Europe in the Winter for a week
Oct 21st, 2016, 02:16 PM
#21
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To the comments on London transport. Likely the reason it keeps coming up is that transportation is truly quite limited in London on Boxing Day which is surprising to many people given that many large shops/department stores are open for sales
I lived outside of London and commuted in for work via Southwest trains/Overground. If I wanted to get into London on Boxing Day to shop, my only choice was to drive.>
Can anyone give the justification for the abominal oxymoronic situation - biggest shopping day in London and folks outside of Tube area have to drive in?
What's the deal- unions probably and why not any Christmas service like most other large European cities- what do folks without cars do if they want to go see relatives on Xmas Day -pay hefty taxi fares -I presume cabs run but maybe not neither - always Uber I guess.
I lived outside of London and commuted in for work via Southwest trains/Overground. If I wanted to get into London on Boxing Day to shop, my only choice was to drive.>
Can anyone give the justification for the abominal oxymoronic situation - biggest shopping day in London and folks outside of Tube area have to drive in?
What's the deal- unions probably and why not any Christmas service like most other large European cities- what do folks without cars do if they want to go see relatives on Xmas Day -pay hefty taxi fares -I presume cabs run but maybe not neither - always Uber I guess.
Oct 21st, 2016, 03:19 PM
#22
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@Janisj - Yes of course. But it is also not accurate to say it is a "typical Sunday service" in London as it is more limited than that. For example, IN London, the Overground and some Tube routes all typically run on a Sunday yet do NOT run at all on Boxing Day. So, absolutely I agree that London does not "close down" on Boxing Day but a tourist should expect some additional limitations and definitely it is a significant factor if they are trying to get in/out of London to other cities/sights via train the day after Christmas.
@Krw8 - You'll love Amsterdam and Paris! Personally I might prefer Paris for New Years Eve just because I love to be in Paris on holidays. But Amsterdam is super into fireworks on New Year's Eve (compared to Paris in my experience where it is more of a Bastille Day thing) and in Amsterdam you can get mulled wine (yum) so probably will depend on how you personally like to celebrate NYE and also perhaps hotel availability in the locations you want.
@Krw8 - You'll love Amsterdam and Paris! Personally I might prefer Paris for New Years Eve just because I love to be in Paris on holidays. But Amsterdam is super into fireworks on New Year's Eve (compared to Paris in my experience where it is more of a Bastille Day thing) and in Amsterdam you can get mulled wine (yum) so probably will depend on how you personally like to celebrate NYE and also perhaps hotel availability in the locations you want.
Oct 22nd, 2016, 01:29 AM
#23
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Some tube lines don't run at the weekends anyways due to engineering works. Do people say not to visit London on a weekend?
Overground and tubes run by TfL run a Sunday service on Boxing Day although there may be engineering works.
Services in and out of London on commuter trains or other trains may be down due to engineering works etc because it is the slowest travel times as most people arent traditionally travelling that day as historically this period is a time to spend with family in the U.K.
Tourists will have little issues travelling IN London on Boxing Day but will need to work around service IN AND OUT of central London.
Overground and tubes run by TfL run a Sunday service on Boxing Day although there may be engineering works.
Services in and out of London on commuter trains or other trains may be down due to engineering works etc because it is the slowest travel times as most people arent traditionally travelling that day as historically this period is a time to spend with family in the U.K.
Tourists will have little issues travelling IN London on Boxing Day but will need to work around service IN AND OUT of central London.
Oct 22nd, 2016, 11:25 PM
#24
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Nothing much happens in Paris on New Year's Eve. There are no fireworks, just enormous crowds on the Champs-Elysees and in front of the Eiffel Tower. People wait for midnight, then have to walk home. Public transport is free this night, but it's super-crowded and can be dangerous.
Most people would suggest booking an expensive dinner somewhere close to where you're staying, so you can get home. Most restaurants and hotels start listing "menus de saint sylvestre" around November.
I used to go to London for Christmas each year, but probably will not go again. It is true that there is no transport on the 25th, and even though transport is seriously limited on the 26th, it's difficult to get anywhere, due to the shoppers. You would have to walk practically everywhere. The GBP is a great value compared to the EU this year, and it's probable that the sheer number of shoppers will make it impossible to get into the shops.
If you could go from Paris to London just for New Year's, that would be a nice idea. Train tickets are currently on sale at a great savings, but will sell out soon. You will need to look for a hotel right away, though.
Most people would suggest booking an expensive dinner somewhere close to where you're staying, so you can get home. Most restaurants and hotels start listing "menus de saint sylvestre" around November.
I used to go to London for Christmas each year, but probably will not go again. It is true that there is no transport on the 25th, and even though transport is seriously limited on the 26th, it's difficult to get anywhere, due to the shoppers. You would have to walk practically everywhere. The GBP is a great value compared to the EU this year, and it's probable that the sheer number of shoppers will make it impossible to get into the shops.
If you could go from Paris to London just for New Year's, that would be a nice idea. Train tickets are currently on sale at a great savings, but will sell out soon. You will need to look for a hotel right away, though.
Oct 24th, 2016, 02:54 AM
#25
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We travelled throughout these cities last summer.
We started our journey from Budapest and stayed there about 3-4 nights then took a train from Budapest to Bratislava before going to Prague.
We just took a day-trip in Bratislava and regretted not staying there for 1 night. We appreciated so much Bratislava. It's a small but very nice city with a tiny and charming old town.
So your itinerary can begin with Budapest then Bratislava, Prague, Vienna and finish by Munich. You can travel by train or bus.
For each city, you can spend 3 or 4 nights. Just only about 1 or 2 nights in Bratislava.
But that's only my opinion
Hope you and your husband enjoy your trip!
We started our journey from Budapest and stayed there about 3-4 nights then took a train from Budapest to Bratislava before going to Prague.
We just took a day-trip in Bratislava and regretted not staying there for 1 night. We appreciated so much Bratislava. It's a small but very nice city with a tiny and charming old town.
So your itinerary can begin with Budapest then Bratislava, Prague, Vienna and finish by Munich. You can travel by train or bus.
For each city, you can spend 3 or 4 nights. Just only about 1 or 2 nights in Bratislava.
But that's only my opinion
Hope you and your husband enjoy your trip!
Oct 24th, 2016, 05:28 AM
#26
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Agree that in London using public transport on Boxing Day is not a problem. However getting in and out of London is. This year, as well as last year, there are Crossrail works. There's no Heathrow Express from December 24 to 29, and very limited service to Paddington.
