Amsterdam from Leeds & London
Oct 1st, 2017, 07:10 AM
#1
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Amsterdam from Leeds & London
I'm going to be in Leeds next May and then have 6 or 7 days to see London, Bath, etc. Wondering if it is worth my while to plan a flight from leeds to Amsterdam for one night - as I will then be spending 2 or so days seeing london,plus also seeing Stonehenge,Bath area. Is this too much to jam in, or is it worth the money to see one other country while there?My first time in the UK-- want to see as much as I can. I'm not that keen on the main touristy stuff in London, so I do think 2 days of roaming there is enough for me. I also am on a bit of a budget and travelling mostly on my own. Don't want to rent a car either.
Advice appreciated !
Advice appreciated !
Oct 1st, 2017, 07:27 AM
#2
Leeds to York would be worth a train journey. (York is a walled city with a great medievel centre and cathedral, plus a very good free train museum). Trains back to Leeds or down to London depending on your plans. I think Amsterdam is great just a bit of a waste of time getting to and from there.
Lots to do in London that are non touristy stuff. Give us a bit more of an idea of what floats your boat? White water canoing, climbing, roller blading etc etc?
Lots to do in London that are non touristy stuff. Give us a bit more of an idea of what floats your boat? White water canoing, climbing, roller blading etc etc?
Oct 1st, 2017, 07:28 AM
#3
basic planning to get around http://www.traveline.info/
how to use trains seat61.com
how to use trains seat61.com
Oct 1st, 2017, 07:53 AM
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Why not Paris instead of Amsterdam - just 2 hours by train from London. Can do as a day trip by Eurostar train from London?
Do Leeds-Bath-London
anyway trains are great in UK and Eurostar to Paris - book early for nice discounts = Yes www.seat61.com is a great resource - others I like www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com for where to go by train and understanding using trains.
Amsterdam yes would be a waste of time and money for just a day there - Paris as an easy day trip can also be cheap if you book early at www.eurostar.com - look for day return specials or youth specials if under 26 (I think 26).
Do Leeds-Bath-London
anyway trains are great in UK and Eurostar to Paris - book early for nice discounts = Yes www.seat61.com is a great resource - others I like www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com for where to go by train and understanding using trains.
Amsterdam yes would be a waste of time and money for just a day there - Paris as an easy day trip can also be cheap if you book early at www.eurostar.com - look for day return specials or youth specials if under 26 (I think 26).
Oct 1st, 2017, 08:41 AM
#5
Flying from Leeds (or London even) for one night is totally impractical. You would end up w/ several hours hours out of the short time just traveling to the airport, security, etc and the same in reverse.
>>I'm not that keen on the main touristy stuff in London<<
Curious what you consider too 'touristy' in London? Maybe tell us what sorts of places you want to miss . . . There ARE few 'touristy' sites to avoid -- like the Dungeon and Madame Tussaud's. But the VAST majority of sites are world famous for a reason and not what most people would call touristy.
Even Just York, Bath and London is a LOT for just one week.
>>I'm not that keen on the main touristy stuff in London<<
Curious what you consider too 'touristy' in London? Maybe tell us what sorts of places you want to miss . . . There ARE few 'touristy' sites to avoid -- like the Dungeon and Madame Tussaud's. But the VAST majority of sites are world famous for a reason and not what most people would call touristy.
Even Just York, Bath and London is a LOT for just one week.
Oct 1st, 2017, 08:52 AM
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Even Just York, Bath and London is a LOT for just one week.>
Yes the urge is to see as much of 'Europe' as possible but to see and experience are two different things - you could see Amsterdam in the few hours you have there but not experience it - may as well look at YouTube videos.
Yes a week for England ain't much let along going to the continent.
Either do IMO London and Amsterdam or Paris or London and Bath and York.
How long do you have in Leeds - York is a short day trip from there if spending time in Leeds for some obligation you may have free time?
Yes the urge is to see as much of 'Europe' as possible but to see and experience are two different things - you could see Amsterdam in the few hours you have there but not experience it - may as well look at YouTube videos.
Yes a week for England ain't much let along going to the continent.
Either do IMO London and Amsterdam or Paris or London and Bath and York.
How long do you have in Leeds - York is a short day trip from there if spending time in Leeds for some obligation you may have free time?
Oct 1st, 2017, 12:21 PM
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Wondering if it is worth my while to plan a flight from leeds to Amsterdam for one night - as I will then be spending 2 or so days seeing london,plus also seeing Stonehenge,Bath area.>
Well scratch Bath and you could fly to Amsterdam - 2 nights -train to Paris (3.5 hrs) - 2 nights and Eurostar train to London -3 nights.
3 great cities - 2 countries (train thru Belgium!)
Bath and York are nice but London, Amsterdam and Paris are much nicer - use this as an orientation trip and go back to each when you have more time and more money.
Well scratch Bath and you could fly to Amsterdam - 2 nights -train to Paris (3.5 hrs) - 2 nights and Eurostar train to London -3 nights.
3 great cities - 2 countries (train thru Belgium!)
Bath and York are nice but London, Amsterdam and Paris are much nicer - use this as an orientation trip and go back to each when you have more time and more money.
