Momliz

It looks like the only time I can gather my young adult children together for a family trip is over Christmas. My husband has long wanted to visit England, so I am researching a trip. We would fly over from the US around 12/20 into Heathrow and head back maybe 1/2/16 from Edinburgh. The kids are urban and I haven't been to London in decades, so I am thinking cities rather than the country, and about a week in each city. We will rent apartments or houses in each - there will be 6 of us. I have a bunch of questions I hope you can help me with, but I'll start with these three:

1) How to break up the trip? I think we will take the train to Edinburgh (love, love trains!). But I can't get any information regarding late December from Brit Rail's site. Don't want to travel Christmas day. So, would we be able to travel 12/26, or should we stay in one city or the other a bit longer? Also, is there a particularly scenic and memorable train? We haven't been on a train since our trip from Cairo to Luxor a few years back, and that was definitely memorable.

2) There are some wonderful houses/apartments (either is ok) to rent in the Kensington/Chelsea area in London (>$700/night). Of course they have glowing descriptions, but I would like to be reasonably close to a great neighborhood for young people (I'm assuming they will go out at night). Where do the young folks like to go? I'd also like to be close to a Tube station since we won't have a car, and within walking distance of cafes and restaurants (we aren't big on shopping) and easy access to sightseeing for my husband and me.

3) Regarding our house/apartment. Does anyone have any experience with a particular agency? One called One Fine Stay has some nice places on VRBO. Any others to recommend? We are looking for 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2+ baths.

Thanks in advance for any help!

janisj

>> and head back maybe 1/2/16 from Edinburgh<<

Hogmanay (New Years) is the VERY most expensive time of year to rent an apartment in Edinburgh -- even higher than August/the festivals/Tattoo. The city will be mobbed over the 31st w/ a large part of the city closed off and entry only by ticket. Plus many are booked up months up to a year in advance. It is one of the most famous NYE events anywhere in the world.

So unless you absolutely must attend Hogmanay you will do much better doing Edinburgh over Christmas and London over New Years. Especially since there is virtually no transport in London over the Christmas Holiday (no buses/tube/trains in the city)

One Fine Stay is one of several well regarded agencies.

>>but I would like to be reasonably close to a great neighborhood for young people (I'm assuming they will go out at night). Where do the young folks like to go? I'd also like to be close to a Tube station since we won't have a car, and within walking distance of cafes and restaurants (we aren't big on shopping) and easy access to sightseeing for my husband and me.<<

Ok -- you need to understand London -- there is essentially no part of central London (other than a slice of Chelsea) that doesn't have access to multiple tube stations/lines. The 'young folks' can go anywhere for clubs/arts etc no matter where you stay. Every bits of London is reachable from all the other bits. There are (literally) thousands of cafes and restaurants - some will be on your door step and some a tube or bus ride away. And - no neighborhood is close to more than a handful of the sites -- but again everything is accessible by public transport.

Since you will need large flats at an expensive time of year in both cities - I'd just find properties that fit and the kids can find their way to the 'scene'.

Man_in_seat_61

Book London-Edinburgh trains at www.virgintrainseastcoast.com

No trains at all 25 or 26 December.

Early shutdown to services on Christmas Eve, and altered services over the Xmas period, typically a Saturday or Sunday service on days which are technically weekdays.

Booking opens 9-12 weeks ahead, book early for the cheapest prices.

Sit on right hand side of the train going north for the best views (ignoring reserved seats if necessary as you can't pick a side when reserving, and 60-70% of the seats will be unreserved), such as coastline in Northumberland and view as train curves onto the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick - see UK rail map at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static...nal_map(1).pdf

PalenQ

Scour www.nationalrail.co.uk for discounted first-class fares - first class on those trains is MUCH MUCH nicer than 2nd class which I liken to a crowded Greyhound bus - but as in class-conscious Britain first class is IME of zillions of train trips there - often sparsely filled and you get complimentary food and booze the whole way - janis who posts above reported back awhile ago on her first-class trip and she said they kept filling the Champagne glasses the whole way - and discounted tickets come in first class too - sometimes not much more than Standard class (2nd class) so if the difference ain't huge go for first class and have a lot lot more comfort on that longish trip.

