ENGLAND-SCTOLAND-FRANCE-need help travelling solo
 

Hello Fodorists,

I am a female travelling on my own. Like to stay good comfortable hotels and avoid many in-out of different hotels. I am not renting a car. Have to manage by train or bus,

Here is a draft of my next trip (if I dont change jobs)....
I am very doubtful of what to do, I like staying in ONE hotel and do day trips from there.

Please let me know if you can offer suggestions

JU 24 MAY BUE LON
VI 25 MAY LON EDI by train

Hotel EDIMBURGH

SA 26 MAY WALKING TOUR + VISIT EDI CASTLE
DO 27 MAY ONE DAY STIRLING
MO 28 MAY EDI LON TRAIN (sleeper?) with time to do something in the morning?

HOTEL LONDON

TU 29 MAY CANTERBURY FOR THE DAY - do i have time to GO ON TO DOVER? for white cliffs? is it worth going?

TU 29 MAY LON
WE 30 MAY LON MIGHT ATTEND POLO MATCH
WE 30 MAY LON PARIS BLOIS TRAIN

Hotel-Castle BLOIS or Amboise

THU 31 I think there is a tour through castles on globe? or do I take the shuttle
FRI 01 go on to La Provence by bus

Hotel en LA PROVENCE any suggested village? I would like to see the lavanders


SAT 02 LA PROVENCE to NICE or where do u recommend staying?
DOM 03 1 day bike tour along the coast
MON 04 Boat tour along the coast
WED 05 what can i do?

TUE 05 NIZE to PARIS via Bretagne? by bus? to where in La Bretagne? or do I stay in Paris and do a day tour to La Bretagne?



LEAVING TO BUENOS AIRES AROUND THE 10-12 JUNE FROM LON .

Just some places to find great info on trains - www.bahn.de/en - German Railways schedule site for all European trains; www.seat61.com -great tips on getting discounted train tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com. www.nationalrail.co.uk for British trains and booking your own on line at cheaper rates than just showing up - why not fly into Edinburgh and out of Paris or Nice?

PS - No railpass would be of use to you -book your own discounted tickets - www.eurostar.com for London to Paris; www.voyages-sncf.com for France. www.nationalrail.co.uk for UK.

DEAR FODORISTS..I COULD EVEN START IN FRANCE AND FINISH IN UK...

Better they say to start in UK and end in Paris or Nice

Do UK-Paris-Loire-Nice -do Brittany as day trip from Paris if you must but I'd ax that- unless Mont Saint-Michel -otherwise you'll need more than a day in Brittany to appreciate it in general.

Fly into UK and out of Nice - if reverse it may cost more as departure fees from London are significantly higher than landing fees there- anyway check fares on various airlines and do the cheapest routing in and out.

Thank you PalenQ...

thanks the ok PAR LOIRE NICE...and in between LA PROVENCE ??

the thing is I would like to watch the polo semifinals of Guards Club on June 14.so I thought why not start in France even if I fly INTO London..and also back from London.

I will find out what else apart from St Michel I can do in Brittany I though that a one day tour was enough sightseeing??

Fares from Argentina are normally cheaper using 1 airline to/from same city.. i will recheck that.thank youuu

By train Avignon would be a great base for the classic heart of tourist Provence-lots of short day trips and Avignon is a fine old city.

Fly back from Nice to London on cheap airlines like Easy Jet.

Or start in Nice - Avignon - Paris - London. Makes more sense.

Ciao!

Where to begin? First, what does MAY mean in front of each of your suggestions? What is VI? What is SA? Days of the week, I assume, but ?? Or that you MAY do this or that and MAY not?


If I understand, and I'm not at all sure that I do, as of now you plan to arrive in London, arriving JU (??) (or is it May?) 24 and leave the next day for Edinburgh - for two days? Then to Canterbury (and possibly Dover), then back to London for 2 more days, then on to Blois or Amboise (from London?).

Have no idea what you mean by a tour of castles by globe, but a day in the Loire Valley is almost useless. And you do not take a bus to Provence, even if they exist, which I doubt they do. You take a train.

It is very unlikely that you will see any lavender in Provence at that time of year, especially as it's been a very cold winter in the South of France. You are a long way away from thinking about hotels at this point because your itinerary makes no sense.

You don't go from Nice to Bretagne - it's nearly impossible. How much time do you have in Paris at the end of your trip? Bretagne really needs a minimum of 3-4 days.

I would suggest you start by looking at maps of France, studying www.seat61.com for train information, and buying or borrowing a few guidebooks, because at this point your "plan" is not making a lot of sense. I would recommend the Michelin Green Guides.

