Help with travel plans and tips - London - York - Amsterdam - Paris

I'd probably post over on the UK forum at TripAdvisor as well as here, and perhaps you did not mean to post this in the Trip Reports section?

I think you don't have a lot of time in any of these destinations, and what I would do is cut one of them, but it's your trip.

I wonder about beginning in York, then going to London, then Amsterdam OR Paris, and flying home from there.

I would do an open jaw/multi-city/multiple destination ticket to avoid spending time backtracking.

For train travel in the UK I think you want the National Rail website, and I think you might be able to save money by booking ahead (on the York to London journey) but this would restrict you to a particular date and time.

If you go to Amsterdam and Paris, I would take the train between them, but I like trains. Also, I feel that your schedule doesn't allow much time for a leisurely drive, and given that there is good and high-speed train service between the cities, I wouldn't travel any other way (I believe you'll want Thalys for this journey). See the website for the Man in Seat 61 for all things train in Europe. I think Amsterdam-Paris is about 3 hours, 20 minutes by train.

The way I read your itinerary, you have four days and one arrival/travel day in London. With only four days, I wouldn't take a day trip, other than perhaps staying nearby and going to Greenwich, Hampton Court Palace, or Windsor Castle. However, again, it's your trip and is up to you. I'd go to Canterbury if you want to see a university town, Bath if you want the Roman baths and Georgian architecture, or somewhere else if you want something else.

Enjoy your travel planning, and your holiday!

I agree with the previous poster - you don't have a lot of time in cities where you've never been. Are you flying home from Paris? If you haven't bought your tickets yet, I'd suggest flying into Manchester, visit York, take the train (Virgin East Coast is the company you want for these tickets) to London, take the Eurostar to Paris, take the TGV train to Amsterdam, and fly home from there.

But if you have bought your tickets -

You'd take a budget airline (like easyJet) from Manchester or London to Amsterdam. Tickets on these airlines only increase in price as time goes on, so as soon as you figure out which airline and which flight, buy your ticket.

The train company Virgin Trains East Coast goes from London Kings Cross station to York. Like the budget airline tickets, these only increase in price. The cheapest tickets are sold farthest in advance. I took the train from London to York for a day and paid 41 pounds because I didn't buy very far in advance. The train ride is about 2 hours.

If you're heading from Amsterdam city center to Paris city center, take the train.

I visited Canterbury as a day trip from London and enjoyed it. The cathedral is beautiful; the city gates are really cool; and just a ten-minute walk from the cathedral are the ruins of a Norman castle between a traffic circle and some apartments. Amazing!

Other airlines (flybe and KLM) fly from Manchester to Amsterdam at more convenient times than the 7:00 a.m. EasyJet departure; see www.skyscanner.com. Direct train from York to Manchester airport takes 1 hr 45 m, which is faster than returning to London.

Train tickets are also for sale now, if you're ready to lock in dates and times through National Rail and Thalys. I don't agree that your time split between cities is inadequate, but I probably wouldn't find time for a daytrip from London. Or you could spend the two nights in Bath instead of York.

Thanks for all the tips and help.... flying out of Manchester seems to be the best option again thanks everyone for their help it is appreciated.

We were in Amsterdam last year. The city center area is a delight, but can be very crowded with lots of foot traffic up and down the narrow streets. Seek out an Indonesian restaurant for lunch or dinner...very good food! Plenty of friendly taverns and coffee/pastry shops. The signs you see for "cafes" are actually marijuana bars. They are fun to drop in a visit...and partake in if you are so inclined...we were not. Try to book a canal boat tour and be sure to at least visit the Van Gogh Museum (get tickets at the Visitors Information booth near the main light rail/tram station. We took the #5 tram from the city center to the museum...it's further than most folks would want to walk. The tram driver will tell you when to get off...very friendly. Everyone speaks English.

We also visited a diamond merchants and the Heineken Brewery.