Oct 1st, 2017, 12:43 PM
#8
>>Amsterdam - 2 nights -train to Paris (3.5 hrs) - 2 nights and Eurostar train to London -3 nights.<<
2 nights = 1 day and 3 nights = 2 days. So you would spend a boatload of time and $$/££/€€ to see and do very little in any of the three.
2 nights = 1 day and 3 nights = 2 days. So you would spend a boatload of time and $$/££/€€ to see and do very little in any of the three.
Oct 1st, 2017, 02:06 PM
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2 nights = 1 day and 3 nights = 2 days. So you would spend a boatload of time and $$/££/€€ to see and do very little in any of the three.>
Actually 2 nights = 1.5 days and 3 nights =2.5 days in this case but
No I would not recommend that - just presenting other scenarios if OP really wants to see Amsterdam -may not realize how quick it is to Paris from there and then to London and those trains can be very cheap if booking long enough in advance.
And taking those trains IMO is a travel experience as nice or novel for Americans (trains going nearly 200 mph) and not the waste of time you think. You see the pastoral Dutch, Belgian and French countryside and going thru the Chunnel is great too and yes seeing three other countries if only briefly.
Again just options OP may not have thought of involving the desire to see Amsterdam. York, Bath and London would take about the same travel time.
Actually 2 nights = 1.5 days and 3 nights =2.5 days in this case but
No I would not recommend that - just presenting other scenarios if OP really wants to see Amsterdam -may not realize how quick it is to Paris from there and then to London and those trains can be very cheap if booking long enough in advance.
And taking those trains IMO is a travel experience as nice or novel for Americans (trains going nearly 200 mph) and not the waste of time you think. You see the pastoral Dutch, Belgian and French countryside and going thru the Chunnel is great too and yes seeing three other countries if only briefly.
Again just options OP may not have thought of involving the desire to see Amsterdam. York, Bath and London would take about the same travel time.
Oct 1st, 2017, 03:54 PM
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wow !
thanks for all of this advice ! to reply to a couple of you --
I don't want to spend hours looking at museums or on buses to see a glimpse of royal sites, etc. --to me that may be too touristy. I do appreciate art, but much prefer architecture, outdoor parks,cathedrals, castles. (so madame tussauds will definitely not happen !) lol.. I will do a fair bit of outdoor stuff with my friends in Leeds area-- they will maybe take me to Harrogate and nearby area- maybe york also.
We thought that flying on jet2 to paris or amsterdam would be easy from leeds, then I would go from there to London--maybe by train. I'm all for the cheaper routes - so will definitely check out the links ! PalenQ- I think you have convinced me to see paris now by eurostar ! will check it out and post again in a couple of days
! I have a lot of food for thought now--
thanks for all of this advice ! to reply to a couple of you --
I don't want to spend hours looking at museums or on buses to see a glimpse of royal sites, etc. --to me that may be too touristy. I do appreciate art, but much prefer architecture, outdoor parks,cathedrals, castles. (so madame tussauds will definitely not happen !) lol.. I will do a fair bit of outdoor stuff with my friends in Leeds area-- they will maybe take me to Harrogate and nearby area- maybe york also.
We thought that flying on jet2 to paris or amsterdam would be easy from leeds, then I would go from there to London--maybe by train. I'm all for the cheaper routes - so will definitely check out the links ! PalenQ- I think you have convinced me to see paris now by eurostar ! will check it out and post again in a couple of days
! I have a lot of food for thought now--
Oct 2nd, 2017, 05:55 AM
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We thought that flying on jet2 to paris or amsterdam would be easy from leeds, then I would go from there to London--maybe by train.>
Could do that via Thalys train to Brussels from Amsterdam then change to Eurostar to London in about 5 hours all told.
But could take Thalys Amsterdam to Paris - get a hotel right opposite Gare du Nord (there are many) where Thalys comes in and Eurostar to London leaves from (so spending little time getting to hotel once in Paris - meaning you could easily have much of that day in Paris and all the next day before going to London the following day.
So Leeds-Amsterdam-Paris-London is very feasible in that time frame. Of course no Bath or York but I'd take Amsterdam and London over them anyday, even with 2 nights and most of 2 days in each.
Could do that via Thalys train to Brussels from Amsterdam then change to Eurostar to London in about 5 hours all told.
But could take Thalys Amsterdam to Paris - get a hotel right opposite Gare du Nord (there are many) where Thalys comes in and Eurostar to London leaves from (so spending little time getting to hotel once in Paris - meaning you could easily have much of that day in Paris and all the next day before going to London the following day.
So Leeds-Amsterdam-Paris-London is very feasible in that time frame. Of course no Bath or York but I'd take Amsterdam and London over them anyday, even with 2 nights and most of 2 days in each.
Oct 2nd, 2017, 07:12 AM
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In Amsterdam if taking trains to Paris or London via Brussels staying again close to the Amsterdam train station will save time when leaving -there is an IBIS hotel right next to the station - good rates for Amsterdam and so convenient if taking train -maximizing time which is vital to you:
www.accorhotels.com/Ibis
www.accorhotels.com/Ibis
Oct 2nd, 2017, 08:39 AM
#14
>>on buses to see a glimpse of royal sites, etc. -<<
No one would ever recommend that.