You do need to say how many days total you have for this trip, and you need to cut back on a of of your destinations and be sensible regarding the time it will take you to travel from one place to another. I also predict you will need open-jaw tickets, but that's hard to say because this is all so loosey-goosey at the moment.

Instead of trying to explain in English, maybe it would be clearer if you wrote in Spanish.

I would forget Brittany and the Loire for this trip - put more time in London or Provence or Nice.

Do a day trip from Paris to nearby Versailles for a chateau more magnificent than any in the Loire.

Maybe do a day trip to Le Mont-Saint-Michel or stay in Rennes or some coastal town for a few days and take Brittany Ferries to the U.K. from Brittany.

Start in Edinburgh (buy a ticket with a change of planes in London) and work your way south, or start in Nice and work your way north. Do NOT fly in and out of the same city. You have too little time everywhere, add more time or drop some locations.

Hola Dolores.

Do try to book an open-jaw ticked where you fly into London and out of Nice or vice-versa. Even if it costs a couple of hundred more, it will be worth it in saving at least a day in valuable travel time.


I would drop idea of Bretagne altogether as it is just too out of the way, and spend one or two days less around Nice.


Spend three days in Paris if you've never been there.

Take two days to see the Chateaux along the Loire. We stayed in Amboise and it was one of our favorite places--Amboise Chateau and one or two others.

In Provence, Arles is very nice--Roman ruins, Van Gogh related stuff, good food.

BTW--just spent the wonderful month of October in Argentina and loved it.

!Bon viaje!

HI all of you and thank youuu so much for taking the trouble of reaidng my itinerary.. I have some quirks when travelling..like prefer train to planes and airports..

Before reading all your comments I modified the itin.

I spent one week in LON and Paris last year.
Went to Versailles for the Day
Want to do a balloon flight over the Loire - a castel15 kms from Blois
Dont like travelling by plane I LOVE travelling by train.
When you say Brittany = Bretagne??? the one day tour takes me to St Michel..is a one day guided trip by train.
Was told NOT to use ferry due to problem with Muslims near Calais.
I WANT to stay one day in Paris and do what I missed last year, like going to an event at the Opera...repeat the tower and the seine
This itin has links to all events
In Cannes I plan to take train to Nice for a bike tour and a bike tour to Monaco.
As I dont rent a car I decide to make base in Cannes and do day trips to Nice, Monaco and if Ihave time to St Tropez.
THANK YOUuuu!
Here goes

OhhH..regarding air fare..it is only USD 1300 round trip...and cheaper if I do BUE PAR-LON BUE instead of point to point..


MAY


SU 28 MAY BUE PAR
MO 29 MAY CDG BLOIS TRAIN 1628-1758


BLOIS BEST WESTERN BLOIS CHATEAU
29 MAY-01 JUNE
http://www.hotelblois-gare.fr/uk/hot...e-officiel.php
2200hs Son et Lumiere - Chateau Blois


TU 30 MAY am VISIT Chateau
bus network Route 41 to Contres.
1900hs flight balloon Aerfun
http://www.aerfun.com/
Return w/Taxi


WE 31 MAY BIKE TOUR-WALKING TOUR


JUNE

TH 01 JUN BLOIS PARIS train 1213 -1350
PAR CANNES train 1332 -1450


CANNES HOTEL AMERICA
01/06 JUNE
http://www.hotel-america.com/


FR 02 FULL DAY CATAMARAN CRUISE W/LUNCH
https://www.viator.com/booking/tourO...=1487008248225


SA 03 Bus to Monaco – Discover the best of Monaco bike tour
http://www.monacobiketours.com/
Monaco-Nice - Walking tour


SU 04 BIKE TOUR IN THE AM
SU 04 LATE Train to Avignon Rail Europe depart

AVIGNON REGINA
https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/hot...204%3Bfc%3D1%3


MO 05 Day tour 0900am w/PROVANS
http://www.day-tours-from-avignon.co...oric-provence/


TU 06 AVIGNON – PARIS train direct

PARIS HOTEL ROYAL PHARE
06/09 JUNE
https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/roy...981d601c33aa11

WE 07 Day trip La Bretagne
https://www.linkparis.com/mont-st-mi...762.1486750505

TH 08 ?? day trip ??

