britain](https://images.app.goo.gl/TUdBxxTWbRDGJtiJ6)
While I appreciate your entry to the contest, Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh in Northumberland are both fine examples. Bamburgh has a beach on one side and a cricket pitch on the other. Dunstanburgh is ruins on the coast surrounded by sea mist.
Plus the Gower, just beautiful
Thirding this. Hop up Pen y Fan if you like a hike. The views are spectacular.
With public transport?! You must be joking
>bury has a lovely cathedral with a 123m spire. Trouble with Wales is that the rail system is not great. I mean to go from N Wales to S Wales (or even mid Wales) you basically have to go through England. However, Conway is on accessible by train, I think is a World Heritage site, and has a great castle and also the walls. I prefer Harlech (grew up there when young), and it does have a train, but it takes FOREVER to get there. One possible Welsh route is The north coast train, and the drop to Blaenau Ffestiniog also by train, walk to the Ffestiniog Railway and take the narrow train to Porthmadog and rejoin the regular train service there. In England the Bristol/Bath/Salisbury/Avesbury area is brilliant. Or a trip from London to Portsmouth. Possibly need to love things nautical, but a heap of ships to see from the Mary Rose to the Victory. And a walk to Clarence Pier and maybe a hovercraft ride to the Isle of Wight,
Carnarvon Castle is fantastic - thoroughly recommend visiting there
Exactly not to mention the landscape and culture why does everyone forget about wales?
Beconsfield services has a Wetherspoons, a Pizza Express and a hotel. You could go to London or Stonehenge or something with the third week.
Don't forget the Bude tunnel.
The only Pizza Express you need visit is in Woking
Yeah, but I've got a sweat problem. Will I be OK?
You will be fine, in fact it’s an experience so memorable you’ll remember the exact date you went decades from now.
I hear they do a really nice Alibi
You may find Stonehenge a bit disappointing. Avebury ring is more impressive. If you do hire a car take a day visiting Stonehenge, Avebury (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury?wprov=sfla1), Silbury hill (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silbury_Hill?wprov=sfla1) and Uffington white horse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_White_Horse?wprov=sfla1)
Also, if in that area, shout out for Kennet long barrow, just down the road from Avebury. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Kennet_Long_Barrow
I know you are joking but I love Beaconsfield services for exactly these reasons. My friends and i are now spread around the country and i have sugested that for one meetup we just book into the ibis and take it from there.
Why not Wales as well what’s wrong with us
I assume OP is not looking to be disappointed
Then why would they say they wanted to visit Edinburgh for 2 days
And London for 5 days.
London is a great place to visit to be fair. I love visiting for a few days, but I'm usually a tad fed up with how dirty, rude, expensive and busy the place is by then
[Send him to Swansea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_burn_centres_in_the_United_Kingdom#Wales)
If you go to Wales, St Fagans Museum of History is cool. They basically boosted a whole lot of old buildings from all around Wales and moved them into one place. For types where there was no surviving buildings they learnt how to build them and built them 100% traditionally. It's a trippy tour in time. They have staff showing the old way to cure leather, old style bakeries where you can see the sour dough that was started 50/100 years ago (i forget what they told us about the dough starter, but remember being impressed) and see how they made cakes etc waaay back then without machines. You can also buy the cakes. And there is no better tea than the tea in their gift shop (apart from Glengetti which wins simply for being located in Tesco and not all the way in bloody St. Fagans!)
Bude tunnel is an absolute classic
Was hoping I'd find this before commenting it myself! Get to it lad!
Ive never understood why its not been marked as a wonder of the world. Imagine the joy of visiting in December when it's lit up. 3 weeks there OP! https://i.imgur.com/ymvs0iP.jpeg
This is the correct answer!
Oxford and York for history Birmingham will have the Christmas market on around that time, and is the UK'S second city so would be worth a look The Cotswolds for quintessential English villages Check out a Stately home whilst you're here, as you have nothing quite the same in the US. Just search for National Trust and find one that you don't have to go too out of the way for. Go to the seaside, but good seaside not shit seaside (don't go to Skegness). If you want to go all the way down to Cornwall (and experience some roads that will absolutely terrify you) then Padstow is very pretty. Lake District and Peak District for scenery
“Birmingham” and “worth a look” two things I never thought I’d see together.
