American with a question about traveling in the UK?

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Angel

Sorry i only know England, ( the UK is England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland altogether )

You must vist London ( yes it is expensive but most European cities are )
York,
Bath,
Cambridge,
Stratford upon Avon,
Oxford,
Manchester ( Most go to a Football Game, Manchester Utd )
Liverpool, ( Football, Liverpool FC )
Chester,

Countryside,

The Lake District,
North Yorkshire Moors,
The Peak District,
Northumberland,
Home Counties,
New Forest,
Yorkshire Dales,
The Chilterns,
South Downs,
Cornwall,
Devon,
Dorset,

bennachie1

Will do my best to assist with this --

1) Cork is in Ireland so a train to Edinburgh is not possible.
You can get a plane Cork to Edinburgh.
Whilst in Edinburgh - you may prefer to see a little of Scotland
Car Hire is a good way of getting around and leaves you free of public transport schedules.
A flight - Edinburgh to London would be one option the train would take about 5 - 6 hours.

As with any place - accommodation can vary hugely in price and standard.

You can browse this site to get some ideas
http://www.visitscotland.com/
For Scotland only>

And

http://www.enjoyengland.com/
For England.

To check flights from Vienna to Cork
http://flights.traveleurope.com/ireland/flights-cork.php?from=vienna

If you travelled around Europe - The Eurostar Train Departs Paris France to London
Check here
http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/index.jsp

I guess it all comes down to where you wish to start, what time you wished to spend in each location - and the routes you wish to take.

Ferries from the Scottish mainland to Ireland
see here
http://www.directferries.co.uk/poirishsea.htm

car hire
http://www.avis.co.uk/

http://www.budget.co.uk/

http://www.enterprise.co.uk/car_rental/home.do

If you are thinking about car hire you can check out routes and other info here
http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/inc/planner_main_redirect.jsp

Apex Hotels are very good and have Hotels in
London Edninburgh and Dundee

http://www.apexhotels.co.uk/

Anyways:
Good luck -
Best wishes
Andy

I almost forgot

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/
Flights to/from Ireland and lots of other places as well.
I think that travelling from Europe into the Uk would be better than Europe to Ireland and then UK.
Then make a special trip to Ireland

elmleaquack

London is expensive - bear that in mind

Trains over here can be difficult at the best time but you should be able to book tickets before you come over (see virgin trains website)

cork is in ireland - Edinburgh is in scotland - you will need a plane or boat to get from one to another - a train will not help!

Roxy dj of UK

The lake district seems to have a lot of american tourists maybe you should try it. May I recomend a very nice cosy and romantic place.
www.theknoll-lakeside.co.uk

1111111111111

Well in london you are gonna need alot of cash, i would say bring around Â£500 just for your time in london say a weekend? foods not cheep , shops not cheep and things to do again are not cheep

Julie

The tourist district of London (like Big Ben, London Eye, Trafalgar Square, the Thames, Oxford Street, Buckingham Palace, etc) is a good place to go as it's iconic. Everyone who travels to a capital city should go to the well-known sight-seeing areas, even if it's not exactly original lol!

After that though, if you're into the bar/club scene, you should take a trip to London's Shoreditch. It's in the East End and it's well known in the UK for having some of the best nightlife outside of the West End. It's pretty easy to get to from the hotels in the West End and has some nice interesting places to see. It's also nice to not be surrounded by tourists for once, even if you're one yourself =) Brick Lane (which is right next door - more or less in the same area) is also good for restaurants and nightlife.
Camden Town is great for all sorts of things too. It's in North London, but again is very easy to get to from the West End, and will be another excuse to get on the famous London Underground.

However, there are some things I have to warn you about. London, like most major cities, is rife with street crime. As a tourist, staying in the sightseeing areas where there are lots of people all in the same boat (i.e. on holiday) is less challenging than going to a different area, where there are less tourists and sadly, vulnerable people are fair game. However, you come from Chicago, which isn't exactly a small rural village so just as long as you keep the same mentality you have back home, you should be fine.

If you're into theatre, nothing beats London's West End. However, if you want something a little different or would like to get away from big groups of tourists, you could try Sadler's Wells theatre, which is a short bus ride away from the West End. You could also try the Hammersmith Apollo (via London Underground or the Tube) or Hackney Empire, which didn't quite make it into the famous East End but is still in East London and is only a bus ride away from Shoreditch. However, again, you will have to look our for yourself, especially in Hammersmith and Hackney.

Stoke Newington (same borough as Hackney Empire and Shoreditch but would need a further bus ride from the town centre, which, thankfully, is next door to the Hackney Empire) has a beautiful park (Clissold) and some really nice restaurants, so that's something to think about if you get bored of Regents Park or Hyde Park. However, again, it being in Hackney, you need to be very careful. I wouldn't recommend going late at night unless you feel 100% comfortable.

London's prices are pretty high, especially for meals out. Make sure you plan your journeys carefully, as the transport system is a bit confusing at first, even if you've lived here for years (I've grown up and lived in London all my life and I still get lost sometimes lol!). You should take a black taxi at least once just for the experience, even though they're expensive. Maybe when you go on a night out in the West End?

