London + time in York

Whoops, one more question!

The return to London is absolutely partially to have more time in London, but also for purposes of flying out. Some people had recommended staying in Windsor on the last night (as we are interested in a day trip anyway), which would make getting to Heathrow easier.

If we were to do that, well first, is there a direct train from York to Windsor? But also, is staying in Windsor worth not having the hassle of getting to Heathrow from London?

You could certainly do Edinburgh as a day trip from York- a bit less than 3 hours each way. Push it to the max and the first train gets you into EDI just after 9am, and the last one back is at 9pm.

No direct trains York to Windsor. The usual way would be into Kings Cross- then to Slough on the Elizabeth line from Farringdon, then the Windsor shuttle.

A few times a day you could avoid London on a York to Reading train, then Reading to Slough, then Slough to Windsor. It's no faster, likely more expensive and infrequent, so likely not worth it.

As you are open jaw ticketed anyway have you thought about ending in EDI then flying home from there?

You’ll lose a day traveling from Bruges to York. Are you flying into Brussels and out of Heathrow? You’ll need to take a train from Bruges to Brussels then hop on the Eurostar to London’s St Pancras train station. From St Pancras take a train to York that requires a connection.
A train from York to Edinburgh takes 2h 30m; get an early start.
If you’re flying out of London visit London last and I don’t recommend spending the night in Windsor because it’s closer to Heathrow. This would require switching hotels which isn’t worth it.

If you go to Edinburgh, flying home from there makes a lot of sense. I would do 6 nights in London, 2 nights in York and 2 nights in Edinburgh.

My priority would be slightly different - I would skip York and instead devote the time to Edinburgh. I know that there are many York boosters here on the forum, but to me it was a letdown after the glowing review that RS gives in his guidebook. We had three nights in Edinburgh and it wasn't enough. And this may suggest flying from Belgium directly to Edinburgh to minimize travel time.

Others will say that Edinburgh should be part of a separate trip to Scotland. So it may depend on when you plan to make your next trip. But considering travel time, I think a day trip to Edinburgh is a waste of effort. You might consider a day trip from York out into the countryside instead.

Thanks for all the very helpful input so far! Wanted to pop in real quick to clarify that no plane tickets have yet been purchased, so there's space for ample more itinerary options!

We will be flying into Brussels for sure to start the trip, andI was thinking we'd fly out of London, but I'm now definitely giving some thoughts to ending in Edinburgh and flying out from there. I've scratched the idea of going from Brussels to York (too much time lost to travel); and I'm just not sold on my own idea of splitting time in London with a few days in York in the middle.

If we did end the trip in Edinburgh, we could have a couple of options:

1) 5 nights Bruges; 6 nights London; 2 nights York; 2 nights Edinburgh

or

2) 5 nights Bruges; 6 nights London; 4 nights Edinburgh (which would then include a day trip to St Andrews)

I'd very much love to see York ... but with trying to keep it to a max of 15 nights and giving each place ample time, I'm wondering if York now gets saved for a future trip.

EDI also has Ryanair flights to Brussels albeit (in true Ryanair fashion), Brussels Charleroi

I'd definitely do a stop in York.
Two nights there.
For myself, I'd prefer 3 or 4 nights, but I do understand you're under time constraints.

Consider flying in and out of Brussels and Great Britain (London or Edinburgh). Check fares in all directions in case it’s cheaper to go to Great Britain first. If you fly in and out London, take Ryanair as suggested between Brussels and Edinburgh. If you fly in or out of Edinburgh, take the Eurostar between London and Brussels.
The further out you buy airfare on budget carriers the cheaper the price. Ryanair is one of those carriers. The same with Eurostar, the further out you buy your train ticket the less you’ll pay for your reservation. Hotels pretty much follow the same rule if purchasing on a third-party website. I suggest buying your Ryanair and Eurostar tickets right after you purchase your international airfare. Same with hotel. I don't know about Airbnb.
I would shorten my stay in Belgium before Great Britain. Especially since your train stops in York when traveling between London and Edinburgh. York deserves at least one night but you must be organized. Edinburgh needs two nights but is doable if you’re organized and get an early start making it a very long day.

I see you are from the St. Louis area. I fly to London from St. Louis about twice a year so I am always tracking prices. Fall tickets will be available about 330 days out. I have had a lot of luck in the past with pricing if I buy tickets when the window first opens. The best routes are AA via Chicago to LHR or Delta via Detroit to LHR. (shortest routes) Pricing to LHR from St. Louis is way, way up. I am having sticker shock looking at flights for this June - almost $2000 round trip for main cabin economy.

I just did a trip to London, York and Edinburgh. I haven't been to Belgium for many years. I prefer Edinburgh over York. If you plan to do Scotland at some time, I would not include Edinburgh on this trip and do a day trip out from York to perhaps Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay, or Castle Howard and/or a trip to the Yorkshire Moors/Dales. North Yorkshire It is one of the most scenic areas in England.

Thanks so much, everyone. All this input (including specifics from flying out of STL!!!) has been super helpful. Okay, so here are the current top two itinerary options:

1) 5 nights Bruges (to include Ghent + Antwerp day trips); 6 nights London (Windsor day trip); 4 nights Edinburgh (St Andrews day trip)

or

2) 3 nights Bruges (no day trips); 6 nights London (w/ Windsor); 2 nights York; 4 nights Edinburgh (w/ St Andrews)

Perhaps this is a better question to post on the General Europe or even Belgium page too, but to keep the trip to 15 nights, what I'm looking at trading off is either 2 day trips to Ghent and Antwerp or 2 nights in York. Any thoughts on that?