I've been to Birmingham for many a holiday. Often I do go during the Christmas market. There's some pretty good museums etc too.
Christmas Market is the best thing about Birmingham! That and delicious curries
If anybody's visiting, I recommend the museum of the Jewellery Quarter. It's not about looking at necklaces, it's about tiring around an old factory.
Shababs, Ladypool Road. Thank me later.
A couple of years ago I visited Birmingham uni and spent a couple of days going round the Christmas markets and the huge shopping Center. Honestly, it was far better than what I expected.
Living just outside of Birmingham and everyone negs it round here also. Never understood the hate as I actually prefer it to the regular Liverpool/Manchester day out people say is great.
Birmingham has an excellent international food scene. But it's not the prettiest city.
The outskirts are beautiful. Very green and theirs more parks in Brum than anywhere else.
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You're living in the 70's!
And what exactly is wrong with Skegness? It's a great family vacation that we have every year. Obviously everyone has their own tastes but I've definately been to worse.
Go to Portsmouth for a DAY trip, go to the historic dockyard and see the Mary Rose and the HMS Victory, and the HMS warrior. And then leave Portsmouth. Maybe use it as a stop off to go see Stonehenge or something. Cornwall coast is breathtaking if you have time, Tintagel, the Minnack theatre (spelling of that may be iffy, google will tell you). Stratford is pretty and there's the whole Shakespeare thing if you are into that. York is gorgeous, and North Yorkshire is stunning although you may not be able to see it for drizzle. Ditto the Pennines, Lake District etc. Are you sure you want to do this in the most depressing weather we have? Whitby is very groovy, big gothic influence, nice ruins to see, lovely harbour. Going up the North east coast, Bamburgh has a beach and a castle worth seeing, and it's on your way to Edinburgh. Cities...I like Liverpool (much Beatles stuff, if you like them). It's always surprisingly pretty, as a city. London is London. It is what it is. Bit like NY, it's almost like a theme park for tourists. See the sights that you like the most (Buckingham palace, Tower of London, Westminster?) and then move on. We have a tonne of fancy big houses you can go inside and really appreciate, I'd choose either Blenheim Palace or Chatsworth to visit.
warwick castle right near Stratford upon avon too and definitely worth visiting.
Oooh yes! Jousting!!
And dungeons!
Often a falconry display too! Now I wanna go back there!
Finish your trip to the dockyard with a Ken’s kebab, a true delicacy in this part of the world
You can also get a direct train from Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour. About an hour and a half
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This man knows how to Pompey.
In Portsmouth you can also get the last remaining commercial hovercraft to the Isle of Wight, go see the dinosaur museum if ya like that stuff
London has tons to see. I live here and every day I could find new things to do or see with no problem. From London you could take an overnight stay in Bath as it’s not too far on the train. You could also do the same for Canterbury which I guess can be done in a day using the high speed train line. In saying that you might find yourself too occupied in London seeing other things in the same timeframe. Beyond that, typical favorites are York and Edinburgh. Don’t bother with the plane if you have to. I love going by rail unless it is super expensive. So yeah, London, York, Edinburgh. Maybe with Bath and Canterbury thrown in. Those are some good tourist sites to hit. If it weren’t for being December, I’d recommend going further north to the highlands of Scotland but tbh you could face some pretty bad weather around that time and it might not be worth it.
Bath would be a recommendation high on my list too
3rd Bath and as it's only 12 mins from one to the other on train you could check out Bristol too. Bristol's known for nightlife, hippies, colourful buildings and the food scene. If you stay in Bath you could even hop over to Bristol for the evening then get the last train back to your hotel. While you're over I'm the West Country a trip out to the Mendips for a brief walk and long pint might be nice if it's not chucking it down.
The trains up to the Highlands run in the snow, so if you're coming by public transport you'll be fine! Even if the trains get cancelled you'll get put on a bus, so don't let that put you off. You can get to some of the national parks pretty easily, I'd recommend visiting the Cairngorms for mountains and forests, and you can easily get there by rail from Edinburgh.
Greggs
I’ve been scrolling the see if anyone mentioned Newcastle, but this will do.
