scotland, london , paris
Jun 19th, 2005, 08:35 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
scotland, london , paris
i'm going to scotland, london and paris this summer (in july) i've been to both paris in london, although its been a while and i'll be spending most of my time in those two places. we were able to fit in scotland for about a day (i know its short) but we're going to edinburgh-firstly is it feasible in a day (without most of the churches) and how far is loch ness and how much more time would we need there to fit that in? thanks!
another question-is it feasible to do a day trip from paris to some of the chateux in the loire valley?
ps-any suggestions for london and paris in general would be great as well-no matter how many times youve been somewhere-theres always something new!
another question-is it feasible to do a day trip from paris to some of the chateux in the loire valley?
ps-any suggestions for london and paris in general would be great as well-no matter how many times youve been somewhere-theres always something new!
Jun 19th, 2005, 08:51 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,873
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
>> we were able to fit in scotland for about a day <<
That is about like saying "we were able to fit in California for about a day". Why are you even considering going to Scotland if you only have one day to do it in????
I also don't know what you mean by "without most of the churches". Do you mean can you see much of Edinburgh if you skip any churches? Sure - you can see a lot of things in Edinburgh in a day -- but it takes nearly 1/2 a day to get there and 1/2 a day to get to either Paris or back to London. The flights are short -- but you have add in getting out to the airport, checking in ahead of time, traveling into the city and then back to the airport, etc .
And no - you can't do Edinburgh and Loch Ness as a day trip from London. Why Loch Ness? It is not the best part of Scotland and it is a long way from edinburgh.
I think you need to look at a map and see how far things really are - and also decide why you want to go to Scotland. It is my favorite place in the world - but if you only have a day, why bother?
That is about like saying "we were able to fit in California for about a day". Why are you even considering going to Scotland if you only have one day to do it in????
I also don't know what you mean by "without most of the churches". Do you mean can you see much of Edinburgh if you skip any churches? Sure - you can see a lot of things in Edinburgh in a day -- but it takes nearly 1/2 a day to get there and 1/2 a day to get to either Paris or back to London. The flights are short -- but you have add in getting out to the airport, checking in ahead of time, traveling into the city and then back to the airport, etc .
And no - you can't do Edinburgh and Loch Ness as a day trip from London. Why Loch Ness? It is not the best part of Scotland and it is a long way from edinburgh.
I think you need to look at a map and see how far things really are - and also decide why you want to go to Scotland. It is my favorite place in the world - but if you only have a day, why bother?
Jun 19th, 2005, 08:58 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hi, i'm sorry i should clarify-we're landing in edinburgh in the morning-we're staying overnight, i wanted to know if it were feasible to do edinburgh in a day-i would love to spend more time in scotland but unfortunatley when u travel with someone you have to compromise lol and my travel partner wants to go to london for longer than scotland (sigh) is there something you can suggest then janis, to do in addition to edinburgh perhaps the following morning as we are taking a train the next day to london, but are not set on a time yet?
Jun 19th, 2005, 09:12 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,873
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
OK - You arrive in Edinburgh in the a.m. and then take the train to London the next afternoon. That will give just barely over one day for Edinburgh. You can actually see quite a bit of the city in that short time, but you certainly wouldn't have time to take a day trip to somewhere else.
OR - do you mean you are staying TWO nights in Edinburgh? Even so - I'd just stick to Edinburgh -- it is a fabulous place.
OR - do you mean you are staying TWO nights in Edinburgh? Even so - I'd just stick to Edinburgh -- it is a fabulous place.
Jun 19th, 2005, 09:17 PM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks for your advice, i just wish i could get more in but i guess i'll just have to come back then! any advice for edinburgh (and yes just one night so basically most of the day tuesday and possibly most of wed)
Jun 19th, 2005, 11:17 PM
#7
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It's 55 minutes by TGV train from Paris to the TGV station for Tours, St Pierre de Corps. This station is out of town, and it's relatively easy to hire a car there and drive to the dyke road along the river. Do remember though that the chateaux (hundreds of them) are spread out over a very long distance and that there are roadworks every 15 miles or so. Buy the green Michelin for the area, research well and limit yourself to going round just a couple.
