Pre and Post Edinburgh/London (and Paris)

I would not bother with Dublin. Paris would be the easiest to get to using www.eurostar.com - but get your booking in ASAP to get the best price. http://www.seat61.com

You can do Stonehenge by going on www.nationalrail.co.uk - From WAT > SAL. Salisbury is well worth a visit as it has an impressive medieval cathedral. A shuttle bus goes from Salisbury to Stonehenge. http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/explore/salisbury-and-surroundings http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/
Also consider a night in York on the Edinburgh > London run - early booking gets best prices. http://www.eastcoast.co.uk http://www.visityork.org

You might also like to consider going 'around' Britain & staying en-route to visit local places. Bath could be included in such a trip. Day trip from London to Bath by train = PAD > BTH on www.nationalrail.co.uk www.britrail.com www.visitbritain.com

Greenwich can be easily reached by ferry-cruise on the Thames.

You should make it clear whether you will hire a car or use public transport as advice will vary depending on mode of transport.

Not sure why you were discouraged from visiting Dublin but hey, each to their own. On the international trip are they providing a tour in each city or merely providing lodging? I'm guessing airfare is being paid by you as you note you are flexible with travel pre and post the scheduled days in both cities. Does that flexibility include flying into one city and flying out of another?

Thanks for feedback...the company is taking care of airfare from USA to London and back to the USA from London (or likely from any other European city like Paris) and offering free tours, excursions in Edinburgh and London over the official dates. It is a group of about 16-20. We are responsible for any pre and post excursions and transportation within Europe.

It might be more cost effective & convenient for you to hire a small coach & driver and arrange group discounts for hotels. You could also find coach tours. For example, Google 'Coach Tours From Edinburgh'. You certainly want to avoid trains at peak commuting times for major cities. (Fridays are also very busy on the railways - especially from 3pm).
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/46506.aspx
http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/tickets-offers/group-travel/

If you're going all the way to Edinburgh it would be a shame to not explore a little bit of the country aside from the capital. If you would like to see the countryside, I would suggest Perthshire and specifically the Dunkeld. You can get there by train. You can enjoy a short walk in the hills, the Tay River is beautiful and has an historic bridge. Beatrix Potter spent time in neighboring Birnam. The old Cathedral was once the location of the head of the Church in Scotland. The Taybank is lovely pub for lunch or if you want to take a late train back to Edinburgh for dinner. I am not sure when their music sessions start up in the evening.

If you are venturesome enough to rent a car for the day, you might think about checking out The Trossachs. The Trossachs are a beautiful area and part of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. I enjoyed a steamboat ride on Loch Katrine, which is Rob Roy country. You can ride out on the boat and either take the return trip back or rent a bike and bike back. Balquhidder is where he is buried. The glen to the east of the Kirk graveyard is quite lovely. You could probably find a day tour to the Trossachs as well.

One thing to bear in mind about your trip--once you've made it you'll realize that it's not that hard and you can do it again! So, watch the need to cram everything into this trip. If it were me, I'd stick to England and Scotland this time. You'll have more time to relax and enjoy where you are.

Pam

If that's the case regarding flights to and from Europe, I'd fly into London a couple of days ahead of time and see some of the sites, then train to Edinburgh with your group. Visit Edinburgh, train back to London with your group and explore more of the city. Once they leave, take an early morning train to Salisbury and a bus to Stonehenge for the day. OR if you are fit, and a bit more adventuresome try David Wenk's English Country Walks to Stonehenge. Return to London for one last day and take the first EuroStar train to Paris the next morning and stay for 4 days as a minimum. Fly home from there.

Claudia post makes a lot of sense. So buy Eurostar tickets as soon as possible I got mine for Paris to London on July 21st , cost 40 GBP you will not get that deal now, I purchased months ago. Tickets on day of travel can be in hundreds!

Give Paris at least 3-4 days people who try to cram it in usually get too stressed to enjoy the best parts, walks in Luxembourg Gardens and sitting in sidewalk cafes people watching, instead they rush from museum to museum fretting about time spent in lines etc!

I agree with Pat, if you're going to Paris allow at least a few days. I can't imagine five hours on the train just for a day trip to that amazing city. If you don't have that kind of time, then I'd recommend spending it in the UK as discussed by other posters.

Thanks for the feedback from all. We are going to relax and spend extra days on the front end seeing London and the countryside and / or York for a day on on our way to Edinburgh for the official trip. We return to London for 3/4 days with the official group and spend an extra day for a quick day trip or anything we missed in London. We would then take the Eurostar to Paris for at least 3/4 days and fly back to the USA from Paris. Total 14 nights/15 days. Will use the feedback from all as we plan more. Thank you for all of the insights.

Excellent! Have a wonderful trip!!

Sounds like a good plan. Enjoy!