Visiting the U.K. Must see sights? Tips for international travel?

[Atomic Dog]

Well, I'm very excited. After talking for years about visiting family in England we are leaving this june for 12 days. We have a lot to do in a short amount of time.

Luckily our Aunt is a fantastic lady and is letting us stay with her in a rather large house in County Kent so our costs will be low. She's also a world traveler and can easily show us the local sights.



Now the scary part is that I'm not an experienced international traveler. I went to Italy with the parents but I was in high school and they did all the work. So I wanted to ask all you experts on tips and tricks, places to see, or any info you can give me about how to make this a nice smooth trip (within reason that is)


Our base of operation is Gillingham, and we will basically see whatever we feel like seeing. Aside from England we were going to make a day or two trip to Ireland, and maybe hit up Edinburgh if we feel like it.



~B


(Oh, I'm not too thrilled about leaving the guns at home, but we will make due)

[King 5.45]

You shouldn't miss Bury St. Edmunds, Ely, Lavenham, Newmarket, Colchester, and Nottingham, which are all north of there. London is a given, as should be Oxford, as well. I visited with relatives in Suffolk when I was a kid.

Oh, yeah, travel tips. Um, pack light and wear your boots or your heaviest shoes back and forth rather than lugging them. Think electronically when getting money or spending, it's just easier, and go with as little UK cash as possible -- exchange rates at places like airports are never very good. Some folks invest in an international cell phone and buy a SIM wherever they are. Don't over-pan and be flexible and open to change in the itinerary -- the best part of it is plugging into somebody else's reality for a while and enjoying the difference, not punching gotta-see tickets right and left.

[slicknick131]

If you can, you have to make it to Edinburgh, Scotland. I had the time of my life there!

[Philbert]

Leeds and Dover castles are both within striking distance of Gillingham. Dover Castle has a long history but there's also some interesting WWII history there. Speaking of WWII history, I am quite into that so I would mention a few other things:

* The American chapel in St Paul's Cathedral, London. It is a memorial to the US servicemen who died in the liberation of Europe in WWII.

* Bletchley Park (near Milton Keynes). You can get a train up there from Euston. Bit of a trek but you can see the place where the allies cracked the enigma. This is one of my favorite places because it combines computer nerdiness with WWII nerdiness

* Cabinet War Rooms, London. Underground bunkers where Churchill spent many nights of the Blitz, when he had better things to do than go up on the roof to watch what was going on.

The CWR cost money, I think, but many of London's Museums are free. Natural History is pretty cool if you have kids. The Museum of London is really worth checking out to learn the history.

If you have a car, you can also hit Darwin's family home at Down House, which is near Biggin Hill (which was a major RAF base and home to an American Eagle Squadron). It's his 200th birthday this year so there may be special events on.

Out near Orpington there's an excavated Roman villa that is pretty cool.

[PA Rifleman]

I'm BIG into history, this would be very high on my list:

http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/

[Grizz2720]

Skipton Castle, York Minster, Tower of London, Peter Pans Statue in Hyde park London, Stonehedge, Bath and Canterbury are all places I visted and would want to see again. Get maps of where you are going. Above all when on foot be careful crossing the streets they drive on the wrong side of the road and that means the cars come from the wrong way when you are on foot. It is scary to have a car come blasting past you from the wrong side when you are about to step off the curb. Remember you are in a foreign land their ways are not our ways. The British boil their food into submission and they do have the worlds worst sausage. I don't like beer but when I was in Skipton across the street from the castle I had a pint of Biters it was dark and it was good and for the life of me I can't think of it name. The museums were great.
Grizz

[weaselchew]

I've spent a good bit of time just west of London (near Windsor) - there is so much to do / see just in and around London. Between the castles, museums, prisons, and overall "things to see" you can spend your whole trip in the London area and still not see everything. If/when you are in the downtown area, you may want to check into travelcards & day passes (or even the oyster card if you are doing a lot in the area.) Not only do they work on the underground, you can use them on buses, trams, and even some rails. (the single fare tickets can add up quick)

I'd definitely suggest checking out some of the already recommended parts of the "country" as it gives you a perspective of "real" England.

Driving is actually not that difficult and can end up being a good bit cheaper than other means of transportation, especially if you get a deal on a rental or can borrow. I wouldn't advise driving in London though, it's a bit nuts. Also, not only do you have to pay practically everywhere you go, there is the "congestion charging zone" you have to pay for just driving through during the week. It's nice having a navigator at first... If your family is driving you around, even better.

You might be able to ferry over to France or Belgium if you felt inclined to. I liked the "Dutch" (Flemish) part of Belgium. I haven't been to France yet. Ireland would be awesome, it's at the top of my "to visit" list and it's also where my part of my family is from. I'd definitely pick Ireland over France/Belgium

Make sure you try some Ribena (Blackcurrant juice) while you are there... I got addicted to the stuff there. I brought back 2 liters of the concentrate on my last visit in fact, I always hit up a supermarket or two and load up on stuff you can't find here.

As someone mentioned, I try to wear my heavy/bulky items when flying to reduce packing space. I also try to keep metal stuff to a minimum (no belt, etc.) to avoid any snags there. I also usually pack an extra empty bag folded up in my suitcase... in the event I go overboard on gifts/goodies/whatnot, I'll split some things up into it.

Have you picked an airline? I've mostly used Virgin Atlantic's "Premium Economy" Don't fly their "Upper Class" unless you want to hate every flight you take that's not "Upper Class" It's absolutely ridiculous...

[greasy]

Be prepared to deal with a huge airport.

The ferry across to Ireland can be a PITA depending on weather. The channel gets very rough. One of the times that we did it, we were all feeling really sick and there was a group of guys smoking weed next to the bathroom... not enjoyable at all.

I lived there for a bit more than 5 years. Unfortunately I can't remember many specifics. Most of it has been covered in here though.


Depending on how much time you have, there is some really nice country side. You can head out for a few days and do some walking trips, staying in B&B's, and just enjoying the scenery. iirc most property is open to the public, so you dont really have to worry about trespassing if you are being respectful.

[tl_3237]

Don't miss Westminster Abbey in London - can easily spend a half day. Also ditto on Edinburgh castle and city.

The 'Tube' (Underground) is well organized. You can get an all day pass and reach many of the sites of London.

[Philbert]

Don't miss Westminster Abbey in London - can easily spend a half day. Also ditto on Edinburgh castle and city.

The 'Tube' (Underground) is well organized. You can get an all day pass and reach many of the sites of London.

This, and your day pass is also valid on the bus. The scenery is much nicer on the latter, though it's slower. Too bad they got rid of the old double-deckers, but still it's nice to be above ground.