FR 09 PAR LON train 1013 1330 TGR 9019
LON EDI train 1500 1920

EDINBURGH ALBANY BALANTREE HOTEL
09/12
https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/the...abel=gen173nr-

SA 10 Walking tour am / Edi Castle
SU 11 One day Stirling
MO 12 am wonder around
EDI –LON late train


LONDON Lord Jim Hotel London Kensington
12/15
https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/lor...981d601c33aa11


TU 13 Canterbury for the day
WE 14 POLO MATCH
TH 15 LON BUE

Hi Vagabundo..good month to visit Argentina...!! hope you enjoyed it..REF your suggestions thank you..I spent 1 week Paris 1 week London... La Bretagne is a day trip by train..guided tour.. and was recommended to vist the aerea INSTEAD of French Riviera..(by French woman) but I saw photos of a friend and decided to spent time there.. YES AvignongI will do the historic tour because I was told lavenders are in bloom after June 15- YES I am spending 3 days at the Loire in Blois..read it was the less touristy and full of French people..! :):) and do the balloon flight just for the thrill.and visit one more castle Chamont on Loire.. thank you for your time

Hi PalenQ..thank you for all your replies

You know I was told NOT to go to French Riviera so is good that you tell me to spend more time in Nice..I am doing base in Cannes and do the aerea from there.. because it is nearer to my trip to Avignon..
I did one week LON last year! why forget Brittany? ?? it is just a day trip from Paris where I go to take the train to EDIMB and stay one day..

I did Versailles last year..the whole day..I am doinghte Loire for the balloon and becasue I read Blois was wonderfully French and the chateau has the sound et son.Dont u think it is worthwhile? being on my own going to the beach is quite lonely...

The day trip from Paris takes me to Mont-Saint-Michel

Start in Edinburgh (buy a ticket with a change of planes in London) and work your way south, YES From ED I am going to LON but rather do day trip to Canterbury..so as not to book so many hotels.. dont oyu think???? and from Cannes I go north ...

Yes I thought o ..little time..everywhere but otherwise I spend too much time in one place!..I only have 18 days! I HAVE to be in LON on June 14 as our Adolfo Cambiaso poloplayer willbe playing his semifinal!.. (finals are too expensive ! :) ) ok if youhave the time to re read my new itin..appreciate yr comments...my last trip last year was following many of your suggestions........ LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE PART AT THE LOIRE...THANKS A LOT

Hi Dolores--

A day trip to Mont Saint Michel would be a VERY long day. Yes it is beautiful (in fact, the best nite we ever spent on our travels was just across from Mont Saint Michel) but a daytrip from Paris and back would be exhausting. The TGV takes over four hours one way

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Paris/Le-Mont-Saint-Michel
Which means you would have little time to see the island, and if you happen to get there at high tide. . .

However, I see that you have an extra day.
Consider Chartres, which is a very quick trip from Paris and very charming and historic.

Better yet (perhaps) go for an overnite trip to Mont Saint Michel. That would give you more time to relax a bit and see more things. One of the things you might want to see in that area is the Bayeux Tapestry, a real medieval treasure. Bayeux is about ninety minutes or so from Mont Saint Michel.

Otherwise, the itinerary looks good.

where I go to take the train to EDIMB and stay one day..>

York would be perfect-one of the nicest cities in Britain and smack half way about on the main London to Edinburgh line.

"Was told NOT to use ferry due to problem with Muslims near Calais."

Well, not sure how you know what religion those people were, though most have now been moved away there is a smaller group now at Dunkerque. Don't confuse refugees with Muslims please, it just sounds like Trumpism.

So you can use a bunch of different ferries from different ports or you could just take the train ( which is the most regular), Dover to Calais, Dover to Dunkerque, Newhaven to Dieppe are at the top of the channel and then a whole load down its length.

The refugees in Calais have largely been moved by now. Whether they are/were all Muslims or not would be hard to say and a subject best left unsaid.

A day trip to Le Mont St-Michel is at least a 16-hour venture. I would plan to stay overnight.

The Loire Valley is probably one of the most touristy places in France. I don't know where you got your information. And most places in France are are full of French people. Blois is a heavily visited town with an interesting château, but nothing terribly special, except for the double-helix staircase. It does make a decent base for touring the area.

I think Amboise makes a better base than Blois - especially for balloon rides which I've seen around Amboise -probably because some Uber famous chateaus are close to town. Blois perhaps has them too.

Hotel-Castle BLOIS or Amboise>

http://www.chateaupray.com/

The Chateau de Pray is a short stroll from Amboise itself and near the Amboise Chateau.

Rent a bike and cycle the 15 miles or so Amboise to Chenonceau - the most well-known and popular of Loire chateaux.

Easy to reach Amboise by train from Paris either via TGV to St=Pierre-des-Corps then local train or regional train direct from Paris Austerlitz-bit slower.