A week in England ?

No one can answer that question but you. I would take a week in England over a week sitting around the house.....but it certainly will cost more. You can get a pretty decent idea of London in a week.... or just go back a revisit favorite spots there. I have been to the Cotswolds and really enjoy them although I have not been to the Lake District. With only a week, I may be tempted to just stay in London with a day trip or two, but I certainly would be tempted.

I would go to either London or Paris if I only had a week! I agree with spending the whole time in London with day trips to Cambridge, the Cotswolds or Bath (personal favorite). I would also consider just doing day trips to Windsor and or Hampton Court. I think trying to do the Lake District is too much to consider.

Take a look at London walks as the do some day trips that look great.

For me it would certainly be worth it (and I've been more than 40 times already). IF you have 7 full days (not counting arrival and departure days), I'd suggest basing in London and doing 1 or 2 day trips. My personal favorite day trips by train are Windsor (about 25 min. by train-- from 1/2 to a full day- we often 'do' Windsor on days when we have theatre tickets for the evening), York (2 hours by train), Bath (about 1 hour by train), Cardiff Wales(2 hours by train), Canterbury and/or Dover, Winchester, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Brighton. All of these are easy to 'do' yourself. Windsor does not need an advance purchase ticket at it costs the same on the day or in advance, the others would be best to plan ahead and purchase about 12 weeks prior to travel. You lose flexibility, but save major money. The Cotswolds are lovely, but not easy to do by train. We haven't seen the Lake District.

There is plenty to do in London itself! Beautiful Kew Gardens can provide a break from the city and let you feel a bit like you are in a more rural setting and they are beautiful any time of year (plus their gift shop is one of my favs). Greenwich is nice, especially on a Sunday morning. They have a good market and the park is lovely. We really enjoy the theatre and I'd personally try to get ticket to 2 or 3 or more plays/musicals. Sometimes there are excellent concerts, too (all kinds of music from classical to hard rock). There are plenty of museums- art, science, fashion, etc.- and many of the bigger ones are totally free. Then there are all the churches......

If I were you and had 2 weeks, I'd skip Paris (didn't like it the one time we went), and see Scotland or Wales or another part of England.

Is this your first trip to England? My guess is that it is, given the way your question was phrased.

"Is it worth traveling all the way to England from the US if one could stay only one week?"

Yes, absolutely. It would be far better if you could spend two weeks. But I'll take a week in England anytime I can get it! If you only have one week, I would not try to get to the the Lake District. If you have two weeks, yes, I would spend several days there.

There is enough in London to keep you busy for one week. You said you would be based in London, with day trips. That would work, to Cambridge, the Cotswolds, and many other places such as Bath, Windsor, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and out to see Hampton Court Palace. Or you could split one week, spending several days in London, then check out of your hotel, train to the Cotswolds, check into a hotel there for two or three nights.

Check out the company that Pam suggested, the London Walks Company. They do walking tours around London with a guide, and also day trips out to Bath, the Cotswolds, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Cambridge, with a guide. Browse their website here:
www.walks.com
Their in-London walks cost £10, or £8 for seniors 65 or older, or full-time students.

This is definitely the way to do your trip out to Cambridge. Out of town day trips are a little more than in-town walks, but still a bargain. Here's the information on their day trip to Cambridge:
http://www.walks.com/Standalone/Cambridge_Tour/default.aspx

Thank you all so much for your help.

I should have been more clear in my post. (As I said, my head is spinning a bit). I have been to London three times: In 1984, 1986 and 1987. In '84 I spent a week in London and then a week in Crawley, West Sussex, with a pen pal. '86 and '87 were all London (for one week apiece). Plane fare was $500 RT on Virgin Atlantic.

Back in those days, I was a punk rocker and spent a lot of time on the King's Road and hanging with my pen pals. I did see Mme. Tussaud's, St. Paul's, Victoria Park and the Tower.

I have a long list of places I want to see in London: The V&A, Poets Corner, Highgate Cemetery, the British Library...

