London/Bath

Herb,

My preference would be to head for Bath for a few days right after the cruise, and then finish your trip in London (since that's probably where your flight home will be from). Bath is a wonderful town to explore, and it should be fantastic in May.

For the trip to Stonehenge, you might have a look at Mad Max Tours as they'll provide the transportation and cover a few other locations as well. I found them to be very good.

How are you getting from Amsterdam to London?

Happy travels!

Ken: Thanks for you comments. We are flying from Amsterdam to Heathrow.

I agree with Ken. When we fly into Heathrow next September we will head directly for Bath, see other locations in the UK and end our time there in London. I read in the RS Great Britain guidebook that there is a bus that goes directly to Bath from Heathrow.

Herb,

Thanks for the additional information. As Andrea mentioned, there's a Bus that goes right from Heathrow T1 or T3 to Bath. Check the National Express website. That trip will be as short as 2H:35M, depending on which Bus you're able to connect with. Note that your destination station will be Bath Spa.

Did a similar vacation last year. Went straight to Bath for 3 days and then a week in London. Going to Bath first is a great idea. We spent 3 nights and thought 1-2 would have been better. Lots to see and do in London. Spent a week and didn't see it all.

the bus from heathrow is pretty easy and relatively cheap. i'd spend overnight there to do a full day with max. if you feel like spend another day just in bath, but otherwise half day is ok.

Bath is worth an overnight stay, especially if you familiarize yourself with the city and its history.

Stonehenge, less so. You can see what there is to see in a couple of hours, max. That said, the nearby town of Salisbury is well worth a visit and has plenty of places for an overnight stay.

Bath and Stonehenge are both "do-able" as daytrips out of London, Bath is two hours by train. Salisbury is a bit less. From there buses run out to Stonehenge.

There is now also a direct bus service from Bristol Airport to Bath. Go to www.bathbuscompany.com/airport-service/buy-airport-tickets for details. You might find it more convenient than the bus/train combination via Bristol Temple Meads station.

Nine days is plenty of time to see more than just London and Bath. I will say that you can easily spend a week in London if that's your plan.

You can catch the bus to Bath easily. Bath is a town you do not want a car in. I would recommend you pay a little more and stay close to the bus and train stations. You can spend a day seeing the sights of Bath. I personally think that that's all its worth but there are other opinions. The Mad Max Tour from Bath has good reviews but I've never done it. The full day tour hits Stonehenge and some other sights. If you're up for getting a car in Bath, Wells is a nice town with a nice cathedral. Stourhead is a beautiful English garden on the way to Salisbury. I think Salisbury and Wells are both worth a half day on your relatively short visit.

With a car you could see Windsor before arriving in London. Depending on your rental car company you could drop the car off in Windsor or Heathrow.

We stayed at the Henry B&b several years ago in Bath, just about three or so blocks from train and short walk to center of town. There is no lift so try to get room on second floor, it was lovely and not terribly expensive.

Thanks all for the info. Looks like the conscience is to go directly to Bath with an overnight or two.

Herb, I did the Mad Max tour from Bath to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe in September. It was excellent. The guide I had was quite good and I would recommend the company. Try to spend at least 2 nights in Bath, especially if you do a tour to Stonehenge. I spent 3 nights in Bath and wished I had spend another!

I know many don't recommend Stonehenge, but I really like it and will go every time I have the chance. To me it is so very interesting and fascinating. The audio guide is very good as well.