I couldn't give you detailed info on all of London as I only really know about East London, but hopefully these sights give you more locations
http://www.timeout.com/london/
http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ - very important for learning about how to travel in London

Enjoy your stay! =)

Daddys Gurl

It will be VERY expensive. this is london. its better if you do round london. like stay just out side. like x

cheekybear

London is a huge subject. If you want to find out about great things to do then check out - www.timeout.com/london - Have fun... xx

jillybird

Be careful where you stay, don't go for the most expensive. Middle of the road for the accommodation. See all the usual touristy sights the Palace The tower etc.Use the museums as they are free. Ask the price of everything before you buy and don't be afraid to say no its too expensive.
Make sure you see more of Britain than London, York, Chester, Birmingham, the Midlands. All these places are wonderful and have just as much history as the capital without the rip off merchants.
Enjoy your visit to our beautiful country and may I apologise in advance for;
1) the weather
2) the manners of some of my fellow countrymen

Ivan

We travelled from Boston to LA this summer passing Chicago on the I80 so these comments re USA:UK are from that recent comparison.

You wil find you pay in GBP (GB Pounds) around the same figure as you would expect to pay in USD at home for most things. Trouble is that the exchage rate is 1:2 so you will find the UK horrendously expensive. Petrol (Gas) is higher at about $11 gal.

Hotels stops are much more expensive proportionatly in the UK though the Lodge brands (similar to La Quinta; Comfort Inn etc). Travelodge,Premier Inn, Holiday Inn Express are usually good value then some of the Pub chains e.g. - Inn Keepers Lodge. Also try French brands such as Ibis and Camponile. If you can book in advance with no cancellation, web prices are a lot better. Do not rely on turn up and ask for a room - if they do have it'll cost full wack.
Wifi is rarely free even to hotel residents.

Driving - distances here are tiny after crossing USA *BUT* it will probably take you longer to do 100 miles here than 300 in all but the populated areas of US. Traffic in the UK can be horrendous. There is little use of Cruise control and most people have Manual Gears so you'll be exposed to stop-start traffic on motorways and racing away from lights etc. in town.
Unleaded petrol always has green markings at the garage. If it's black it is probably diesel. (We found it unpredictable in the US but quite a few green diesel pumps which could have been disasterous)

Consider budget airlines. Some good city to city prices. Trouble is all the wasted time at the airport especially with security these days.
Easyjet, Jet2, Ryanair, BMI Baby to name a few.

Enjoy Europe - we enjoyed the US.

SweetPea

i don't believe you can take a train from cork to edinburgh....you'll have to fly or take a ferry across the irish sea then drive from wales to scotland.....

lots to do in edinburgh....one of my favourite things to do is to walk about the old town....it's full of history and i enjoy the architecture and atmosphere....there are the usual tourist places like the castle, palace, museums, shopping, etc....plenty to keep you busy during your stay....most everything is central and within walking distance, but if you need to get out and about, buses are inexpensive and easy to use.....this is a good site for info: http://www.visitscotland.com/

currently i live near oxford in england.....another great city with lots to see and do....many historical sites and beautiful architecture....most sights are centrally located and easy to find....the tourist information centre provides good details of the many places to visit....a good site is: http://www.visitoxford.org/

it's hard to recommend specific points of interest as it all depends on your tastes and whether you like museums, castles, theatre, the arts, shopping, etc....in any case, all are available in both cities....

prices at the moment are high due to the current economic situation....although the pound has dropped slightly against the dollar, it is still expensive for american visitors....restaurants are more expensive than in the usa.....but you can find reasonable places to eat....personally i prefer to eat at locally owned places versus chain restaurants, but both cities offer a variety of choice....

hope that provides a bit of insight...

senorstriker1

Can you take a train from Ireland to the UK?

tanika971

There are SO many places of interest, your best bet would be to google those places and see what comes up, it would take to long to write places of interest.

You cannot go by rail from Cork to Edinburgh. They are in different countries with a sea in between. You could travel by rail from Cork, in the Irish Republic, to Larne, in Northern Ireland, and get a ferry to Scotland, but I would advise a quick short flight from Cork, or from Dublin.

You can get the train from Edinburgh to London, but trains are notoriously expensive in Great Britain. It may be cheaper to fly.

You shouldn't need us to tell you about attractions in any of these cities, but remember when you travel from Edinburgh to London, you just let the majority of the country go by unnoticed. I would concentrate on these bits, as you will have a long time in London anyway.

EDIT, it IS possible to get a combined rail/ferry ticket from UK and Irish train stations. EG you can get a ticket from any UK station to any Irish station, with ferry included (at a discount but you must book a particular time of sailing)

Oh dannyBoi

if you're in edinburgh you have to visit the castle and make sure you bring a load of money as things are a lot more costly over here!!!

Michael C

I fear that you can't get a train from Cork to Edinburgh because a little thing called the Irish Sea is in the way.

lbaker2656

Here are some websites you might find useful depending on what you're interested in:
http://www.visitbritain.co.uk/
www.rhs.org.uk - gardens to visit
www.nationaltrust.org.uk - historic buildings, gardens etc
www.english-heritage.org.uk
www.hha.org.uk - historic houses

Mr. Trend Vampire

ITS NOT ALL THAT FUN, AMSTERDAM IS MUCH BETTTER!!!!

GO THERE

BTW NICE HOLIDAY CONSIDERING THE CREID IS CRUNCHING!!! WATCH OUT

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