I was very fortunate to have my pen friends put me up or find cheap lodging for me. Now I'm much older and not willing to stay in a place with the WC down the hall. So the cost of the whole thing kind of scares me. My question is not so much "Is it worth it?" because I know I will love it, but whether going for one week is better than not at all (and I think I just answered my own question) or if I should wait until I can accumulate two weeks of leave.

P.S. I've also got a pen pal who lives in Hastings currently and have considered meeting up with her for a day or so.

If your friend in Hastings offered to put you up there for a couple of days, that would be great. Hastings is on the southern coast of England, and there is plenty to see in that area. The site of the Battle of Hastings is mainly a field, but with a visitors center. Where the Normans invaded England in 1066. North of Hastings is Bodiam Castle, really beautiful. Lots of nice pubs and inns within walking distance of Bodiam Castle. It would be really easy to catch a train from Hastings back to London.

You were interested in the Lake District, but really you have a beautiful part of England all around you when you are near Hastings or Bodiam Castle. If you travel north of Bodiam Castle, you come to an area of England, county of Kent, with many beautiful old country houses, castles and small towns with pubs. Just as beautiful as the Lake District, but easier to get to. Hever Castle, the homeplace of Ann Boleyn is in Kent, and also beautiful Leeds Castle. The train trip from Kent (Hever Castle) is about 30 minutes back to central London.

Now we know you have been to London several times. Thanks for more details. The main problem you have in London will be finding a reasonably priced hotel. The Premier Inn chain is good quality for a low price; locations all over London.

You mentioned airfare. If you look at different websites and check often, eventually you will find a bargain. Check the airlines' own websites. It is not unheard of to find a $600 or $800 round trip to London from New York. You won't find it every day of the week, but keep checking. Also for a good price on airfare, you must go off-season. Do not try to go during the big tourist months of the summer. Also, if you find a good airfare, book it right then. If you try to go back to the same website the next day and book it, it will be gone.

Note about hotels: Most hotels out in the countryside of England will be much cheaper than London hotels. So if you found some things you wanted to do out in the country, you'd be paying one-fourth of what you would in London. That said, it is NOT practical to stay in the country and travel in to London each day to see London sights. Your train travel costs would eat up your savings on the hotel. You'd also be traveling with those who commute into London every day to work, so the trains would be packed.

Hello Sandral. The Premier Inn hotels at London are not expensive. If you will be at London, one week, I recommend doing day trips to Windsor castle (a palace of the royal family of Great Britain) and to Cambridge university. The day you will be at Windsor castle, I suggest that you also walk through the town Windsor, and talk to the local people there. And I recommend going to Kew Gardens one day (located south of the southwest corner of London).

Well worth a week, but I'd agree with others that the Lake District is "a bridge too far" for such a trip. I haven't been to the Cotswolds, but the tour offered by London Walks looks like the best way to see that area in a single day from London. Note the very limited season for those tours. Cambridge is also an easy day trip by train, any time.

But your underlying issue, I think, is "do I spend that airfare for just one week now?" vs. "do I wait till I have two weeks and spend it then?" Amortizing airfare across a longer trip is tempting, but waiting (a year?) is an act of faith. Only you can strike the balance. I can only say that putting off travel usually means paying more (as you know from your 80s experience vs. today's costs), and you can never be sure you'll be able to do it in the future. See the "Travel When You Can" thread under "General Europe" on this board for some compelling reasons to do so.

Carpe diem!

Thank you, Dick. I read through Tony's thread, and man, can "stuff happen." Just in the past year, my best friend lost her cousin (she was given one month to live--cancer--and then had a heart attack several days later) and her sister has been diagnosed with cancer. I am going to take a good, hard look at my schedule and see what I can wrangle!

My first trip abroad was a solo trip to London for a solid week, and I felt that I got to see a lot, everything on the list I had worked up: arrived in time to visit Portobello Market on Saturday morning, V&A, British Library, Westminster Abbey, both Tates, National Portrait Gallery, Churchill War Rooms,Tower of London, day trip to Oxford, Windsor Castle and Stonehenge and a very long day trip to Edinburgh (knowing what I know now I'd have taken the train there and stayed a few days, flying home from there, but for a first trip I didn't want to push it). I had plenty of time to poke around and explore, and of course there are many more things I want to see when I return, when I'll also venture to other cities. I say go for it!

