2-week in London/Edinburgh/Dublin

You're really trying to cover too much territory. Every time you relocate (change hotels), it costs you at least half a day. Going to Ireland will probably take longer than that, because you'll either need to deal with two airports or take a ferry.

Your arrival day is likely to be of very little use, sightseeing-wise, because you may be seriously sleep-deprived and jet lagged. Your last day will be consumed with getting to the airport to fly back home. Realistically, you have only ten full days in the UK and Ireland, and you're proposing to go to London (a huge city that could keep you busy all by itself), York, maybe the Lake District (which requires a car or buses to get around), Edinburgh and Dublin.

The way you've laid out your schedule, attributing one day to both the city you're departing from and the city you're traveling to, is misleading. Really, those are days of little use in either place. Given the loss of time on the days you change hotels, your tentative schedule doesn't give you much time anywhere:

London: 3 full days (Aug 23-25), plus some zombified hours on Aug 22

York: 1 full day (Aug 27), plus a few hours on the afternoon of Aug 26; you won't see the Lake District.

Edinburgh: 2 full days (Aug 29-30), plus a few hours on the afternoon of Aug 28.

Dublin: 1 full day (September 1). You may or may not have a few hours on Aug 31.

I do not think that will be a satisfying vacation. I'd highly recommend focusing on London and a bit of Ireland. That way, you have only one mid-trip day that is consumed by relocating; as it is, you are spending three of your ten fully usable days in Europe on the move.

If you are just going to be just in Edinburgh do not rent a car. It has GREAT buses and most of your must-see stuff is walking distance. I did Dublin-Galway-Edinburgh-London last May and I ended up loving Edinburgh the most and extended my stay there. It will not disappoint you. If you like pubs at all stop in the Jolly Judge or the Jingling Geordie. Both are good local haunts. During my five days I spent in Edinburgh, I spent one day on a Rabies bus tour that went to a few spots in the Highland, which is a good method if you do not have much time. It was a small comfortable van and the stops were beautiful.

If you are just doing Dublin I would also recommend not bothering with the car. If you go outside the city at all, a car is a good idea. I took a bus to Galway and to the Cliffs of Moher and back to Dublin and it was not ideal at all.

I found London the least fun for my trip and did not mind only having two days there. There is a lot to see depending on what you are in to but I prefer the smaller cities.

I would skip Ireland and see York on your way to Edinburgh by train, but it looks like you've already booked your return flight from Dublin?

Thank you all for responding my questions!

@acraven: So if we skip Scotland will it make more sense London to York, then to Dublin. Any itinerary suggested from York to Dublin? Since York is close to Edinburgh so we thought it should be easier London to York to Edinburgh then Dublin.

@kjt1003: Thanks for the advice! Both of us are not a good driver so the convenience of the public transport in Edinburgh/Dublin is definitely a plus for our trip.

@Cala: Yes our ticket is US to London, then Dublin to US. We need to figure out a way from London to Dublin.

My preference would be to see London then fly straight to Dublin or whatever Irish airport you choose. There are many side-trips you can make from London to smaller cities if you want a break from the big city. If York is a must (you can get there in as little as 2 hours by train), I'd be looking for an airport in northern England with good transportation from York and non-stop flights to Dublin (or other Irish airport if desired) and take a look at the flight schedules. Ideally you'll find a non-stop flight that works. In order of proximity, these seem to be the best airports to look at:

Leeds/Bradford
Manchester
Liverpool
Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Though Leeds/Bradford is closer, it appears the Manchester airport may be the easiest to reach from York, having frequent, direct rail service taking just under 2 hours, so that's the first place I'd look for flights. Skyscanner.com is a good source for European airline schedules.

It would take a good bit longer to go from York to the Edinburgh airport (about 3-1/2 hours), and two transfers are required.

Since rail problems are not unheard of, I would not want to spend the night in York and then have to get up and make my way to Manchester for a morning flight. If you have some sort of transportation glitch and miss the flight on which you're ticketed, it could be quite costly to buy a replacement ticket to Ireland at the last minute. Building in a safety buffer in this sort of situation is one reason why flying from city to city often ends up taking more time than expected.

If, on the other hand, you stay in London before heading to Ireland, you'll at least be departing from a local airport (some of them more convenient than others) and may have multiple modes of transportation that can get you there.

I don't mean to suggest that York and Edinburgh are not worth visiting. I am planning to visit both this summer. It's just that London + York + Edinburgh + Dublin/Ireland in 10 days is a very aggressive itinerary. I've spent 22 days in London in the last two years and will be there for 14 days this summer. And most people go to Ireland more to see the countryside than to see Dublin. Getting out to the country takes a bit of time, especially if you don't want to drive.

Not the best itinerary and no, public transport in Ireland especially if you want to see the stunning west Coast is NOT the way to travel.

So 4 full nights in London, train to York, 2 nights.

Drop Edinburgh.

Train to airport Manchester then fly from Manchester to Dublin or Belfast ( whichever is Cheaper). If flying into Belfast stay 2 nights at any of the 3 Premiere Inns. Read TripAdvisor reviews to see which appeals to you most.