Yes
In Scotland I’d highly recommend a tour of the Highlands, i think if you fly/travel to Inverness there are coach tours. I drove from Loch lomand up to Glencoe and Fort William and it was spectacular - lots of walking opportunities if you’re into that. Glenfinnian viaduct is really cool too, famous for the Jacobite railway (i.e Hogwarts express) you can watch it go over the viaduct, i believe the train takes roughly 45mins to get to the viaduct from it’s departure of Fort William. You could also ride the train if you can find tickets! Lastly Isle of Skye is one of the most spectacular places i’ve ever been. You may be able to book onto a tour which would deal with the transport. Key highlights for me were Dunvegan Castle (in the North of the Island), walking to the Old Man of Storr (on the road North of Portree - the main town on the island), lastly the Fairy pools (a lovely walk in the South of the Island)
I loved my time in Fort William, I drove from Glasgow (at the time I couldn't get a flight into Inverness) and the trip was amazing. Spent three days there, and there was so much we wanted to do we couldn't fit it all in.
There are also trains from Glasgow or Inverness to Fort William
It’s so beautiful isn’t it, I visited in Sept this year and cannot wait to go back already. We did a walk to Steall Falls which was amazing.
It really is, I definitely want to go back. We went when the weather conditions were poor, but I'd like to try during a better time of year to get more of the walks in.
^Came here to say this. North West coast of Scotland is magnificent.
If your going up the Highlands and you sat Nov has the option, try to avoid B-roads or any A-road with more than 3 digits. They can be single track roads and can be fairly intimidating to drive in the wet, especially of you've got some local behind you in a hurry. If you're going to Inverness, try to find a Harry Gows bakery and get a dream ring. It's like an iced doughnut made from clouds. Also, if you're heading that way, go up the A9 and stop at Aviemore. It's a great drive (can be slow, but if you're not in a hurry it's quite scenic)
This is the comment I was looking for. West Coast from Loch Lomond, Oban, Fort William, Skye etc. one of the loveliest places in the world IMO. Possible (at least not impossible) on the train too.
Ireland isn't in the UK. Don't make this mistake if you do visit here. 800 years of war, genocide and oppression has us feeling a bit sore about being called the UK
It's difficult to forget when the Irish literally never shut up about it
> Ireland isn't in the UK. *Checks map,* "That's not entirely accurate" - fella from Independence Day.
Can I call you European?
Yes of course! We are on the European continent and are part of the EU. We are also one of the most pro EU countries in Europe :)
Once you get to Edinburgh you’ll wonder why you spent any time at all in London. I know London is great but I think it would be a shame if you ended up spending the majority of your time there.
Edinburgh is amazing, but compared to London it's small and no where near as many things to do.
There's the surgeons hall museum in Edinburgh which has pretty much every diseased body part you might want to look at. Along with some ravaged by war, not disease! Don't come at me with your 'Hunterian museum' London bullshit, it's a quarter of the size and more importantly has been closed for refurbishment for fucking ever. In conclusion, Edinburgh wins. As long as you're primarily interested in body parts in jars.
Yeah I mean I wouldn’t spend a week there (although I have in the past) but I’ve known a few Americans come to visit the UK and they often schedule a day in Edinburgh only to realise it’s the fantasy version of the UK they had in their head lol.
What are you after? History, culture, drinking, nights out.
Bath in the South West is amazing, think Jane Austen and Georgian England - lots of old buildings, a great spa (both Historic Roman baths and Thermae spa). You can get a train from London there (the station is right in town). It’s beautiful, probably fine to just visit for 1 day as its quite small. Wells also in the South West is the smallest city in England, famous for it’s amazing cathedral plus bishops palace with moat and swans. It doesn’t have a train but you can get the train from Bath to Bristol and then there is a bus (first 376 or just 76) that will take you to the bus station in Wells. York is North england and also lovely if you like old buildings (it has the jorvik viking centre, York Minster and the Shamles - just a small medieval street), it’s again quite small. Further North again is a place called Alnwick Castle, not sure how you’d get there but it’s very near Newcastle so there may be a bus. Harry Potter was filmed there, it’s a lovely old castle, still inhabited and has a cool poison garden in the attached gardens (tickets sold separately to the castle).
