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8 days in London versus more travel?

I am in the midst of planning a trip to England during the last half of September. My sister and I are taking my 17 year old daughter as a graduation gift. We are flying via Iceland Air and are planning to stay over in Reykjavik one night on the way to London. From there we are flying into London, but are going to head to Bath for the first 3 days. Then on to London-which leaves us 8 days. I'm wondering if that is too many days in London? What suggestions do folks have about other areas to visit, day trips or overnight? I don't want to feel like we are rushing from place to place, but want to get the most from the trip. My daughter is especially interested in theater, old castles, and museums. We are traveling very light (well, one bag each), and staying in hostels. Thanks in advance for any advice-I've never planned a trip of this scale before.

Posted by
135 posts

Hi

Sounds like you have a world of opportunity! You could easily fill 8 days in London alone but, with that much time available, you could also consider at least a day trip out of town, if not one night away (leaving effectively six nights for London itself). And the choices are endless.....

  • For a theatre / castle combo consider whether you could get tickets to see a Shakespeare play in Stratford-on-Avon and see Warwick Castle the same day; or
  • Take a train to Dover and go see the Castle (it's massive, with WW2 bunker museums too) - and possibly the coast of France in the distance, if the day is sunny!; or
  • Take a train north to York (Minster; medieval streets; several good museums; shops etc)
    • Visit Cambridge (University buildings; several good museums; shops etc)

As just three examples. You have literally dozens of options. Enjoy!

Posted by
9110 posts

Wales is almost just across the river from Bath and it's loaded with castles, but it'd work better with a car.

However, I'd agree with Mark -- eight days in and around London wouldn't scratch the surface.

It'd mostly depend on if you wanted an urban/rural split.

Posted by
105 posts

Hello, I suggest that you shorten your stay in Bath. It's quaint and lovely but not much to do. London has everything you could want. If you want a little variety, take the Eurostar over to Paris for a night or 2.

Posted by
3428 posts

I agree that you could spend the entire trip based in London. Do Bath as a day trip by train. Then you could also do a day trip by train every 2-3 days if you like. Cardiff Wales, Winchester, Windsor, Canterbury, Dover, York, Stratford-upon-Avon.... these and MANY others are all possible as do-it-yourself train day trips. We've been to London more than 40 times. Staying sometimes only a couple of nights, others as long as 10+ nights. I'd go back tomorrow if I could. There's so much I still haven't seen/done and so very much I want to see/do again!!!

Here's a link to an article I posted on Trip Advisor about my favorite London places and day trips by train
[http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-c176673/London:United-Kingdom:London.And.Day.Trips.html]

Posted by
58 posts

I agree with above suggestions. Base in London , take day trip to Bath. Bath is nice, but when short on time much more to do and see in London.
Sharon

Posted by
1446 posts

I totally agree with the above posters. I would limit the time in Bath. On one of our first trips to England, we took a bus tour out of London that went to Bath and Salisbury. That worked very well for us. I think one day is plenty in Bath. Mark has some very good suggestions on places to see - there's also Windsor which is quite close and Hampton Court.

Posted by
13809 posts

I will be the dissenting opinion regarding Bath. I would spend 3 nights there! Did you mean 3 days or 3 nights? I would do the Mad Max tour to Stonehenge/Avebury/Lacock/Castle Combe one day. I would spend the other day/s in Bath doing the Roman Baths, a walking tour, the Georgian House at #1 Royal Crescent, the Fashion Museum, Bath Abbey, walk along the canal, if any of these things interest you all. I loved Bath and definitely could have spend another full day in Bath with no problem.

Posted by
1010 posts

There is absolutely an unending amount of things to see and do in London. We have been there five times, for up to two weeks each time. We still want to go back. You can see a lot by doing bus day trips in and around London.

Posted by
372 posts

I agree with Pam. We spent 3 nights in Bath on our last trip, and we had been there before. This time we especially enjoyed the Abbey tour that takes you into the bell tower, behind the clock face and up onto the roof. There's also the Theatre Royal in Bath--you can check their schedule for what's on during the time you'll be there.

As for London, there's certainly plenty there for 8 days especially if your daughter likes museums and theater! The British Museum, British Library, Victoria & Albert to name just a few of the museums. We've not done much theater going when we've been there, but many people recommend TKTS in Leicester Square for discounted tickets if you're flexible about what show you see.

Windsor Castle is an easy day trip from London, as is Oxford--both doable by train. I've not gone myself, but my sister had a nice time on a day trip to Brighton during one of her London stays.

Have a great time.

Posted by
99 posts

Let me join the chorus by saying that there is plenty in London to see and do, particularly if you do not want to rush things. Great theaters and concerts, museums and more. Score an Oyster card and you will take care of just about all your London transportation needs. For a day trip, run out to Greenwich or Brighton.

Posted by
506 posts

We spent 7 days in London and needed every minute. It is the largest city I have been to in Europe and most every thing you do is also large. We went to York for three days and loved that old city. It was wonderful to get out of the city for a few days. The hotels are small in London and the city is always in hustle and bustle so we really needed the break.

Posted by
3387 posts

We were in London for almost a month last summer and left with a long list of things we didn't have enough time to do, neighborhoods we didn't see, museums we didn't get to, restaurants we never sampled, parks we didn't walk through, marketplaces we didnt' shop at...you get the idea. Don't worry...you won't be bored! Someone wise once said, "A man who is tired of London is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." True that.

Posted by
1068 posts

Anita is right! (It was Samuel Johnson... :-)

We go to London every year, at least once, and are going again in December. There is no way that 8 days is too much. If your daughter is into theatre, London is the place to be! Also the place to be for museums galore - many of them free! Like the others have suggested, day trips out of London is the way to go.

My personal suggestion is a trip to Windsor - it's like 9 pounds for the train - tour the castle (pricey but worth it, IMHO), pub lunch, and then walk into Eton to see the amazing spires of the historic school. The high street has adorable shops and it's stuffed with history. Easy day trip, lots of fun.

Posted by
3696 posts

If you want to spend the whole time in a huge city then by all means stay in London... but with your daughter loving theatre I like the idea of going to Stratford. I like big cities, but after a few days of constant sightseeing and crowds I am ready to move to someplace a little less hectic... but that is my preference. You can certainly do plenty of theatre in London as well. Anne Hathaway's house in Stratford and Warwick Castle are highlights for lots of kids,

Posted by
1540 posts

I stayed over a week in London and did lots of day trips to other places - a different direction
each time I headed out by train.
Here is link on amazon to a book that I used.
(your library may have a copy - or you could look at a copy in books stores to see if you want to buy.)

10 day trips from London