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One note that I forgot to mention. London is further north than a lot of Americans realize and tends to get dark fairly early during the winter months. One should consider that if looking to book an "off season" trip. However, March - October works pretty well.
On the flip side, we're thinking of a late May-early June trip to the UK next year, and one of the selling points of that time was not only hopefully missing some of the peak tourist crunch but also getting lots of daylight that time of year.
On the flip side, we're thinking of a late May-early June trip to the UK next year, and one of the selling points of that time was not only hopefully missing some of the peak tourist crunch but also getting lots of daylight that time of year.
From '94 thru '98 I was in the Royal Merchant Navy, so I was visiting London dozens of times when I was ashore.
Two half-day trips I would highly recommend are: 1. The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew (even people who aren't especially fond of gardens are impressed by this place); and 2. Hampton Court Palace (see where Henry VIII sometimes resided!) Both are very easy to get to by public transit.
Leeds is a city in the north of England, hence my surprise.
It's still Warwick though.
Sorry, I had completely forgotten there was a city called Leeds. While I am sure that the city of Leeds is a very nice place, I definitely intended to say Leeds Castle. Leeds Castle is a very nice small castle surrounded by a lake. I believe it is sometimes called "Queens Castle".
Sorry about the typo on Warwick. The spell check on this requires some sort of download to work so I have never used it. Anyway, I still think it is Warwick over Windsor.
I have done three other day trips from London. One was a bus trip to Cardiff for the day. The second was a bus tour of Salisbury Cathedral and Bath. The third was a trip via train to Winchester. I would recommend all of these as well.
Stonehenge gets its new visitor centre in December, and the set up should be a vast improvement on the old one.
Windsor Castle is probably a better bet than Warwick.
I don't know anyone who would do Leeds for a day trip (few tourists go to Leeds period) although it's probably technically doable. York at a pinch, although one would really want to spend at least a couple of nights up there.
I personally think the best day trips from London would be Oxford, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds. Windsor and Eton too.
Hmmm..... I personally liked Warrick better than Windsor. At Windsor there is too much that they will not let you see, such as the round Norman tower. Also, the day trip I took to Leeds Castle included stops at Dover and Canterberry. I thought the trip was excellent and really liked Leeds. I do agree that Stonehenge would be a great choice, depending on ones interests.
One note that I forgot to mention. London is further north than a lot of Americans realize and tends to get dark fairly early during the winter months. One should consider that if looking to book an "off season" trip. However, March - October works pretty well.
We went to Warwick on Halloween and the place was packed with kids and families. A lot of activities and stuff aimed at the kiddies, but the castle was interesting.
I don't think the darkness is a problem. We went in November, though...it'd get dark at 5pm but the city has a lot to see and do after dark.
Blenheim Palace just north of Oxford was probably more interesting to me than Warwick castle though. The house and the grounds are just beautiful and incredible. It was also the childhood home of Winston Churchill. If possible one should stay a few nights in Oxford (we stayed 3 nights) and do Oxford, the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace.
You can find great deals independently on flights on skyscanner.com, and on hotels at places like lastminute.com, if you want. London is very easy to travel in. You shouldn't have any problems. Cheapest airports to fly out of are usually Orlando, Miami, Philadelphia, New York, DC. BA has a nonstop flight from LA to London Heathrow now. Not sure how economical that is. You may be better with a connecting flight from your local major airport to one of the first 5.
Have fun.
Note the London Pass is usually NOT a good deal. It includes admission to many sites that most visitors don't care for and most travelers do not get their money out of it. Some of the main attractions are free and others are not included with a London Pass.
Best way to save money is use Priceline for a hotel (see biddingfortravel.com as a guide) if you are dead set on your dates. Take public transport instead of cabs to save money. Don't take a tour to Windsor Castle you can take the train there. (or really any tour other than the Cotswolds tour).
Usually you can get good deals on the theater by just going up to your show's box office and asking for daily specials.
Last edited by cf1140; 12-10-2013 at 10:43 AM..
Reason: adding stuff
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Excellent timing!