Another reason to go for it, is it may be more expensive to go a couple of years from now. Two factors play into that:
1. Fuel costs have dropped, so expect to see some relief by next spring in the increase of airline prices. But you never can be sure with the airlines!
2. Right now the value of the U.S. dollar is "up" against the pound, meaning the exchange rate is in your favor. You will trade in your dollars and exchange them for a greater number of pounds than you would have gotten two years ago. This may not be so in a couple of years. The exchange rate is always changing. A couple of years from now, you may trade in a handfull of U.S. dollars and get back very few pounds in exchange.

This also means hotels will cost less for you than they would have a couple of years ago. For example, a hotel might cost $120. per night in U.S. dollars, whereas the same hotel may have cost you $200. per night U.S. dollars a couple of years ago. It's the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and British pound that accounts for this. (Of course, hotels may always increase prices on their own.)

You need at least 3 nights in the Lake District and it'll take you a good 5 hours to get there from London - at the very least depending on whether you drive or take the train. If you only have a week, I'd save the Lakes for another trip.

Sandra,

Because London has so much to offer, you can pack a lot into a week. And with just a week, I wouldn't plan to go too far afield. I took a day-trip to Dover via Leeds Castle and Canterbury and that is about as far as I would suggest going if you only have a week in London. The Cotswolds and Lakes District, in my opinion, deserve much more time be devoted to them or it becomes just a drive-by.

If you do want to see the cotswolds and Cambridge, a weeklong Bath - Cotswolds - Cambridge trip may be what you are really looking for. There are several guided and self-guided options to choose from.

In London, most of the museums are free and each can take from the better part of a day to the better part of a week (e.g. The British Museum) to thoroughly see. If visiting spring-early fall, Kew Gardens is a day in its self. The London Pass is a convenient way of bundling entrance into the big tourist sites and can be pre-ordered (often at a discount). Seeing a live show is awesome and more afordable than you might think (Google "TKTS London"). Just walking around the city is a treat.

I would also recommend an all-day transportation pass versus an off-peak only pass so you can get to sites BEFORE they open. In the past I've pre-ordered multi-day transport cards but my next trip I'll probably do Visitor Oyster Cards. They end up costing about the same but I'm banking on them being more durable. (I've had problems with paper transport cards becoming demagnetized which is a hassle.) Google the Transport for London web site for information.

While I've never been to Paris or Rome, London is my favorite city for all-around greatness. I've spent 15 nights in the city in my lifetime and would (and will) go back at the drop of a hat.

"my next trip I'll probably do Visitor Oyster Cards."

Why? With a normal oyster card, you can get the £5 deposit back, you can't get the £3 charge for visitor card refunded.

"Why? With a normal oyster card, you can get the £5 deposit back, you can't get the £3 charge for visitor card refunded."

I believe the Visitor Oyster Card caps the daily transport fares at just below that of a Travel Card whereas the regular Oyster card (for local residents) does not. As I use London public transport at BUNCH when visiting, I think I would surely save money in the long run.

I just returned from 1 week stay in England (I'm from CT). Travelodge in London for 3 affordable nights, and the other 4 in Windsor. Did a LOAD of stuff, way past exhaustion, but my daughter and I did it :) We lived and worked there at the Girl Scouts' hostel in 2011 so we had to go for just FUN at some time. So many things can happen outside of one's ability to plan them, so we needed flexibility, real sense of prioritizing, and we still went way past exhaustion :)

I would never take another overnight plane, or any plane that leaves after noon time my time, because with the inevitiable customs lines, the reality is we were useless by the time we were out of the airport, cuz both ways we ended up working off of what would be 4AM in the time zone we left. I'd probably do Delta/Virgin over this past choice of British Airways/American airlines, for 2 reasons, safety record is better, and Delta's now offering Wi-Fi on its flights to London.

