My family (Mom, Dad and Grandma plus 3 girls ages 10, 8 and 5) will be traveling to England in late October/early November. My initial plan was to rent a flat in London for a week (to save money) and then rent a car and travel around the country.
Can you recommend an family friendly itinerary for our trip? Any suggestions for accomodations for our family in London and around England?
Don't do the car! Trains are easy to use in the UK. Here is a link to an article I wrote about day trips from London:
http://www.aaacarolinas.com/Magazine/2008/Jan-Feb/britain.htm?zip=28201&stateprov=nc&city=charlotte
if asked for your zipcode use 28208. Feel free to private message me - I have been to the UK more than 40 times in 20 years.
We are leaving thursday
three gilrs ages 15,14,8 and renting a car . I'll let you know how it goes
Unless you have driven overseas before, I really recommend that you not rent a car in London. Just trying to get out of the greater London area by car is nerve-wracking. If you have your heart set on a car, consider taking the train to Bath (about an hour from Pad and a nice trip) walk around to the major sites, have lunch (figure about 3-4 hours) and then pick up your rental car. From there, explore the beautiful country around Bath, which includes the Cotswolds. You would even be in fairly short driving distance from a couple of castles.
But you really can do a very nice two weeks in the UK with London as your base and no driving. London itself is wonderful, and with such a group as yours, you may only be able to fit in one major attraction per day once you add in travel and meal breaks. The kids would probably enjoy the Tower of London w/tour, the London Eye, the Science Museum and maybe the British Museum (it will depend on your kids). I know there have been lots of postings over the years re. kid friendly UK stuff.
As for day trips from London by train, there are so many to choose from and there are some really affordable options for train travel.
Others have told you about the car and I agree with the advice.
Recarding the flat - I just did the same thing with my family of 2 adult children and their spouses. We got a 3 bedroom flat and it was so much more fun than getting a bunch of hotel rooms, and did not cost much more either. I highly recommend English Manner - http://english-manner.com . Gloria was total gem to work with, the arrangement were easy by credit card, all fees were in dollars, and the flat was great. Absolutely the best way to do a week with a family.
