First Timer in GB

As far as Cardiff is concerned, check out www.visitcardiff.com and http://www.seewales.com who have day trips from Cardiff - though with your limited time, you will probably just be doing Cardiff. Also see my reply to a previous post:>https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/day-trip-to-cardiff-bay

Are you flying from Cardiff to Dublin or going by train & ferry?

cmontroy

can you clarify ".....Should I just get RS Great Britain or is it too much info? " &. "......since London seems to be the most confusing?"

when it comes to travel info use ANY/ALL info you can get your hands on. No right/wrong answer.

i dont understand whats "confusing" about London. My replies, yes, but London?

happy trails.

Rick's Great Britain book has 11 pages covering Cardiff and nearby. If you can find it at your local library, you could just copy those pages. Between the London Pocket Guide and the 2014 London book, I prefer the latter, larger book, which has more info. Actual weight in your pocket is about the same, since the color photos add weight to the Pocket Guide.

Fab1, we are going by ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. I think I have all the main trains worked out. So I was just wondering if the GB book is worth it. I really like the idea of just photocopying the pages I need and buying the London book. Thanks all.

Before your trip, get a map of the London Tube system and study it. Learn where the closest Tube is to your hotel, and learn which stops are close to major attractions you want to visit. The Transport for London website (www.tfl.gov.uk) will help you navigate. It's also a good idea to check the site every morning to make sure that no Tube lines you're planning to use are closed for maintenance (the website uses the term "planned engineering").

When you take the Tube, know which direction (northbound, southbound, etc.) you want to go before you get on the train. The tunnels are marked with these directions so you know which side of the platform to access.

I've been on a lot of subway/underground systems in Europe, and London's Tube is one of the easiest to use. (Granted the Northern Line is a tad wacky, but that's another story.)

There are generally lots of people around to ask if you get confused. And the signage is excellent.

Also, stand on the right, walk up or down on the left (lots of signs saying to do so). That way, you won't get in the way of people who are in a hurry.

I used the Pocket Guide and found it tremendously helpful, perfect size. Don't worry for a minute about the Tube, it is an absolute marvel of engineering and efficiency. If you should somehow begin to feel lost, just go down in the nearest station and study the map and you'll quickly figure out how to get where you want to be; or, ask one of the always friendly and helpful station agents. The line I needed to use my first morning there was out of order so the agent pointed me to a nearby bus stop and all was well.

The tube is brilliant. Easy to use. Great signage. Great general map on the wall in virtually every station. My travel tip is this. At your first station find the manned ticket window and look for the free small pocket sized tube map. If you can't find one ask for one. Best thing to have as you travel underground. Enjoy your trip!

A rookie mistake to avoid: Coming off of the carriage at the station, coming up or down the escalator, coming off an elevator, and coming to a DEAD STOP because you don't know which way to go. Don't do it! Step out of the hustle-bustle flow and move to the side. Take a moment to orient yourself. Read the signs. When you are ready, proceed!

There is no "lost" on the underground. There's just "oops, I went the wrong direction and now I have to get off and go back."

Thank you everyone! You are all so much nicer than the other travel website forum (who shall remain unnamed) where they won't even answer a simple question if there is another post about it like 5 years ago.

I take it, therefore, that you have found that direct trains run from Cardiff to Holyhead every other hour and that Stena Line & Irish Ferries make the crossing to Ireland.

It is regrettable that you are 'shooting through' places of interest en-route. Chester, for example is well worth a stop. www.visitchester.com

Your route will also skirt one of Britain's most scenic areas = NW Wales (Snowdonia National Park). http://www.visitllandudno.org.uk would have made an ideal stopover on this journey.
http://www.visitwales.com/explore/national-parks/snowdonia

Last time we were in London, we found that standing anywhere looking at a map would immediately attract a friendly local, asking if we needed any help finding anything. We never encountered so many friendly, helpful, kind people anywhere else (including our home town). All big cities are confusing the first time, but as someone said the London Underground is about as easy to use as any mass transit anywhere. It doesn't hurt that all the signage is in English.

The biggest issue for US and Continental pedestrians is remembering to LOOK RIGHT instead of left when stepping off the curb. Ever helpful, the Brits have put big "LOOK RIGHT" signs on the pavement at the crossings. Once in awhile there's a one-way street where the sign says "LOOK LEFT." Presumably this is for the Brits themselves, to keep them safe in their own city. ; )

cmontroy,

If you're confused about the London underground don't be. Everyone will have some or no experience with a subways system. i didn't but took to it like fish and water.

what you have to realize is that the individual lines are just that. most of them go east/west or north/south or something in between but there are 2? exceptions. realize that you will have a choice north/south or east/west. Its just a matter of figuring out 1. where you are and 2. which part of the line you want to go.

hint. When you figure out where you are and where you want to go, look at the name of the end point/stop. Its easier than looking at all of the stops in between.

the lines are also color coded. If you're colored blind, you may have issues?

like christa said, there are pocket size paper maps at the ticket booths. There are also line maps on the cars and maps of the system.

once you get there and into the first underground, spend a few minutes to look at the map and line you want and see how it conveys the information. Its not that bad.

happy trails.

Getting lost in the Tube. A word of advice: Have a plan in case some of your party manage to get into/outof the car and others do not. Also keep to the right on the escalator. Signs will ask you to but signs are often ignored and people in a hurry are often running up or down them. Some of the escalators are quite steep, almost Moscow steep. Other than that, Dick is right. If you look at your tube map too long or stand in front of the BIG one, someone will offer help. I agree, getting lost can be fun, getting lost in a tube station is a waste of time. The system in London is very easy to understand.

I may be wrong here but the RS Great Britain guide book has good information on London, but it only has a couplethree pages (Laura says 11 pages ..my book is a couple of years old) on South Wales and obviously nothing on Ireland. That information would be in his United Kingdom book if he had one. It's probably not the book for you. I have 2014 London and it has been well updated since my last London book, especially regarding Oyster and Travel cards. I'll tear out any pages I think I might want to take with me.

"Once in awhile there's a one-way street where the sign says "LOOK LEFT." Presumably this is for the Brits themselves, to keep them safe in their own city. ; )"

More likely to do with the direction of traffic in the one way street.