3 weeks in England/scotland/amsterdam - advice on order of travel

Posted by vee on 04/07/18 09:49 PM

Leaving Baltimore - Arrive in England and plan to spend a week there
then head to Edinburg for a week
From Scotland - want to head to Amsterdam:
question: - From Edinburg to Amsterdam - what is the most adventurous form of travel? - I love trains and travelling by ferry - I know it is certainly quicker by air - however I wanted to see what the options were for either train/boat/or bus and lengths of time.

Also best places to stay in Edinburg and Amsterdam.

If I travel by train or ferry - is it better to buy tickets before I get there

Posted by Jennifer

Tunbridge Wells

04/07/18 10:32 PM

6113 posts

If travelling from London to Edinburgh (note not Edinburg), then buying a rail ticket c 11 weeks before travel will be the cheapest option.

There are no ferries from Scotland to Holland. According to Google, you would have to travel south to Newcastle or Harwich in England. Once in Holland, you would then have to take a bus or train to Amsterdam.

There are some direct Eurostar trains from London to Amsterdam - book these tickets as soon as you confirm your travel dates.

Posted by tonfromleiden

the Netherlands

04/07/18 10:49 PM

2487 posts

The Newcastle to IJmuiden ferry is run by DFDS. Alternative is the Hull to Rotterdam service with the P&O. Both adventurous in the sense of very unpractical when leaving from Edinburgh.
The easiest ferry crossing will be the Harwich to Hoek van Holland service, by Stena Line. Easy to reach from Londen and from Hoek van Holland to Amsterdam is also no problem, although construction works at the moment mean you first have to take a bus to Schiedam, and there pick up the train to Amsterdam. It will all be well organised though.
The train service from London to Amsterdam has improved a lot: you get there within 4 hours with the Eurostar. A nice way of flying is to take City Airport, the small business airport close to the centre of London.

Posted by JC

Portsmouth

04/08/18 07:53 AM

5552 posts

Based on your spelling of Edinburgh I suspect you're pronouncing it in the way that many Americans do. If so I'd like to save you from some potential embarrassment and advise you that it's pronounced Ed-in-bruh with a silent 'g'. Despite the similarity it's not pronounced in the same way that Pittsburgh is pronounced.

Posted by herronlaw

04/10/18 04:51 PM

183 posts

Seems to me that the easier itenerary would be to start in Edinburgh, then take train south to London, then Eurostar to Amsterdam (or vice versa). There are direct flights from the US to Edinburgh.

Posted by nolanani

04/10/18 06:06 PM

35 posts

When in Edinburgh, I have stayed in Old Town on The Royal Mile and also in New Town on George Street. Both were great locations for exploring and dining. When in Amsterdam I think a hotel within the canal ring is a great place to stay. The only time we needed to take any transport was to go to and from the airport and to Keukenhof Gardens. We did chose to take a canal cruise, though.
Have a great trip!

Posted by tdvhorn

04/10/18 09:31 PM

5 posts

I would second the suggestion for the overnight ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam. It's a relaxing, fun way to cross over with nice dining choices and some entertainment. They are called ferries but they are a bit like an overnight cruise ship. When we docked it seems to me that it wasn't a terribly long walk to the transit system accessing the rest of the city.