Alternatively, Paris hotel lobbies have always seemed awash with leaflets for daytrips. Personally, I'd rather eat ground glass than be cooped up in a bus (it's a GREAT deal longer by bus than by TGV), but each to his or her own.
Alternatively, Paris hotel lobbies have always seemed awash with leaflets for daytrips. Personally, I'd rather eat ground glass than be cooped up in a bus (it's a GREAT deal longer by bus than by TGV), but each to his or her own.
Jun 20th, 2005, 07:16 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks for the paris info!
about edinburgh-sheila,
<but tell us what interests you and we'll give you some recommendations> i'm interested in castles/museums, also anything culturally interesting etc <Also, where are you staying?> good question, i'm splitting the room with a friend so i wouldnt mind staying somewhere nice as its for one night-any suggestions? (i was toying with the idea of staying in a castle) thanks!
about edinburgh-sheila,
<but tell us what interests you and we'll give you some recommendations> i'm interested in castles/museums, also anything culturally interesting etc <Also, where are you staying?> good question, i'm splitting the room with a friend so i wouldnt mind staying somewhere nice as its for one night-any suggestions? (i was toying with the idea of staying in a castle) thanks!
Jun 20th, 2005, 10:58 AM
#10
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Edinburgh in a day: see Edinburgh castle, definitely, and Holyrood Palace. Stroll the Royal Mile. That will give you a pretty good feel for the city, and is very doable in a day. Maybe take an after-dinner stroll up to Arthur's Seat. Also, if you are going to be there in summer, it will be light out very late, so you'll have plenty of daylight. The National Gallery of Scotland is much better than I expected it to be - if you are an art lover, I would make it a priority. It's free, so it is easy to run in for 30-45 minutes and just see the highlights if you are pressed for time. I wouldn't bother with a hop-on-hop-off bus as the medieval center of town is very compact, and with the amount of time you have, you are going to want to stay in the medieval center.
Staying in a castle: I don't think there are any castles that you can stay in in the city of Edinburgh proper. They are all out in the countryside. If you only have 1 night, I don't see how you'd have time to get out to the countryside, check into the castle, enjoy the castle, and still see any of Edinburgh. I'd suggest finding a nice B&B in the center of Edinburgh.
If you are taking the train from Edinburgh to London, you might consider a stop at Durham. The cathedral is right near the train station, and it is a really fantastic example of a romanesque church.
Staying in a castle: I don't think there are any castles that you can stay in in the city of Edinburgh proper. They are all out in the countryside. If you only have 1 night, I don't see how you'd have time to get out to the countryside, check into the castle, enjoy the castle, and still see any of Edinburgh. I'd suggest finding a nice B&B in the center of Edinburgh.
If you are taking the train from Edinburgh to London, you might consider a stop at Durham. The cathedral is right near the train station, and it is a really fantastic example of a romanesque church.
Jun 20th, 2005, 12:04 PM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Edinburgh is tourist city so the choice is very widespread.
It's a mixture of a wonderful late mediaeval city with a planned Georgian New Town. The Castle is a must, but a brisk hike up Arthur's seat (a hill in the centre of the town above Holyrood Palace) will give you magnificent views out over the whole of east central Scotland. The new Museum of Scotland in the centre of the City is pretty good, for the architecture as well as the exhibits.
Mary Kings Close is a street which, in the middle ages, was on ground level but when the great plague came to visit Scotland (and Edinburgh in particular) it hit the place hard. The worst section of the city was right in the heart of the 'Old Town', where the present City Chambers are nowadays. This street was known as Mary King’s Close (after an advocate’s daughter so the story goes) and the local authorities, the kind beings that they are, decided to seal both entrances of the street up with everyone still inside. This street was rediscovered many years later and now you can take a tour down there, and they opened a visitor centre there last year. WARNING - they tell you that because of the many people sealed alive down there that there are ghosts aplenty.