Bargain hotel ended up OK but not as connected to bus transportation as we were used to at Pax Lodge, so I would choose location VERY carefully, and pay extra for that. Certainly you can go and have a great time, but I would advise you not to plan way too much, drill down on what are your very highest most-fun priorities, and order what tickets you need to for attractions or theatre, but leave yourself some recovery time and resting time. Also connecting with people is important, we did manage to see my daughter's uncle and cousins, and went to a worship service where we knew some people. If you're a member of any clubs, find out about connecting with them over there too (Mensa has tea at Kensington Palace sometimes :) or try MeetUp.com for something fun.

LOW STRESS is so important :) High-fun.

Good luck!
-Alison

"the regular Oyster card (for local residents)"

It's not just for "local residents", anyone can buy a normal oyster card, which also has the benefit of being able to load travelcards onto it, something you can't do with a visitor oyster,

Alison & everyone--thanks for keeping this thread going and for the advice.
It never occurred to me to fly during the day. I always did overnight flights. Got there early in the morning, took the train from Gatwick to Victoria Station and then was met by a friend or two. I don't know what it would be like to get there at night and have to find my way to my hotel or B&B. I certainly don't want to pay a lot of extra $ for a cab or get lost!

To harleydonski and all;

I did not realize the standard Oyster Card also capped the daily spend. That's really good info to know. The main reason I'll probably switch to a form of the Oyster Card is because of durability issues. We've had several instances of the magnetic strip on the paper Travel Cards losing the coding which becomes a real hassle at tube stations. In all my travels, I've never had a plastic (credit card style) contactless card go dead...

r/
Todd

(BTW - I LOVE that city - can't get enough!)

Question -- is the one week a function of job restrictions? Do they allow rolling vacation time over to the next year ?? That is, are you saying "go now or go for two weeks in a few years" or "go now or go for two weeks next spring" which is a very different decision. If it's a few years, then go for one week now.

LauraB,
It's a bit complicated to explain.
It's not a question of going "now", as it this fall. I won't accumulate enough vacation time to go till next spring.

I work in a library on an evening shift. If, say, the library is closed as it was for Labor Day, I often end up using vacation time to "make up" for the day the library was closed. It's legal (I checked) and if I don't want to have a one-day weekend several times a year, I use the vacation time. This often means that I use up to a week's vacation time.

Also, currently I am in a master's degree program. It's low-residency, which means I must be on campus for two weeks per year.

I have several options. I'm considering taking off a semester and/or leaving the master's program altogether. That would mean I could go to England this coming May. If I wait until I finish the program, it could be as late as May 2018. I just don't know if I want to wait that long for my trip.

I am looking around for another position that might afford me more regular/traditional working hours but so far, no dice.

I was recently given a generous financial gift that will make my trip possible sooner than if it would have been, had I needed to save all the money for it myself.

Hope this all makes sense!

"We've had several instances of the magnetic strip on the paper Travel Cards losing the coding which becomes a real hassle at tube stations."

Yes, I've not long retired from the credit/loyalty card industry, from memory I'm pretty sure that National Rail still specify "low coercitivity" magnetic stripes on their travelcards (it's cheaper) which are easily corrupted by magnets (speaker in a mobile phone/clasp on a handbag etc), hence why "high coercitivity" mag stripes are used on credit cards, as you can encode a more resistant magnetic code onto them.

We have been to London many years ago and one of our favorites was the British Museum. It was unbelievable. Definitely worth the better part of a day there. We also did a tour to Leeds castle and had cream tea, another highlight of our trip. We are going back next week - but not to London. We are flying into Manchester and renting a car - driving to the Lake District to unwind and get over jet lag for a couple of days before going on to Scotland, Oban on the West Coast with a day trip to Iona and then on to Edinburgh. When we leave Edinburgh we will drive to York to visit pen pals we met in London all those years ago, then back to Manchester to head home. We have 11 nights, so a little bit longer than you. Watch for an update after we get back. Will let you know our favorites then.
-Diane