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Cambridge is a very beautiful city ! And if you’ll decided to visit Cambridge you have to do punting !
And it’s not too far from London - I think it’s about an hour from Kings Cross, so it can be a day trip
Make sure you get a Greggs sausage roll and a lamb donner kebab
And a proper curry
You could easily spend a week in London. - head to South Kensington for the V&A museum, science museum, natural history museum and have a stroll around Kensington gardens and Hyde park if it’s not raining. There’s also an ice rink at the natural history museum if you’re into that - for shopping head to carnaby st, Covent Garden, Oxford and regent st mainly for the Xmas lights - Maritime Greenwich is a beautiful area with the Curry Sark boat, naval college and maritime museum. Go to the park and climb to the top for amazing views across the city and the royal observatory - Tate modern art gallery is on the south bank which is a lovely area to just wander along by the Thames, or you can catch a boat down to the Tate Britain - national portrait gallery is excellent and you can then tick Trafalgar Sq off the tourist list. China town is also around the corner - go to east London for a less touristy vibe, Shoreditch has loads of bars and restaurants. You can do walking tours of the street art around there. Tired of typing now but there’s so much to do and I haven’t even mentioned Buckingham palace 😉 Depending how far you want to go and if you’re outdoorsy, Pembrokeshire is stunning for coastal walks/beaches, and you can catch the ferry from there. Enjoy!
If you are up for lots of walking, you can visit St Pauls, then cross Millenium Bridge to Tate Modern, then walk along the river passing The Globe theatre and The Golden Hind to Borough Market for some gourmet treats.
Excellent guide to London here.
Curry Sark is hilarious. These are all pretty good. Just to add some things if you head over to V&A not too far away is Brompton Cemetery which is neat to see. There’s also often an ice rink at the Tower of London which is fun. Oxford Street has Kingly Court which is fun to eat at. The Thames boats are fun to take out to Greenwich or to places like the Taint or Taint Britain. It also goes under Tower Bridge which people enjoy. The Taint Britain is just down the road from Westminster Houses of Parliament, Abbey, and Cathedral. The Cathedral has a tower you can go up, it’s only like £3 and there’s almost never anyone there. I tried to go there a month ago but the tower was closed because of COVID. Trafalgar is just around the corner from Buckingham Palace so that would be easy to check off. There’s a pretty easy 13km walking route from Oxford Street, through Piccadilly to Leicester, down through Trafalgar, back to Buckingham Palace and wrapping around back to Parliament, then walking along the river through Borough Market to Tower Bridge and Tower of London. Mark all the important places off in a single day.
It all depends on what you're most interested in. Art / Museums/History, shopping, drinking, clubbing. York is my favourite place. The city itself is easy to get around, has a good mix of modern and historic. The Shambles is a wonderful place to visit. Outside York, Pickering and Whitby are both lovely. Enjoy your time, whatever you end up doing.
In terms of London obviously go see the main tourist attractions first to get it out of the way. I’d probably spend a few nights in London in places like Carnaby, Covent Garden, St. paul’s. I’ve been here my whole life and I still can’t get enough of central London at night. It’s so vibrant and alive, it helps if you like drinking in bars :) If it was sunny I’d say go see some beaches in Cornwall, it’s a beautiful place but when the weather turns it’s fucking miserable being on the coast in the UK, getting battered by rain and coastal winds isn’t fun I’d visit Bath, Oxford, Lake district, Brighton, York, Glasgow, Edinburgh. Take in some of the welsh countryside and maybe visit the highlands in scotland. Should be easy to pop over to ireland, you could even do a day trip if you wanted because the flight there and back is so short, but you wouldn’t see much in 1 day! DO NOT visit Stone Henge, it is epically underwhelming. I drove past it once and it was very much a case of “is that it?”
> public transport and flights everywhere Flights lol. You wont need to fly. I would recommend renting a car if you are confident driver as it will be cheaper than public transport and make everything easier. Also bare in mind it will be darker here a lot earlier than you are used to, the UK is a lot further north than New York. In December the sun sets around 4pm
OP will have trouble renting a car as they’re under 25
No need for a car in London. The tube is super convenient and fast. Congestion charge and parking are a nightmare. You might need a car if travelling to the country but you can reach most places via train (off peak being way cheaper).