You might want to look at this recent trip report if you haven't seen it:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-the-netherlands-and-belgium-my-trip-report

This may well be too late now but there is another more left field choice to get from Belgium.

There are two ferry companies that run overnight services cross the North Sea - one from Rotterdam to Hull, a short train ride from York, or another from Amsterdam to Newcastle, for a train connection to Edinburgh. The prices with beds will look pricey but you’re getting a night’s accommodation as well as the travel.

There used until recently to be another ferry from Zeebrugge to Hull, which would have been very convenient for Brugge but sadly that’s now stopped.

I'm one of those York boosters. I liked it better than Edinburgh. You can walk on the walls, see the Minster, I thought the WW I exhibit at the York Castle Museum was more relatable than the one at the Imperial War Museum in London. If you like cats, you can do a walk to look for cat statues on buildings. I also enjoyed the Yorvik Viking experience. On my next trip to England, I want to do a day trip from York to the Yorkshire Dales.

I'm back with an update! I had thrown up a second post on the General Europe boards to get some more eyes about deciding between 2 days in Ghent/Antwerp or 2 nights in York.

The replies have been suuuuuper helpful and I'm feeling more confident than I have about any of our zillion itinerary options so far:

3 nights Bruges; 6 nights London; 2 nights York; 4 nights Edinburgh.

Will do a Windsor day trip from London and a St Andrews day trip from Edinburgh. Will fly into Brussels, out of Edinburgh, and take Eurostar + trains between cities.

Perhaps one day we'll do a full tour of Belgium and see Ghent and Antwerp 🤞

Also, Cala: I had already come to this decision to do York but the CATS! The cats is the cherry on top! That's the first I've heard of that with York (after lots of forum browsing and multiple guidebooks!) and it's thrilling! We had a very beloved kitty whose medical care had for years kept us from being able to travel at all (she was worth it!).

Hannah, I'll just leave this here for you 😊 https://www.yorkluckycats.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/York-Cat-Trail-Leaflet.pdf

omg aMAZing!!!! 🐱

I'm with Cala on York (as you know, Hannah) and agree that I enjoyed Edinburgh but did not feel the love there that I did for York and Yorkshire. And of course, cats!

Btw, I will be spending 5 weeks in England in the spring of 2024 (with a 7 night stay in the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire moors), so will let you know how York is in 2024. :-)

Ohhh Mardee! Five weeks! I'll poke around to see if you've posted more about these plans, it sounds incredible.

One of the things about embarking on international travel with my husband that I'm most excited about (I've been to Europe twice, but not since undergrad over 20 years ago; this will be his first trip overseas) is actually just experiencing a place and discovering what cities resonate with (or even surprise) us. Pretty darn positive we'll love London, but as for the rest, what a curious adventure it will be!

"One of the things about embarking on international travel with my husband that I'm most excited about ...snip...is actually just experiencing a place and discovering what cities resonate with (or even surprise) us."

I think this is the fun part of travel too. I also think you are wise to stay overnight in places you are interested in such as York and Bruges. I do not think people get the same feel for a location when they day trip to them as opposed to being there overnight. The AMs (say before 10A when tour buses or cruise tour groups start to arrive) plus late afternoon/early evening are so great in these areas.

In York last spring I was with a small group (6 of us) walking home from dinner at say 830. The streets were empty but did not feel unsafe and it was just such a cool thing to walk thru those medieval-y areas and come up to the lit up YorkMinster with no crowds around. SUCH a personal feeling!

PS If you like Indian food I have an excellent restaurant recommendation in York.

Pam, thanks for the compliment on being wise ... I aim to one day be always right along with you, Mary, and Mardee 🤩

And I am definitely interested in any and all food recommendations always!

Ok you all have me so conflicted again! 😂 I had kind of worked out that on our next trip, we were going to spend a couple of days in Edinburgh rather than return to York. After reading about the preferences several of you have for York, I am wondering if it’s the right choice. I don’t want to hijack Hannah’s thread, so I may start another one later on. Wish we could do both, but those darned time constraints!

Hannah, I enjoyed a wonderful meal at The Viceroy outside Monk Bar. I think some RS tour members have had less than sterling experiences here and I'm not sure why. I was there with my small group led by a former RS guide and we were showered with attention. Food was excellent. And yes, this vegan even tasted some of the lamb dishes.

http://www.viceroy-restaurant.co.uk/

I also like Betty's for afternoon tea. I just had a sandwich at the York Betty's but had had a full afternoon tea at the one in Harrogate a few weeks before. My word...so much food that I felt like a python that ate a goat afterward. Get a Fat Rascal (scone with a cute face on it!) at their takeaway counter for your breakfast the next morning.

https://www.bettys.co.uk/cafe-tea-rooms/our-locations/bettys-york

You are so kind with saying nice things!

Mustlove....hard to make the choice. BOTH locations are excellent. Edinburgh is bigger, of course, and has a different "flavor".

Mustlovedogs whoops, sorry! 🤣 Do start your own thread! Not because I mind you popping up in here (not at all!) but because I kind of think the decision is a contextual one, based on your previous/future travel as well as what the rest of this particular trip's itinerary is. And I'd love to hear more!

Pam Ohhhh thank you for these recommendations!!! (And btw I was vegan for over 6 years! I'm mostly plant-based now. My ethics didn't change, I just ended up needing a more flexible approach. Though I could see another time in my future where veganism is prioritized again.)