Have you looked into BUNAC and internships? They do the work for the visa so you can get a job over there in addition to your internship, and you could stay a while. :)
My daughter and I both lived and worked at Pax Lodge in 2011 (I had a lay off and we spent some student loan $ of mine to make it happen, figured it would help my resume') , the hostel that the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts runs there in Hampstead. We did the visa thing ourselves under a charity workers' visa (we couldn't have worked for pay while there). I heard about BUNAC on one of Rick Steves' radio shows/podcasts, a girl called in and mentioned it, said she got a job in a pub along with her internship.
The ability to have a letter of residence was VERY nifty, we could obtain library cards, the local resident Oyster card (yes they did exist, different design on it when giving a local address, some can have one's photo on them when you get a student Oyster card) which still worked for us last month, and the best souvenirs were the photo-ID reader cards (for residents only) at The British Library and at the National Archives. Even my VERY well travelled friend was VERY envious of those :)
It might be a crazy enough idea to actually DO while your work options are limited. :) Ya never know.
And every job interview I've had since then, the London work experience always starts conversations!
Good luck :)
-Alison

Hey Sandra! I think that a week in England could totally be worth it for you. The last time I went, I had 8 days and flew from New York to London. There is a lot to do in London but also, not a lot to do at the same time. It is really up to the types of things you like and your budget. Most of the sites like the Tower Bridge, Tower of London, London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham palace are easily accessible by quick public transit or a hop on and off again bus. Actually, you could combine the experience of taking a double decker bus with visiting the famous sites. Two birds with one stone! The museums are free so you wouldnt feel like you wasted your money if you popped into a few of them for just an hour or so. Some activities are only on during the evening so you could have a day seeing the sites and then do something like the "Jack The Ripper" tour or have Indian food on Brick Lane in the evening. I have not been to any of the places that you want to visit for a day trip but I certainly think you have plenty of time to go to at least one of them!
Oh! Don't forget to experience High Tea! It was my absolute favorite thing. For an authentic version ...have tea at Liberty (the famous department store) for a fancier version, head the The Orangery in Hyde Park.

"Oh! Don't forget to experience High Tea! It was my absolute favorite thing. For an authentic version ...have tea at Liberty (the famous department store) for a fancier version, head the The Orangery in Hyde Park."

I think you mean afternoon tea not "high tea":

http://www.learn-about-tea.com/high-tea.html
http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/taste/tea.shtml

We just spent 10 days in London. Consider yourself very lucky if you have a full week to spend there. You will have the opportunity to really explore the city and appreciated it so much more because you have the luxury of time. I have seen so many posts on this forum and others that are laid out with such military precision trying to squeeze so much in. To each there own, but that you have a full week and you will get to enjoy the pace of the city and linger in the places you're visiting. Also, your first day will be needed to get over the effects of travel, getting over the time change etc. But that next day you can start enjoying the city. The tube is great, you can get anywhere in London. We also used Uber. We found that for 3 of us traveling taking Uber cost alot less than 3 individual journeys on the tube. Even with the Oyster card. Anyway, I wouldn't use a spread sheet, just come up with a list of places you'd like to see. Many are in the same area. Start your day early, enjoy London at night. You will have an amazing time.

As for the cost of the airfare, hopefully you got a good fare and spent some time researching that. It's amazing how different airfares can be.
Have a great trip.

You might try a European carrier for you air travel, such as Aer Lingus (Ireland), WOW! (Iceland), or others. To save more, consider a vacation apartment rental for your accommodations. You can get a whole apartment that will probably cost you less than a hotel. You can also cook at least one meal a day in and save a boatload of money. If you're going off season, that will also help on the budget. Have fun and hope you can fit France into your budget too.

I'm going to disagree with one statement.....it is easy to get to the Cotswolds from London.......you would leave from Paddington Station to Moreton-in-Marsh....it's an 1hr and 45 minute trip. You can get the 7:50 train and get there at 9:35. To return there are late trains back to London from Moreton-in-Marsh. Once in Moreton-in-Marsh you can take a taxi or bus to a village. There is limited bus service, but I know you can get a bus from Moreton-in-Marsh to Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Campden. From Moreton-in-Marsh it's 8 miles to Bourton on the Water, Stow-on-the-Wold is only 4 miles from Bourton on the Water. You could easily enjoy at least two villages.