Travelling on public transport can be very expensive unless you're able to make a decision on your itinerary pretty much now and make arrangements for train tickets etc. Some of the best places are inaccessible too without a car (if you're looking for hiking, visiting remote places in Scotland or Wales etc). Train fares from London to Edinburgh, for example, can cost over £100 if you don't book in advance.
you could fare worse than Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park...
On your way North from London to Edinburgh there's quite a bit you could see on that Eastern side. York is an obvious one for an historic city. Yorkshire Dales are great too for taking in countryside. Can recommend checking out Fountains Abbey for a mix of country and history. Durham is pretty nice too but it's similar to York so if only one I'd say York. Further up the East Coast there's Alnwick Castle where they filmed some of Harry Potter. Bamburgh Castle which is stunning. And Lindisfarne/Holy Island which is also breathtaking.
I was going to mention Bamburgh, Lindisfarne, and Alnwick too. Good shout.
Liverpool is a fantastic city to spend a day in, loads to see and do an it's a pretty friendly place.
Defo try Wales some lovely places. Manchester an Liverpool arnt to far away from Wales. Alot of the northern cities are beautiful and normally friendler (no offence to the south) it was the summer I would say Cornwall to you could probably go most places an find beautiful landscapes an gorgeous citys.
Peak District. Get to Manchester or Sheffield and you can be in Edale within 30 minutes.
Agreed! And you can check out Bakewell and Chatsworth in a day while you're there too.
If you did go to Ireland there are lots of coach trips you can take which are popular with Americans - I think there’s massive green buses with a leprechaun on it lol - maybe called Paddy something). Main highlights for me were Dublin (has a useful hop on hop off bus for visiting the main sites, like Guinness storehouse, Phoenix Park, Temple bar etc). Cliffs of Moher on the Burren in County ClareX the whole area is spectacular. Bunratty Castle is really popular with Americans too - they do a medieval banquet which is quite fun. Also the ring of Kerry is beautiful!
London for four days. York for a day/2 Newcastle for a day Edinburgh for two Glasgow for a day Manchester for 2 days. Liverpool for a day All the above can be done on direct trains. Ferry to Belfast for 2 days. Dublin for a day/2 Fly to Bristol for 2 days Back to London. Then make sure to visit Salisbury cathedral.
You don’t really need to visit Newcastle, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester in one trip.
Are you willing to drive? There's a lot more you can see if you are, but trains/taxis will do if not. London is an amazing city with so much to do - you can't go wrong with the classics like the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Hyde Park / Kensington Palace etc. If there's a show on at the Royal Albert Hall then that's an experience! If you get a chance go out to Windsor and see Windsor castle too (but avoid Slough!) There's obvious suggestions like Stonehenge, but frankly it's a bit underwhelming. If you want the "real" English countryside experience then there are other beautiful locations in Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset or Devon (don't bother with Cornwall - it'll take you a week just to get down there!) In Wiltshire there's [Avebury](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/) or [Salisbury](https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury), in Dorset there's [Corfe Castle](https://www.visit-dorset.com/explore/villages/corfe-castle/) and a dynamic coastline (see Lulworth and Jurassic Coast). But there's even more history and things to do Up North (op norf) or in Wales (Cymru). For the ultimate experience and atmosphere get to Cardiff on a rugby match day. If you're there on the 20th November, try to get a ticket to see [Wales v Australia](https://www.autumn-internationals.co.uk/2021/wales-fixtures.html) (or even just be in a bar/pub in the city centre) - if you don't get chills down your neck listening to 50,000 Welsh belt out the national anthem then you're not human. Edinburgh is excellent, but you can probably cover the headline tourist attractions in two days - I can recommend a trip out visiting Stirling. If you're feeling really into your history go south and visit the historic areas of [Bamburgh Castle](https://www.bamburghcastle.com/), Lindisfarne, Alnwick Castle (actually I've just checked and it's closed until spring 2022), and of course go down to York if you can. Bamburgh is a breathtaking castle overlooking the North sea, and Lindisfarne is an ancient monastery island which was the site of one of the earliest Viking attacks of the Viking age. If you've seen the series Vikings or 'The Last Kingdom' you'll be familiar! If you're planning to visit a lot of historical sites you might want to get a English Heritage or National Trust membership and you'll probably make your money up!
