ella6599

DH and I are planning ahead for our 15th anniversary next year. We'd like to take our girls (will be 10 and 12) to Europe for the first time (first time for me as well, DH went to Spain in HS but otherwise is a newbie also). Main interest is England with other interests including Ireland, Scotland and France. We've got two weeks, and have accepted that it's probably not enough to include Ireland. DH says given a choice between France and Scotland, he'd prefer France, but we could happily spend all two weeks in England as well.

Some background: we're fairly seasoned US travelers, and have done the whirlwind roadtrip, as well as the set up camp in one place and chill type of vacation. Neither of us drive stick (although, with a year, he could probably learn). It would be summer 2014. I speak a few words of French (remnants of HS/college) and the girls will have studied 2 year/1 year respectively in grade school.

Our interests: We like big cities, but not exclusively- we're pretty fit but not athletic. We enjoy nature- I'm an Anglophile have read tons of Shakespeare, English lit, and Brit chic lit, and enjoy history. We're Catholic- attending Mass is not critical but I love visiting Cathedrals and churches. We've enjoyed visiting grand houses in the US (Newport, Biltmore). DH and older DD are big performers- DD hopes to have a career in musical theater, so taking in a show might also be an option.

So...as you can see, I'm all over the map, and am looking for some focus- we want to see as much as we can while still having the time to enjoy what we're seeing, and I tend to way overestimate what we have time for.

Thanks in advance!
Eleanor

MmePerdu

I can only tell what I like to do. I spend time in the UK every year but I always include at least 1 other place, sometimes just for a few days at the end. It seems to me that would work nicely for you. Maybe 10 days in England, Eurostar to Paris for 3 or 4 days and fly home from there to avoid the time and expense of returning to London. If you can add another week it would work even better.

nytraveler

Ditto on the above.

You should allow at least 5 or 6 days for London - esp if you will do a day trip. After that - train or car depends on what yuo want to see.

You could train to Edinburgh and stay there - or spend a day in York on the way up.

If you prefer countryside you might want to rent a car and spend a few days in the Cotswolds. As for stick - in the UK we rent automatic - it's enough to be driving on the wrong side of the road and in a strange car - never mind one with stick unless you do it all the time.

Underhill

Work your way from London up to Edinburgh with a car, making stops in York, Stratford-upon-Avon, and some of the grand English country house and great cathedrals. In fact, you can easily spend 5 days near London and visit Canterbury, Knole House, Windsor Castle, and much more--possibly the Cotswolds. For someone with an interest in English history you'll have quite a lot to see.

mamcalice

It isn't easy to know what you would like best but if it were my trip, I would spend 4 -5 days in London and 4 days in the English countryside, probably south of London, visiting gardens, churches and grand houses. Then I would take the Eurostar to Paris for the last 4 or 5 days. I, too, enjoy English history and literature but Paris is my favorite place in Europe.

yodababe

If you like Shakespeare and big houses, the logical place for you to visit is Shakespeare's country-Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. Highlights include Stratford-upon-Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Company (which has a great summer rep program but you have to reserve tickets well in advance), Warwick Castle, Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Stowe Landscape Gardens, a bunch of other stately homes and gardens, and Royal Leamington Spa which is a lovely Georgian town. You can dip down to the extremely picturesque Cotswolds area if you want. You could easily spend a week there--3 days in the Stratford area, 3 days in the Cotswolds. Then I would head up to York, stay 1-2 nights, and then take the train to Edinburgh.

Although London is a great city with of course, memorable sightseeing to do, I like the parts of England outside of London much better. But that is personal preference of course.

If you don't drive a stick shift, know that car rentals are about 1/3 more for automatics than manuals, and the cars are much bigger. That means more stress on small country lanes and a lot more in fuel expenses. You might want to travel by rail or bus instead, bus being the cheapest option.

ElendilPickle

We spent 12 days in England and Wales in 2007. While we got to see everything on our "must-do" list, it would have been nice to have another day or two in London.

Here's a link to my trip report; it sounds like some of our interests are similar, so you may find it helpful.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...b-may-2007.cfm

Lee Ann