If coming back to London by rail (seems you're flying out of Scotland but not sure the way I read it) there is also the Calendonia Sleeper night trains between Edinburgh and London.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your...donian-sleeper

Not everyone can sleep really well on night trains but many can and if you'vealready seen the nicest scenery (Newcastle to Edinburgh) you won't miss much. For lots on British trains in general check www.seat61.com (Man in Seat 61 who posts above his commercial site); www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Ackislander

Be prepared for it to be dark in Edinburgh by 4, earlier on a cloudy day. Not much better in London. Not a problem but often a surprise.

PalenQ

Heck when I was in Edinburgh once in mid-November it started getting dark by 3 it seemed - probably cloudy as usual - and sun came up about 10. Spend those precious hours of daylight carefully. Lots of time for night life.

Momliz

Thanks so much for your replies! Hogmanay does look very commercial, and awful, but I bet the young 'uns would love it. If there's alcohol involved... We are prepared for the weather, we are from northern Virginia and it doesn't seem to be much different. But, thanks for the tip about the dark. Indeed, GB is at a much higher latitude. Can we go see the Prime Meridian?

So, it looks like we won't be able to travel the 26th. And, we wouldn't the 25th anyway. I read some of Cholmondley Warrior's (sp?) old posts and the traditions he describes sound like fun!

So, I guess we will fly into Edinburgh, and fly out of London. Is Edinburgh as decentralized as London? Lots of nice places to rent there, any neighborhoods we should consider?

Momliz

And, it seems on the National Rail site that we can only book 3 months ahead. Their calendar only goes till mid November. Or did I miss something?

janisj

>>Is Edinburgh as decentralized as London? Lots of nice places to rent there, any neighborhoods we should consider?<<

London is the largest city in western Europe -- by a loooooong ways. Nearly 9,000,000 people.

Edinburgh is a small city - less than 500,000 and the central part where all the major sites are is a fraction of that.

Stay in the Old Town (the medieval part up near the Castle) or the New town just south of Princes Street.

BigRuss

<<Stay in the Old Town (the medieval part up near the Castle) or the New town just south of Princes Street.>>

Uh, I think she meant NORTH of Princes Street. If you're south of it and "in" New Town, you'll be in the Princes Street Gardens or in the Castle grounds, unless you're east of North Bridge and that usually isn't New Town, which describes the area north of the Castle district.

<<<Hogmanay does look very commercial, and awful, but I bet the young 'uns would love it. If there's alcohol involved...>>>

It's Scotland. A country known for its national liquor. It's not known for teetotalers. Guess whether there could be alcohol.

<<<Can we go see the Prime Meridian?>>>

Considering it's not a corporeal thing, no. But where it crosses Greenwich, there are places to walk along it and its path is marked out - just google prime meridian greenwich and check out the images that search generates.

And the darkness issue is one you need to be cognizant of. In Gdansk, it got dark at 3 on December 26 when we were there. Edinburgh is at a higher latitude than Gdansk.

janisj

>>Uh, I think she meant NORTH of Princes Street<<

OOPS

I've do the more than once -- of course I meant <u>north</u> -- for some reason I get dyslexic when thinking/writing north/south of P. Street

PalenQ

<<Can we go see the Prime Meridian?>>>

Considering it's not a corporeal thing, no. But where it crosses Greenwich, there are places to walk along it and its path is marked out>

Yes an artificial line drawn in London when Brits thought Britain was at the very center of the Earth in many ways. But kind of neat to stick one foot in one hemisphere and one in the other. And the old Greenwich Observatory is the home of time - on the line I believe (of course) and the park is nice too but very hilly - Greenwich also has the Cutty Sark boat to tour and neat views of the Thames. Take a walk thru the ancient Greenwich Foot Tunnel - catch the DLR or Docklands Light Railway for a ride thru the Docklands - a bunch of modern high-rises in part serving the banking industry.

The DLR is neat as it is driverless - nab a seat in the front of the first car as I try to do and think you're driving the train. Take it to Bank or Tower Hill to transfer to the Tube or take it to Stratford to see the Olympic Compound there.

The DLR is built on pillars so you get a great view of it all:

https://www.google.com/search?q=DLR+...=1600&bih=1099