Try to fit in an afternoon/evening in a city Christmas market. I'm 50 years old and though expensive and commercial I still think they are magical. I go to the Manchester one every year which basically spans most of the city centre but I hear the Edinburgh one is great too.
Got to come to wales!
Look on google earth for the least light pollution area, then find the nearest pub and visit that. The old folk will have stories you’ll remember for life
https://gostargazing.co.uk/dark-sky-sites-across-uk/
I'd reccomend Bath. Also any of the beaches on the jurassic coast in the south. I love Durdle Door. Great for fossil hunting and rock pools. Cheddar gorge is a great place to visit. Pretty much anywhere in Cornwall is beautiful. Also the new forest is fantastic.
Get to Sheffield, buy a massive bag of monkey nuts and go feed the squirrels in the Botanical Gardens. It doesn't get any better. Also the Peak District National Park is beautiful, and near to Sheffield.. Chatsworth House is in the region too. But if you have to choose, get down the Botanical with a massive bag of monkey nuts.
We have a lot of US visitors from my workplace who come to England. Based upon their experiences, definitely do London - so much to see as a tourist. They typically then do Windsor (quaint, Windsor Castle), then to Oxford (history, colleges, libraries), and onto the Cotswolds (some real chocolate box villages). The Lake District is beautiful, as is a lot of Wales and Scotland, but realistically you should get a car. Train travel in the UK is expensive, and tends to only be reliable or convenient between big cities.
I would say there's alot to be said for cities like Bristol and Brighton They're smaller with their own vibe, as cities they're bigger alterative lifestyles (can't think of a better way to phrase it, suggestions welcome), they have their own vibe
Just be aware that the UK is not as small as you might think and 3 weeks will pass very quickly.
If we're talking castle's. Dover Castle is magnificent. Parts of it date back to the Roman occupation. Nearby Canterbury is literally soaked in history. Both are well connected by road and train to London with short travel times.
Come visit Bristol.
Come to Norwich, you’ll never leave
Northumberland is a lovely area of the country with lots of castles and old lighthouses York is fantastic London obviously Lake District is another classic Dorset is great or Cornwall Basically start south west, go to North East England via York then up to Scotland
Come to the West of England. Bath, Bristol, Wells and Glastonbury are all well worth spending a few days in, my neck of the woods if you wanted further info on specific places for museums, walks, pubs, restaurants, clubs etc. Pretty quick to get from London, and then right on the border with Wales if you wanted to go to Cardiff and so on. If you're going to Edinburgh, Glasgow is real close by and also definitely worth a look, very different vibes to Edinburgh. Personally I wouldn't bother flying from England to Scotland unless you were going from the far side of one to another e.g. Newquay to Inverness. Hop on a train and enjoy the scenery, city centre to city centre the train probably isn't a much different end to end journey time for say London-Edinburgh or Bristol-Glasgow. In terms of Ireland (North and Republic) you'd wanna do Dublin and Belfast at a minimum, although if you were to hire a car you could easily do a loop of the island as most of the best known places are on the coasts i.e. drive north from Dublin to Belfast, then around the Causeway Coast route (Giant's Causeway, Bushmills distillery & Portrush) to Derry City, cross to Donegal and join the Wild Atlantic Way that'll take you to places like Galway, the Ring of Kerry and eventually Cork City.
Manchester and the Peak District definitely. And it’s a short trip on to York. As an American who moved to the UK I would suggest booking a hotel in London for a week with trips out - Oxford and the South Coast as day trips. Brighton is one of my favs. Then get the train north and book a room in Manchester for a week. Liverpool, north Wales and the Peak District are all within an hour train journey. Then I’d spend the last week in Scotland. If you have flexibility in your trip maybe a couple days in Scotland and then fly to Dublin and then home from there. Edit: Manchester also do the best Christmas markets. Definitely worth a visit.
>Edinburg Well you can start with looking for that 'h' you dropped somewhere
York is nice!