See Titanic exhibition, visit St Georges Market, City Hall, have seafood chowder at Mournes, tour Crumlin Road Goal and schedule The Troubles Black Cab tour. Pick up your pre reserved rental car at the airport and begin your drive West.

If flying into Dublin stay 2 nights and wander the city center, visit Book of Kells, people watch in St Stephens green, visit the national Museum of Ireland, and Christ Church Cathedral. Pick up rental car at Dublin airport and off you go.

Powerscourt, Glendalough, Rock Of Cashel
Overnight in Kinsale. Day 1.

Next day head off to Dingle ( base in Dingle). Can do ring of Kerry, Gap of Dunloe, Slead Head drive.

It’s 4.5 hours back to Belfast or Dublin. If you rented car in Belfast NI drop of rental then its an hour bus or train ride back to Dublin for you flight home.

Driving on the opposite side of the road is not that daunting. Takes but a few minutes to adjust.

I was born when Truman was in office so driving with a clutch no big deal. Have driven solo throughout Eire and NI twice. Simply get the smallest most comfortable car and All the insurance you can. Plan your routes the night before ( either old fashioned map or online via Google satellite view making note of town names so you know you are heading the right way), and remember you will need British pounds as currency in NI and Euros for Ireland. Use bank ATMs.

Then one thing that seems to confuse American drivers are the roundabouts. That’s why it’s smart to copy down the names of towns. Helps you know which exit to take and if per chance you miss it simply go round again and take it.

Enjoy your travels.

We did a 28 day drive tour of Wales and England in October 2017. We did the Lake District and York as a part of our trip.
The Lake District is very scenic, but activity there centers more on outdoor hiking.
York is amazing, one of my favorite places in the UK. I would plan on spending two full days there. The Munster (Cathedral) is awesome. Also, loves some of the museums, the National Railway Museum and walking the ancient walls.

Been to Liverpool, were the highlights seem to be Beatles Tours. Sorry, York and the Lake District far surpass what you will find in Liverpool.

You don't have time to do Ireland, Scotland and England on a two week trip. Dublin is nice, loved the Trinity College and Book of Kells as well as Guiness Brewery, but Edinburgh and York surpass what you find in Dublin.

While in Edinburgh, consider visiting nearby St. Andrews. You probably don't have time for the Western Highlands or Inverness and Loch Ness.

Here is our 28 day drive tour of Wales and England:
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

@acraven Thank you so much again for your feedback! Your suggested itinerary can definitely help us make the fullest of our limited stay in England/Ireland! Never read any review about there are 2 transfers from York to Edinburgh. It is definitely not a route we prefer! Edinburgh is now unlikely to be included in our plan but just in case, which station from England to Edinburgh is the most convenient?

@Claudia Thanks for the input! Great to know that Manchester to Dublin is the best route, and either in Belfast or Dublin we still can enjoy the country. We’ve made a list of spots to visit in London but not yet in Ireland, will keep your recommended places in hand.

@georagriffith Your 28-day plus 16-day transatlantic cruise tour was AMAZING! Will steal part of your land tour as references. Thank you!

If you want to find out rail journeys - just go to this website and fill in for say ‘tomorrow’ FROM > TO and it will tell you. (For longer journeys, fares are cheapest if pre-booked for specific trains around 11 weeks ahead). www.nationalrail.co.uk

Also check out the map of the rail system in Britain:>http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/images/structure/css/nationalrailnetworkmap.pdf

Have you considered taking the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead and seeing NW Wales - which has wonderful scenery? (If interested in this, check out back posts in the Wales forum). https://www.visitwales.com/explore/national-parks/snowdonia
www.visitwales.com

Thanks James! Will check out the sites you posted!

I'm sorry; I should have made it clear that the transfers I referred to between York and Edinburgh were for traveling directly to the Edinburgh airport, not to the city itself. There are plenty of direct trains from York to downtown Edinburgh, but then you have to get to the airport. You don't have time to see the city, so I was assuming you'd want to go straight to the airport. Train transfers are not generally a problem as long as you are not mobility challenged or traveling with large/heavy luggage, but any transfer when you're on the way to an airport to catch a flight is just a bit concerning. I always feel I should pad my schedule at every step of the way. I think, "What if the first train is late? What if the tram doesn't show up? What if the second train is canceled?" That sort of thing. Pretty soon I'm allowing 4 hours for what should be a 2-hour trip.

If flying out of Manchester, you can get on a train in York and go straight to the airport. You still need to allow for the fact that a train may be canceled, so you need to build in a buffer, but you only have one transportation leg to worry about (unless you need to take a taxi to the York rail station).

I think some of the responders may be a bit confused about the reference to 2 weeks in the thread title. As I attempted to explain earlier, even counting the arrival day in London and the departure day from Dublin, this is only a 12-day trip, and there are only 10 fully usable days (before you account for time lost when switching cities).

Thanks acraven! This is our first independent trip to Europe so yes any changes in any sort of transportation will alarm and cause us in trouble. Will take your advice to leave more time for unexpected changes. Direct train to the city of Edinburgh is promising and we may skip Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds.. and then direct to Dublin from Edinburgh, will see! Thanks a lot from heart!