Hello Travelers,
We decided as a family ( two college students) to travel abroad for a portion of the holiday season. Last year we traveled to Paris and had a terrific time......
Travel dates...December 17 - December 23...Any suggestions for London sightseeing....must see locations..
Also, will we have time to travel another country..perhaps Brussels..
Many thanks!
You can get the Eurostar train to Brussels, journey takes about two hours city centre to city centre. And you can extend your journey to another Belgian city eg Bruges, at no extra cost.
http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/destinations.jsp
If you do decide to go, book early so that you can get the £59 fare.
Thanks Linda! I will look into Eurostar...ASAP
The UK is a wonderful place to visit at that time of year. Bath, Edinburgh, York, Windsor,Cardiff, Swansea, and Canturbury all have wonderful Christmas markets. All except Edinburgh make good day trips by train. I am certain other places also have good markets, but these are the ones I have seen. Here is a link to an article I wrote about basing yourself in London and doing day trips- use 28208 if it asks for a zipcode. My husband and I have been to the UK about twice a year for more than 20 years- so half our trips were in late Nov. to mid. Dec. Enjoy! http://www.aaacarolinas.com/Magazine/2008/Jan-Feb/britain.htm?zip=28201&stateprov=nc&city=charlotte
Wow! Thanks Toni... this is a great article and NOW We are considering using London as a home base and visiting the other cities that are referenced in the article.
Many thanks....we have lots of planning to do....
Wendy
You have to go to Hamley's Toy Store, and walk down the main drag (Regents street, I think... trying to remember...). Every year, they pick a different theme, and light it up like crazy. It's great!
The West End is also wonderful that time of year. Search the ticket sites for unique and wonderful shows that might be out there for a short run!
See if you can find a "Pantomime", or "Panto". It's this wonderful British traditional Christmas play, and the audience gets to interact. "He's behind you!" quite fun. It's also tradition for at least a few of the characters (male or female) to be played by actors of the opposite sex, which can add to the fun.
Besides "shows" and "Panto's", check out the concert schedule - in London, around the holidays, you'll find some amazing concerts with everything from classical to pop, performed by some very big names.
Last option, even if you're not a church goer, being able to see a holiday style mass in one of the main British Cathedrals is an event. You can't understate how good the choirs are, with the boy altos and sopranos (Westminster and Cambridge in particular), and the cathedral ambiance is hard to beat.
Hope that all helps! :) I love London at the Holidays. Dress warm! :)