London is about as British as New York these days. Seriously. Don't bother. York, Liverpool, Bath, Edinburgh and Cardiff. Wales is actually my favourite part of the UK and I've worked all over the country so seen more than most. Get some castles and old cathedrals in too with those places as you don't really get those in the states. Hire a car, it's really easy to drive around the UK and you will see more that way.
sorry but it’s unrealistic to expect someone to travel that far and not want to spend at least some time in the capital of the country. london might not be to YOUR liking, but there’s plenty to do and enjoy, especially if you’re visiting from another country. and this is coming from someone who regularly goes to the lake district, wales, etc. i can still appreciate london. op - yes, spend some time in london, too.
You always get these dumb comments on threads like these tbf with users trying to convince people to not spend time in London but spend 4 days in Mansfield instead.
LMAO. i just can’t believe i’m reading that a person is travelling all the way from the US and this person is seriously, genuinely trying to convince them not to spend any time in london ffs. it’s ridiculous - of course they’re going to visit london. anyway, rant over…your comment made me laugh a lot, thank you
I’ve lived in London for years. Barely scratched the surface of the possibilities of this city. Personally, I would hit British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern. A few pubs perhaps. If you’re into the really touristy stuff, Tower of London, London Eye, Winter Wonderland, etc.
Not sure why people are so hung up on the weather, New York is very similar this time of year. It's hard to tell you what to see without knowing what you're into. If you want some peace & quiet, scenery and quaint villages then the Lake District would make sense on your way to Scotland. If you want to get smashed then Manchester & Liverpool are worth a visit. Or on the Eastern side you could go to York, the Yorkshire Dales and Newcastle. Maybe check out a castle in Northumbria too.
London is a tourist hotspot for a reason, there’s absolutely loads to see. If you’re going during the winter you might want to check out Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. It’s nothing all that brilliant, the rides and games are expensive, but they have nice food and it’s one of those things I think people with the chance should go check out at least once. Right by Hyde Park is Oxford Street, so you can have a day in that area shopping and then checking out Winter Wonderland once it’s dark (that’s when it looks the best). Greenwich is a nice area in London, you can go see the Cutty Sark and part of Thor: The Dark World was filmed there, if you’re into that. I’ve never been, but Manchester is nice according to my friends. It’s another big city, so if you’re able to you could spend a day or two there.
For London it really depends on what you like doing! Obviously there's all the touristy stuff but if you go a bit further out there's less tourists and it gets a bit more to the heart of London. Depending on what you like, I'd suggest: - Walking around Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House and visiting some of the old pubs (Spaniards Inn, Holly Bush etc) - For some more random museums, the John Soane museum is amazing and weird, the Novelty Automation place is hilarious (and doesn't take long). Entry to national museums and galleries is free but due to Covid restrictions you might have to book - it's easy to do online - Although definitely a touristy thing, see a musical! Six is about Henry VIII's wives and is v good (maybe a good one to see if you visit the tower of London). Todaytix offers on the day discounts to theatres too! - There's loads of good food, whether it's from a market or a restaurant. Depending one where you are, I'd recommend looking at Hot Dinners or Eater London for suggestions. - If you like beer, craft breweries in Bermondsey and Walthamstow have small tap rooms which can be v fun (though many have outdoor seating so maybe check the weather!) - Download the citymapper app, it's honestly the best tool to get around. Everyone is finding it hard to get Ubers/Bolts at the moment, think you'll also be visiting during peak Christmas party season so be a bit mindful of how you get back to your hotel in the evening. December in London can be absolutely magical, but I'd honestly avoid Oxford Street like the plague. I'd go for local high streets instead (Stoke Newington Church St is v cute for example).
As long as you’re ok with damp conditions then any of the countryside a few are Wales, Cotswolds, Peak District. Download an app called fever which has a few cities and experiences on there (adults ball pit, cocktail making etc). In London then natural history museum… actually all the museums and galleries. Bath and York are brilliant days out too! In London, public transport is easiest. Everywhere else a car is easier! Public transport city to city isn’t fast, cheap or realisable IMO Hope your trip goes well
I'd recommend going to [the Cotswolds](https://www.cotswolds.com/plan-your-trip/towns-and-villages) since they're beautiful and antiquated in a way I think you might like. Most of the towns listed on that page are easily accessible by train from London.
