My husband and I are taking the Rick Steves 7 days in London in September. We'd like to extend our stay and visit areas out of London either before or after the RS tour for about 7-10 days. What places do you suggest we see? Can we fly into one airport and fly out of another? Or is it most economical/best to fly in and out of London? Thanks
Posted by
Land of La
8663 posts
Where exactly would you like to go? Flying open jaw (into one airport and out of another) can be cheaper at times as backtracking to an original airport can waste valuable travel time. Do you only want to see more of the UK or include other parts of Europe? EuroStar train to Paris is only 2 hours and 15 minutes. Via EasyJet, or Aer Lingus, or BA or any number of other airlines you could fly to Dublin or Shannon and see Ireland, or Verona, or Amsterdam, etc. Edinburgh is reachable by train. You need to narrow down what you'd truly like to see. The Cotswolds, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, etc., etc..
Posted by
Arlington, WA
993 posts
Mary, You can do a lot with 7-10 days but you need to do some homework. Our suggestions would be predicated on how you intend to travel on those extra days. Will you hire a car or depend on local transport? Get ahold of some of Ricks dvd's for ideas, or go to your nearest Barnes and Noble. Our suggestions are also subjective. I once thought I could happily end my days in Yorkshire, but then I went to Dorset and then I went to Cornwall.... This year we're going to The Cotswolds, Cornwall, No. Wales and spend a couplethree days in the Midlands.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10221 posts
I agree with the others. Do some research. Do you want to stay in the UK? Paris is an easy side trip. Do you want to see smaller towns or stick to cities? If you can give us some direction we might be able to give better advice.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
You can fly open jaws, but if you're just focusing on England, that's less time/money-saving than if you planned to return from Scotland, Ireland, or anywhere on the continent. If this is your first trip, then I'm sure you'll enjoy some of the "predictable biggies", such as Bath, the Cotswolds, York, and Cambridge. The Lake District is also "still open" (buses, museums) in September.
Those and many other destinations are served by train. BritRail England passes start at $235 per person for 3 days (or $295 for 4 days) of unlimited train travel that you can spread out within that territory (not Scotland or Wales), reservations not required.