A list of things to see includes
The New Town-planned grid Georgian -makes Bath pale by comparison
The Royal Mile -Medieval route between the Castle and Holyrood palace
The Castle
Hollyrood- Palace and Park - Queen’s Scottish town house and big garden
The New parliament - this trip can be arranged. There is a visitor's gallery at the Scottish parliament and you can get tickets from (would you believe) the ticket office! There is no dress code.
The Museum of Childhood - on the Royal Mile
St Giles Cathedral - on the Mile. Scene of Jenny what’shername’s tantrum. Crown tower
Parliament House - where the big wigs hang out (what a terrible pun)
Make sure you visit the National Museum of Scotland (Chambers St) in Edinburgh.
Gladstone’s Land, -mediaeval close off the High Street(the Mile)
This is a city heaving with museums. I believe I have mentioned the National Museum of Scotland and the Museum of Childhood. In addition there are:-
The National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy
the National Portrait Gallery
The Gallery of Modern Art
The Dean Gallery
The Georgian House
The City Art Centre
The Fruitmarket Gallery,
The Collective Gallery
The Printmakers’ Workshop
As to where to stay, I think the closest castle is Dalhousie. If _I_ were going to splash out it would be for the Balmoral- best hotel in the City, the Caledonian-used to be the best hotel in the city, one of the Castle view rooms at the Apex in the Grassmarket- for the view, or the Scotsman, because it's the Scotsman. Otherwise I'd go cheap and cheerful for the Express by Holiday Inn or the Travel Inn Express.
Either way, I'd book it, because it's July and the city's full of tourists
It's a mixture of a wonderful late mediaeval city with a planned Georgian New Town. The Castle is a must, but a brisk hike up Arthur's seat (a hill in the centre of the town above Holyrood Palace) will give you magnificent views out over the whole of east central Scotland. The new Museum of Scotland in the centre of the City is pretty good, for the architecture as well as the exhibits.
Mary Kings Close is a street which, in the middle ages, was on ground level but when the great plague came to visit Scotland (and Edinburgh in particular) it hit the place hard. The worst section of the city was right in the heart of the 'Old Town', where the present City Chambers are nowadays. This street was known as Mary King’s Close (after an advocate’s daughter so the story goes) and the local authorities, the kind beings that they are, decided to seal both entrances of the street up with everyone still inside. This street was rediscovered many years later and now you can take a tour down there, and they opened a visitor centre there last year. WARNING - they tell you that because of the many people sealed alive down there that there are ghosts aplenty.
A list of things to see includes
The New Town-planned grid Georgian -makes Bath pale by comparison
The Royal Mile -Medieval route between the Castle and Holyrood palace
The Castle
Hollyrood- Palace and Park - Queen’s Scottish town house and big garden
The New parliament - this trip can be arranged. There is a visitor's gallery at the Scottish parliament and you can get tickets from (would you believe) the ticket office! There is no dress code.
The Museum of Childhood - on the Royal Mile
St Giles Cathedral - on the Mile. Scene of Jenny what’shername’s tantrum. Crown tower
Parliament House - where the big wigs hang out (what a terrible pun)
Make sure you visit the National Museum of Scotland (Chambers St) in Edinburgh.
Gladstone’s Land, -mediaeval close off the High Street(the Mile)
This is a city heaving with museums. I believe I have mentioned the National Museum of Scotland and the Museum of Childhood. In addition there are:-
The National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy
the National Portrait Gallery
The Gallery of Modern Art
The Dean Gallery
The Georgian House
The City Art Centre
The Fruitmarket Gallery,
The Collective Gallery
The Printmakers’ Workshop
As to where to stay, I think the closest castle is Dalhousie. If _I_ were going to splash out it would be for the Balmoral- best hotel in the City, the Caledonian-used to be the best hotel in the city, one of the Castle view rooms at the Apex in the Grassmarket- for the view, or the Scotsman, because it's the Scotsman. Otherwise I'd go cheap and cheerful for the Express by Holiday Inn or the Travel Inn Express.
Either way, I'd book it, because it's July and the city's full of tourists