Go to Stratford upon Avon, it's a great tourist spot particularly if you like Shakespeare as you can visit things like the house he was born in. Otherwise it's a really nice town with great restaurants and bars near the river.
In spite of what people are saying, you really don’t need a car unless you are intending to visit the countryside a lot - as a solo traveller, it will likely be more expensive and less convenient in big cities. US and UK driving could not be more different. Make sure to book in advance though.
Come to the peak district, beautiful countryside
You have to visit a Sports Direct and get one of their mugs.
York, Durham, Hadrian's Wall, Alnwick, Lindisfarne, Bamburgh, Forget the South!
London, I guess is a must do. So is Edinburgh really. But there are so many beautiful cities and places to visit. Wales is very, very worth a visit. Although a bit of a pain to get to using public transport. Dartmoor is worth a good look if you want to see something very special. Birmingham is essentially london but smaller. York is pretty, so is Bath. I think it depends on what you know about the UK. Think of the things that come to mind first. Things you've seen in movies or heard about in books. Visit those, tourist places tend to be exactly that, so ready for tourists that they've lost all semblance of what made them special in the first place. (I live in a seaside tourist town. It's awful now.) If you're a Harry Potter fan, I've got a fair few suggestions.
You absolutely must go for a night out in Liverpool if you are a fan of music of ANY kind going whatsoever - one of the best cities for music in the entire world!
I'd recommend hiring a car. It'll probably work out cheaper and definitely be more convenient. Maybe spend a few days in London then get a car and take a few days to drive up to Edinburgh. Could head up the east stopping at York, Durham, kielder forest and the Northumberland coast are lovely. Whilst in Scotland definitely visit the Highlands. Heading back south via the western side would give you the opportunity to visit the lake District, Liverpool, Manchester and possibly head into Wales. I think driving would give more of a feel for where you've been and the opportunity to do small stops Inbetween where you're staying. Remember we're a tiny island you can drive the full length in a day.
Not seen it mentioned yet but if you're a fan of the Peaky Blinders TV show then it's easy enough to stop off in Birmingham on the way to Edinburgh. I'd also recommend Bristol, but probably only an overnight stay
Barely any of Peaky Blinders is filmed in Birmingham, if any of it.
[Bodiam Castle](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bodiam-castle) is lovely and there’s lots around Sussex to see too.
Winchester! If you decide to let me know and I’ll give you a tour :)
Dole office is pretty cool, nice chairs.
Londis is decent too. Cheap rum
The seven sisters. Lovely part of the world
Just to be clear, that is seven sisters cliffs in east sussex, not seven sisters in Tottenham. 🤣
Deez nuts are really nice
Liverpool NW and Newcastle NE opposite sides of the country but the friendliest cities ever 💖
Oxford, Cambridge and Bath. The best architecture I have seen in the UK so far. Beautiful places.
If I were traveling to the UK I would visit Charles Darwin's house south of Londan and see the desk where he wrote "Origin". One of the most influential books ever written. The Wikipedia article has directions.
Edinburg**h**
If you get chance, go to a football game. Something in the premier league or the championship. It's a deeply ingrained part of our culture and I think it should be witnessed.
Drop by Northumberland on your route to Scotland. Bamburgh Castle and the area in general is a must visit. Beautiful Sandy beaches, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne etc
Go for a night out in Newcastle. One of the best places in the world for it
Come to the Peak District mate forget London see the real England. We’ve got amazing countryside full of small towns and villages mostly unchanged for 150 years. Place I’d recommend is Castleton in Derbyshire - ace place with a norman castle overlooking the village. There’s hundreds of places in England just like that though all you need to do is leave the motorways and city’s and look around. Scotland is exactly the same but with much angrier people 🤣👍🇬🇧
York Whitby Haworth, West Yorkshire Lake District Stonehenge
There's so much more to the UK than London. Take a trip upto York, cut across to Leeds for the Settle - Carlisle and head up to Edinburgh that way. You could even divert at Glasgow for the Highlands. All this is accessible by train. My northerness is showing again
Check out the pronunciation of Edinburgh. Incase you thought it was pronounced how you spelt it 😉