>>--to me that may be too touristy<<
No one would disagree . . . but 'royal sites' (like Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard) are such a teensy % of London.
>>I do appreciate art, but much prefer architecture, outdoor parks,cathedrals, castles. <<
Some of the best city parks, art galleries, cathedrals and castles in the world (the Tower of London is a castle).
No one would ever recommend that.
>>--to me that may be too touristy<<
No one would disagree . . . but 'royal sites' (like Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard) are such a teensy % of London.
>>I do appreciate art, but much prefer architecture, outdoor parks,cathedrals, castles. <<
Some of the best city parks, art galleries, cathedrals and castles in the world (the Tower of London is a castle).
Oct 4th, 2017, 01:23 PM
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thanks again
I've since found out that my friend cannot come with me anyway after Leeds-- so from Leeds now I may just go to either paris or straight to London. Then seems like eurostar to paris is easy and quick. I do still want to see stonehenge- so may either do that before I go to leeds (from gatwick) or after I'm done with London and paris .
any advice on cheap areas or hotels in london or paris? I've checked the hostels- but if possible don't want to share a room.
I've since found out that my friend cannot come with me anyway after Leeds-- so from Leeds now I may just go to either paris or straight to London. Then seems like eurostar to paris is easy and quick. I do still want to see stonehenge- so may either do that before I go to leeds (from gatwick) or after I'm done with London and paris .
any advice on cheap areas or hotels in london or paris? I've checked the hostels- but if possible don't want to share a room.
Oct 4th, 2017, 01:37 PM
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check out youth hotels in those cities as they oft have single rooms-
http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/London
the above site says some of those hostels have private rooms.
Stonehenge best seen as day trip from London as you have little time in London itself-take train to Salisbury and bus from train station there to the stones. Easily done on your own - there are of course group tours too from London.
http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/London
the above site says some of those hostels have private rooms.
Stonehenge best seen as day trip from London as you have little time in London itself-take train to Salisbury and bus from train station there to the stones. Easily done on your own - there are of course group tours too from London.
Oct 4th, 2017, 01:57 PM
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Paris Generator might have private rooms but in any case the dorms have more privacy than typical HI hostels. That would be my pick. Private hostel rooms are usually not that cheap.
It would help to know what you don't like about hostels though. London and Paris are not cheap cities. Hostel really is your best bet for cheap solo lodging.
If you want to see more of the U.K. Another solution would be to skip Paris and do that. The reason is that I found that it's fairly easy to find small inns or bed and breakfasts outside of London, and they're inexpensive unless you're someplace like Bath. So consider dropping the other country idea entirely. You could always go to Scotland or N. Ireland. There is tons of stuff in the U.K. that would fit your interests.
But I think given your interests you'll find a lot more in London to do than you'd expect. Very little of it is like Madam Tussauds. It's brimming with interesting sites and museums. I love Paris, it's beautiful with fabulous art museums, but I think London is the more interesting city. And the museums are less about art and more about weird, quirky, and occasional mind blowing history.
It would help to know what you don't like about hostels though. London and Paris are not cheap cities. Hostel really is your best bet for cheap solo lodging.
If you want to see more of the U.K. Another solution would be to skip Paris and do that. The reason is that I found that it's fairly easy to find small inns or bed and breakfasts outside of London, and they're inexpensive unless you're someplace like Bath. So consider dropping the other country idea entirely. You could always go to Scotland or N. Ireland. There is tons of stuff in the U.K. that would fit your interests.
But I think given your interests you'll find a lot more in London to do than you'd expect. Very little of it is like Madam Tussauds. It's brimming with interesting sites and museums. I love Paris, it's beautiful with fabulous art museums, but I think London is the more interesting city. And the museums are less about art and more about weird, quirky, and occasional mind blowing history.
Oct 7th, 2017, 01:45 PM
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Yes,I think I will have another look at the hostel idea. I just don't like spending time with others in the same room-- but if I can find my own room, I can live with that.
I did find a cheap hotel in pimlico - near victoria station. Its hard to tell on a map, but it looks like it would only be 20mins by tube to get to some of the london sites I want to see? I could be wrong.
I am thinking Paris may be too much going--- so may abandon that one-- plus my friend is not going to join me there now- so solo trip will be more expensive now. I am open to suggestions regarding other areas.
If I spend one night in salisbury to see stonehenge is there another place near there worth seeing? (everyone says bath,but I will be near york the week before - so I know it's similar?) - any suggestions would be great
I did find a cheap hotel in pimlico - near victoria station. Its hard to tell on a map, but it looks like it would only be 20mins by tube to get to some of the london sites I want to see? I could be wrong.
I am thinking Paris may be too much going--- so may abandon that one-- plus my friend is not going to join me there now- so solo trip will be more expensive now. I am open to suggestions regarding other areas.
If I spend one night in salisbury to see stonehenge is there another place near there worth seeing? (everyone says bath,but I will be near york the week before - so I know it's similar?) - any suggestions would be great
