Hello. I.m traveling to Great Britain with my two teenage daughters in August. I do not want to drive. Flying into Glasgow. Want to head to Shipley-Bradford, England to spend a few days then on to either Cardiff for one night then Swindon for four days as central point to visit bath, Cotswolds, and Oxford. Should I just stay in Swindon and visit Cardiff from there? Final stop London. Is it best to take the trains? Or charter? Should we purchase tickets in advance? My youngest is staying for the rest of the year to study? Should she buy an Eurail pass? She plans to travel to France, Italy, finland, and Germany. Lots of questions, I know. I would appreciate any guidance.
Posted by
Bromley, Kent,, UK
1829 posts
May I ask why Swindon? Not a place I would describe as a holiday/tourist centre.
Posted by
OP
Cornwall, NY, USA
10 posts
We have friends there to lodge with. My other option is to stay outside of birmingham.
Posted by
Bromley, Kent,, UK
1829 posts
If you look at this railway map you will see that Swindon is well connected with the places you mention. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/content/OfficialNationalRailmaplarge.pdf You can use the National Rail site to plan and price your journeys. Usually buying tickets in advance works out a lot cheaper as you will see when you use the journey planner. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
Should we purchase tickets in advance? There are three main ticket types in the UK. 'Anytime', 'Off-peak' and 'Advance'. If you use the journey planner that Linda suggested you will see some or all of these listed under the 'Other tickets' link on the right hand side. 'Advance' tickets are available up to 12 weeks before the date of travel and will be the cheapest option, if available. However, they are only valid on the specific train they are booked for and cannot be refunded, so they are not very flexible if your plans are not fixed. Train ticketing in the UK is complicated and often seems illogical. You may not find Advance tickets unless you split your journey into separate legs, but the train companies won't tell you that. The best advice is to spend some time with the journey planner and work out the options. Child ticket prices apply up to the age of 16. You may wish to look at car hire as well, given there are three of you. Should she buy an Eurail pass? She plans to travel to France, Italy, finland, and Germany Almost certainly not. Dozens of threads on this forum discuss the pros and cons of Eurail. It is seldom worthwhile in France or Italy and Germany has other national and regional passes that are worth investigating. See this: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#Should%20you%20buy%20a%20railpass%20or%20pay-as-you-go